When this website was launched in June 2015, one year after Raul’s death, we said that, with the assistance of a group of artists with the necessary musical and graphic skills, we would endeavor to complete the project he was working on when he died.
And thus, in June 2016, ‘MINIMANAMALIA’, edited by Gioia Roni Maestro Scacchi, was published by Istos Edizioni. The theme of this 21-track audio CD is entirely dedicated to animals. It comes with an accompanying 150 page book in Italian and English incorporating an introduction, the lyrics, illustrations and photographs. Most of the songs are in English, written once again in collaboration with Raul’s long-time friend, poet and writer Jim Potts. But “The little fish of Corfu” is in Greek, “The White Deer,’ a poem by Francesco Petrarca, in Italian, and an ancient Aramaic nursery rhyme entitled ‘Chad Gadia’.
As the cover reads:
Minimanimalia, a collection of songs about animals by Raul Scacchi, is for those that haven’t forgotten what it is to be human and the relationship we have with those beings that aren’t. It reminds us not be indifferent to their fate and suffering, and urges us to grow and spread this compassion and sensitivity
Minimanimalia is in fact a menagerie of the imagination, full of animals communicating their suffering in a highly emotive way. And, very specially, Raul has them do this from their, not a human, point-of-view, with an empathetic impact that is all the greater. As such it is part of a larger mission to increase our respect for our environment and everything that lives in it.
This particular journey began on Saturday 20 August 2016 in the Plous bookshop, a cultural gem in the ancient Venetian heart of Corfu Town. Here in Greek, Italian and English, Raul’s friends gathered to celebrate him and his artistry and the magical flowering of creative inspiration in this remote corner of Mediterranean paradise that characterized the first decade of the new millennium.
After this ‘pre-launch’ in the island that Raul chose to be his second home, MINIMANIMALIA made its first arrival in Italy - on October 9 at the Leopolda in Pisa – preceded, of course, by a wave of publicity:
A Celebration of Raul (from the Blog of Davide Guadagni, 8 October 2016)
Tomorrow, from 6pm till late, ‘Minimanimalia’, a book with accompanying CD by my artist and musician friend Raul Scacchi, will be launched. It will also be a celebration of his life for he is sadly no longer with us. From Gioia to Scorrano, from Galanti to Klein, from Santagata to Martinelli, from Moulopoulos to Ghezzi, so many from Gioia’s close circle of friends have lovingly and with great determination, collected, completed and now published her husband’s final opus – dedicated to mankind and all animals
After the event at the Leopolda, where so many of Raul’s artistic friends and friends of animals generally were able to pay their tribute, it was time for Minimanimalia to move on , looking for new opportunities to spread its message.
So, on a pleasant morning in late October, invited by teachers Leandra Del Grande and Nunzia Giudice, we went with Stefano Scorrano from ISTOS to the Giovanni Parmini primary school in Pisa and spent two very rewarding hours with the third and fourth grade classes. We discussed music, art, ethics, language, geography, democracy - and the responsibility of those in power to respect minorities and those that cannot speak for themselves. It was marvelous to see how the children understood Raul’s message intuitively. He would have found their response richly fulfilling.
Amongst the songs in Minimanimalia, one that has especially inspired a number of artists by the power of its lyrics and the appeal of its melody is “Bipolar Bear”. Gabriella Gazzetti and Cosma Ognissanti, from the ALBA artistic workshop (the long-established Pisa organization for the care and rehabilitation of people with mental illness) performed their own interpretation at the Leopolda event, a few excerpts of which you can see in the video of the occasion above.
Stefania Kaloudis, a German musician and singer who lives in Corfu and who had previously collaborated with Raul on earlier thematic albums, chose to dedicate her own tribute to the great white bear of the Arctic. On October 24th 2016 she posted this sad but very beautiful video on YouTube to the accompaniment of her distinctively dark and intense voice.
And finally, to end on a happy note and with the assistance of my very gifted illustrator friend Amina, a fable with the Bipolar Bear as the hero.
(N.B. Bipolar Bear is best appreciated by adults when in the company of children from six to nine years - either all in one session on a rainy afternoon, or in two or three parts of about seven minutes before going to sleep.)
Minimanlimalia then came to the Pisa Book Fest on Saturday November 12, sociologist Alessandro Cavalli, Pisa City Councilor Andrea Ferrante, Greek Honorary Consul Elena Konstantos and art historian Silvia Panichi all spoke about the project and the importance of its message in a round table chaired by Fabrizio Felici. Diana Gallo, chairperson of the ALBA board of directors, brought some intense emotion at the closing of the discussion, singing ‘The White Deer’ and ‘The little fish of Corfu’ in her very beautiful voice.
A great showcase for the PISA Book Fest was a broadcast from ECORADIO, the student radio channel of the University of Pisa. which was initially hosted by economics students but gradually came to involve all disciplines. In their “Cover Notes’ program at the time of the city’s literary fair they included a long interview about Raul the songwriter, his work and his philosophy.
In December 2016 Minimanimalia was the inspiration of a literary evening at Franco Donatini’s “Le Sughere” a beautiful villa in the Luccan hills near the wonderful medieval village of Montecarlo di Lucca.
Minimanimalia then celebrated ‘Animal Valentine’s Day’ on 14 February 2017 in Milan in the Luchino Visconti gym in the ARCI headquarters in the Via Dario Bellezza. Here, in the place that was the historic setting for the boxing scenes of Visconti’s “Rocco and his brothers”, Marilena Adamo, president of the civic art schools’ foundation, teacher and philosopher Maria Rosa Del Buono, together with theatre television writer Alessandro Golinelli and in conjunction with bookseller Mauro Cerana, introduced the book and CD. A young actress from the Paolo Grassi school then read some of the lyrics. We were moved by memories and recollections from Raul’s friends from Milan, many of whom have worked with him from the beginning in the 60s.
The day before on ‘Consider the Armadillo - us and other animals’ – the programme that Cecilia di Lieto presents from 2.30 to 3pm on Radio Populare di Milano - the whole broadcast was devoted to Minimanimalia and its author, with a lengthy discussion of its songs, its theme and its environmental message.
Radio Popolare, Milan, 13 February 2017 http://pod.radiopopolare.it/armadillo_1_13_02_2017.mp3
Minimanimalia will continue to spread its message and make its voice heard wherever there are people sensitive to their interaction with the world and recognize their role within it.
As Lama Zopa Rinpoce says in his guide to reincarnation and animals passing on
“all sentient beings, including the animals about to be released from life, have been our forebears from time immemorial.”
Minimanimalia, the animalist songbook, is available on request: at E18 for the book and cd, plus shipping costs. For orders of 3 or more the price per copy falls to E15 plus shipping. Simply email your request to gioiaronimo@gmail.com In addition you’ll also receive a free copy of the Bipolar Bear fable mentioned above.