"At the moment I felt suspended between life and death, I asked myself: who am I? Am I this pain? Am I this illness? And I sensed that within each of us there is an invisible dimension that is untouched by pain. Suffering is the cloud, but I am the sky." Giovanni Allevi moved and inspired reflection as a guest at the Giffoni Film Festival, in a touching and heartfelt encounter.
The composer, philosopher and pianist, welcomed with a standing ovation and "embraced" with sustained applause, told the young jurors about the hardest period of his life, from his diagnosis of multiple myeloma to his hospital stay, explaining how music became a way to resist despair — as happened with his composition MM22, a concerto for cello and orchestra, an acronym for multiple myeloma 2022, the year his diagnosis came.
A very young juror confessed to the unease of a generation obsessed with perfection: "We teenagers always want to be seen as perfect, and making mistakes embarrasses us. How do we live without fear of showing our vulnerabilities?" Allevi replied: "We live in a world that does not want us to be fragile, but fragility is the value of being human. We must not compare ourselves to others: beneath social conditioning lies an immensity hidden within each of us."
Among the most intense moments was the contribution of Carmela, a young woman who spoke about pain without romanticising it: "Sometimes illness is simply an unjust void that passes through us." "All of us, sooner or later, encounter darkness: despair, depression, an eating disorder. But that darkness can become the prelude to a rebirth," Allevi responded, complimenting the depth of the young people's words and thoughts.
Another young man asked how to pursue an artistic dream while living with a personal difficulty. Allevi replied with words that drew fresh applause: "Do not keep suffering at a distance. It is in fragility that the deepest core of being human resides. Art always springs from a fragility that seeks a light — and finds it."
The meeting also held strong symbolic significance for the maestro's upcoming commitments. On 19 September, Allevi will appear at the Royal Palace of Caserta with "Musica dall'Anima" — a journey of rebirth through music and words alongside young cellists Francesco Strane and Edoardo Bruni, during which he will perform the MM22 concerto. On 22 September, he will be in Assisi for a concert-event dedicated to the themes of peace, spirituality and hope.
"I would like to celebrate the sacredness and beauty of life, with gratitude for being here and for still being alive," said Allevi, closing the event. In the room, many young people had tears in their eyes.
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