Prova d'orchestra

Federico Fellini undertook Prova d'orchestra (Orchestra Rehearsal) as a "small" project following for television his Casanova, which had exhausted him. In a book published at the time by Albatros, Fellini detailed the stages of his creation, which began as follows: ‘I would like to tell the story of an orchestra rehearsal. The project is, at the very least, irresponsible (...); in fact, I know nothing about the world of orchestral musicians and the technical and musical aspects of their work are totally unknown to me.’ The director then spent three months interviewing the members of an orchestra and quickly realised that they did not get on very well together. Above all, Fellini infused his film with a kind of echo of the political present in Italy, which had just experienced the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades. The climate of extreme violence that had prevailed since the end of 1968 was troubling the country. As is often the case, the maestro created a film in which fantasy was nourished by his observation of reality. The aim was not to make a statement, but rather to create a motley collection of events. It is up to us to understand what we want, but we can see in this short-lived revolution a demystification of the revolutionary gesture that ultimately leads to voluntary servitude. The heart of Fellini’s obsession is to be found in this film, an experience that revolves around the question that brings this repetition full circle: how can grace finally be born from a divided mass?