A great many musical events are staged in Italy. Pesaro is the venue for a musical instrument fair, Milan and Rimini hold musical equipment fairs and Ferrara stages classical music and historical jazz events. Internationally, Cannes, Paris, Cologne, Frankfurt and Los Angeles stage events not to be missed for members of the trade. Analysis of the relative standing of these initiatives reveals that a wide niche is open for a multi-genre event capable of involving members of the trade and enthusiasts and amateurs alike. The priority is to develop the musical culture of the general public.
The Fair has been designed as a large-scale exhibition/happening involving firms, trade professionals, amateurs, general visitors
and the national media and press in a high-profile programme of musical and music-related projects and initiatives. An exhibition space
of 50,000 square metres and nine conference halls will house stands, concerts, conferences, performances, meetings and presentations
of products and artistes. Significantly, special attention will be focused on themes of interest to exhibitors and professionals.
The Fair will feature live music and the promotion, exhibition and sale of records and musical instruments. It will provide the ideal setting
for exhibitors to promote and launch their products, to enhance their visibility or to consolidate their image and forge professional contacts.
The Fair will follow five main guidelines:
1. A 360° overview of the world of music
The breakdown of borderlines between musical genres. The Turin Fair will feature all music without discrimination.
2. Music as culture
From science (music as therapy, music as a mathematically perfect system, the impact of sound waves on hearing) to history
(Who were the great composers of the past? Who are the best today? What has to be done to preserve and restore tapes and records,
such an important component of our artistic heritage?). These are just some of the paths that will be pursued to enhance the great cultural
(but also, social, pedagogic, therapeutic etc) prestige of music in the broadest sense.
3. Music in schools
Italy has a lamentably low level of musical literacy. The Music Fair will supplement teaching projects already launched
by the Ministry of Public Education and develop programmes of specific involvement for schools.
The first item on its agenda has been a series of monthly concerts - a sort of ideal countdown to the event itself.
4. A precise ethical content
A problem closely connected with the weakness of musical culture is that of pirate records and tapes, the consequences of which
for the recording market are deprecable. According to data for 1994 supplied by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry,
Italy is at tenth place in the world piracy table. This means that 21 million pirate records are sold alongside the 53 million marketed legally on
the official market. The Turin Fair is committed to fighting and investigating the problem.
5. A musical jamboree
Live concerts, performances, listening sessions and rehearsals in the halls, at stands and in soundproofed cabins will combine to produce
one great musical happening, allowing visitors to make as well as listen to music.
Salone della Musica
Uffici: Via Susa 35, 10138 Torino (Italia)
Tel: +39-11-433.7054 / Fax: +39-11-433.1056
email: prosa@prosaloni.com
URL:http://www.prosaloni.com