Unrepeatable. This is the first adjective that could be associated with Rick Rubin's festival of the Sun held in Tuscany for the summer solstice on June 21-22. The famous producer had an idea: to turn an old village – with its narrow streets, churches and amphitheater – into a location for live shows, film previews and discussions about the future of the economy and technology.
This was the secret festival at Casole d'Elsa, announced as a surprise a few days before. A huge part of it was Italian pop star Jovanotti, who has worked with Rubin in the past and performed live on a small stage set up in the main square of Casole d'Elsa.
The festival was based on the concept of surprise. When will you ever again expect to attend a free secret show where you don't know who's going to be there, only to find out the names include James Blake, Arcade Fire, Gossip and Rhye?
The name of the festival creator could have cleared it up anyway. Hundreds of people gathered at Casole d'Elsa on Friday (June 21) and they knew nothing except that there was going to be some kind of concert. (It's hard to imagine that a much larger crowd won't arrive next year.)
Not even the invited press knew what was going to happen. And that was the beauty of it. On Friday, in front of the church of Santa Maria Assunta in Casole d'Elsa, a crowd waited to get inside. James Blake's name, which until then most viewers had never heard of, began to circulate. But for those who had, the idea of hearing him in a church seemed like a dream.
The first performance was that of Krishna Das, an American artist who presents his kirtans, or Hindu prayers of worship, in musical form. The aim was to engage the audience directly, making them repeat the mantras and allowing them to enter another dimension away from everyday reality. In the pews of the church was Rubin, looking pleased with this first taste of the event. There were Italian artists such as Jovanotti and Dario Mangiaracina of La Rappresentante di Lista, actors Riccardo Scamarcio with Benedetta Porcaroli and artistic manager Paola Zucar. Régine Chassagne and Win Butler of Arcade Fire were also there — calm, listening, ready to be swept away by the flow.
Next to the festival locations, the schedule of events only said “live”, “show” and “film” without specifying anything else. We went back to the church and this time James Blake was actually there. In front of him was his piano and a loop station. After a while “Limit to Your Love” started. Sunlight streamed through the painted Gothic windows and combined with “Mulholland” and “Retrograde”. Blake couldn't hear himself or his instrument very well, so he started over and then stopped again. Everything seemed so real, but most of all profound.
Meanwhile, Paolo Nutini was wandering around the monastery. Perhaps he too would have liked to play in such a specific context, but he could not because he had to perform officially at the La Prima Estate festival, also in Tuscany. After a break, Jovanotti took the stage, telling the crowd about the responsibility that made Rubin fall in love with his native Tuscany.
“A few years ago Rick, my absolute legend, who later became a friend, and I rented a villa near Florence to convert into a studio and work on my album. We were there for about a month. Every morning he and I drove around the villages and hills, so Rick fell madly in love with the area. He even bought a house right in the municipality of Casole d'Elsa: he is one of us now!'
Jovanotti talked about how many houses they looked at together to find one that was right to renovate without altering its old spirit – a bit like his albums, where Rubin cuts the sound down to the bare bones to preserve the essence of the artists.
“In the United States, the concept of ancient really doesn't exist,” says Rubin. “A 40-year-old house is considered such. That's why I'm so fascinated by your country.” Then there was another important source of inspiration: director Terry Gilliam's film festival in Umbria. “When we were there together, we saw an incredible gem and thought we had to do everything we could to do something like that.”
After Jovanotti, Beth Ditto's Gossip hit the scene and the force of nature we all knew seemed to be back. She apologized for her cough and her voice, but she seemed anything but unmotivated. Rubin himself called on the audience not to miss the band “Heavy Cross” for anything in the world.
Meanwhile, other Italian artists arrived backstage such as Levante, Madame, gIANMARIA, Birthh, Veronica Lucchesi of La Rappresentante di Lista. Everyone was relaxed and happy with the shows they were seeing. The next day, Galli, Frach Quintale and Thomas Raggi and Maneskin's Ethan Torzio arrived. They all met in the monastery-turned-backstage, with tech gurus like Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey hosting a panel titled 'Tech and Freedom' on Saturday (June 22).
On Saturday there were more surprises. DJ Cosmo Gonik hits Piazza della Libertà for his ecstatic dance, then another church hosted cellist Lucinda Chua, Rhye and Armenian pianist Marie Awadis. But it was with Arcade Fire's Win and Regine that it peaked. The two Canadians first appeared in the church of Santa Maria Assunta for a concert and then on stage in Piazza della Libertà with a DJ set.
The places convey a timeless charm. Not to mention the excellent location of the amphitheater for the movie about Nick Cave, As much as I know it to be true, presented by director Andrew Domini, with contrasting purple lights, clear sound and Arcade Fire and Blake in the audience. How can the same magic of time be repeated?
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festival of the Sun
Kimberley Ross/Stefano Mattea/Billboard Italia
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/rick-rubin-secret-festival-tuscany-italy-1235719325/