It will be a celebratory year for the wonderful La Mortella Gardens created in the 1950s by Lady Susana Walton for her husband Sir William, the great twentieth century composer.
From Saturday 1 April, the Giardini la Mortella of Ischia will once again welcome the public on the traditional opening days of Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9.00 to 19.00.
At the start of the season, the Gardens will offer visitors an unforgettable botanical itinerary full of suggestions, immersed in the most emblematic blooms of the tropical garden, while the Mediterranean colors will express all their luxuriant beauty on the hills. The public will be able to get lost in the infinite shades of flowers, learn about the story of William Walton, one of the most significant English musicians of the twentieth century and his wife Lady Susana – thanks to the testimonies kept in the Recital Hall – observe the exotic birds housed in the aviary, enjoy of the exciting views over the bay of Forio.
A very special garden
Among the botanical rarities present at Mortella, one of the most precious is the Tropical Greenhouse “Victoria House” where the giant Victoria Amazonica water lily is grown. The tank in which it grows is dominated by the “Mouth”, a large sculpture created by Simon Verity which reproduces the mask present in the scenography of one of William Walton’s best-known musical works: Façade of which this year we will celebrate the centenary of the first ever performance , held in London on June 12, 1923.
2023 will also be the year that will pay tribute to the figure of the “genius loci” Sir William Walton forty years after his death: the one told by the La Mortella Gardens, the nest of Sir William and his wife Susana, is in fact a great history of Love. After the Maestro’s death on 8 March 1983, Susana (who died in 2010) transformed her property into a perennial monument to her husband’s genius and personality, creating the William Walton Foundation and La Mortella. The Foundation administers the Gardens and takes care of cultural activities, according to the precise indications left by Lady Walton, following her enlightened spirit and artistic vision. The statutory purposes are the care and opening of the garden to the public, the dissemination of Sir William’s musical culture and the promotion of musical practice, with particular attention to young virtuosos.
Musical appointments also kick off in April
La Mortella is not only a garden that brings together precious floral and tree species from all over the world but also a place where nature and music blend in a perfect union.
Three concert seasons are organized every year and with the reopening in April, the appointments dedicated to chamber music will also start again. The first two concerts on the calendar, Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 April will be celebratory and will recall William Walton’s musical inspiration. Performing will be Leonid Gorokhov, one of the greatest European cellists, a great admirer and interpreter of Walton’s music. Gorokhov will pay homage to the composer with the famous Passacaglia for Cello solo, a piece written by the Maestro in 1980 at the Mortella.
The season includes musical appointments that will take place every weekend until October (except the month of August), with young international talents protagonists of the scene. In the summer, the baton will instead pass to symphonic music with concerts by orchestral formations, hosted in the suggestive Greek Theater.
Info: www.lamortella.org
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