Premio Mercurio d’Argento 2025 – Music for the Image
Beginning tomorrow, Thursday, August 21, and till Saturday, August 23, the city of Massa in Tuscany, Italy, will hold several concerts, workshops, and award ceremonies as part of the Premio Mercurio d’Argento 2025 / Mercurio d’Argento Award 2025, celebrating this year it’s 7th edition, with the participation of Cris Ciampoli, Marco Testoni, Giuliano Taviani, Carmelo Travia, Licia Missori, Massimo Privitera.
The Mercurio d’Argento Award was born from the desire to highlight the importance of musical composition in everyday life, whether in relation to films, commercials and/or video games. The Award is promoted by the Municipality of Massa with the patronage of the ACMF (Association of Film Music Composers). Three days in which composers offer training workshops, debates, and musical appointments in which to share experiences and curiosities of the profession of music composer.
The artistic direction of the workshops and awards is in charge of Massimo Privitera (ColonneSonore.net). The artistic direction of the evenings is in charge of Cinzia Bertilorenzi.
Below is the detailed program of events and concerts:
Thursday 21/8 – 21:30h – Screening of the moivie ‘The Lion King’ – Villa Cuturi, Marina di Massa – Free admission until capacity is reached
Friday 22/8 – 21:30h – Concert ‘The Sound of Cinema – Film Music’ – Piazza Aranci, Massa – Free admission until capacity is reached
Music from all eras, whose melodies caress the sensibilities of those who love music and cinema. Live performances of the most famous soundtracks in cinema history: a concert that will take the audience on a journey to relive the emotions of the most famous scenes from Gone with the Wind, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Mission, Once Upon a Time in America, Duck, You Sucker, Cinema Paradiso, Once Upon a Time in the West, Titanic, Amarcord, La Dolce Vita, The Leopard, The Godfather, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Leo Da Vinci, and many others…
Saturday 23/8 – 21:30h – Concert ‘Sounds Of Legends – The Oscar Music of Hans Zimmer’ – Piazza Aranci, Massa – Free admission until capacity is reached
Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, The Lion King… and Dune, Interstellar, The Da Vinci Code, The Dark Knight, Inception… Hans Zimmer’s most beloved soundtracks, which contributed to the success of wonderful films, winning Oscars for The Lion King and Dune, as well as setting the all-time sales record for a soundtrack with Gladiator. The absolutely unique atmosphere of the sold-out concerts that Zimmer has brought around the world in recent years, combining classical and pop music like no one else before him: these are the ingredients of the show SOUNDS OF LEGENDS, entirely dedicated to the masterpieces of the great composer. Twenty young pop-rock and classical musicians, trained in the most prestigious Italian academies and with top-level experience behind them, take to the stage, unleashing a wave of vitality, fun, and emotion. The result is a totally unique and unmissable show that fully respects the special blend of classical, ethnic, pop-rock, and electronic sounds. An explosion of energy and vitality.
The schedule of conferences will be as follows (all of them in the Sala Consiliare – Comune di Massa – prior registration required):
Friday 22/8 – From 15:30h to 17:00h – Film Scoring: the aroma of a film, between art and productivity with Cris Ciampoli
The numerous and complex balances that modern composers must be able to manage in order to complete their work in an optimal manner: just as a good perfume is made up of a series of perfectly balanced essences, a good composer must know how to balance the demands and relationship with the director, the timing, the cinematographic timing, the pressure of tight deadlines, the budget, the collaborators, the creativity, the interaction with the production, the editor, and the music supervisor. The “dark side” of the relationship between director and composer, the different methods and how different scores can heavily shift a film in one direction rather than another, making it more lively or more reflective, more dramatic or softer, demonstrating the composer’s responsibility towards the film.
Friday 22/8 – From 17:15h to 18:30h – How do you listen to a movie? A listening guide for viewers unaware of soundtracks with Marco Testoni
Discovering the soundtrack: a guide that overturns the meaning of the cinematic experience between sight and hearing. An encounter that recounts music for cinema, freeing us from the role of unwitting listeners by placing the ear at the center of the scene, allowing us to grasp details that we are not accustomed to appreciating, from silent movie theaters to the technologies of today.
Saturday 23/8 – From 15:30h to 17:00h – The role of the original soundtrack and its composer today with Giuliano Taviani & Carmelo Travia
The role of original music and composers in relation to other authors and professionals within film production, in light of new artistic and technological trends.
Saturday 23/8 – From 17:15h to 18:30h – Music in video games: from 8-bit to immersive magic with Licia Missori
What makes video game music so special? Why is it able to evoke such intense emotional involvement? A fascinating story will immerse us in this still largely unexplored world, rich in extraordinary creative adventures, analyzing the work of great gaming composers and exploring the techniques, requirements, and skills needed to create a soundtrack that leaves its mark.
And as for the details regarding the Award:
More information about the Premio Mercurio d’Argento:
https://soundtrackfest.com/en/tag/premio-mercurio-dargento-en/
Official website:
https://premiomercuriodargento.it/
