Alleati in concerto: Cage, Berio, Metzger e lo United States Information Service

Abstract

John Cage’s 1958–59 European tour, which spanned multiple countries and featured his first appearance at the Darmstadt Summer Courses, concluded with a series of five unplanned concerts in Italy. These performances, where Cage collaborated with Luciano Berio and Sylvano Bussotti, were not without controversy. They were pivotal in shaping the composer’s reception in the country, providing many local audiences and critics with their first opportunity to experience his works. As in Germany, Cage’s music faced harsh criticism, but the local political climate added some distinct traits to its reception. In Italy, Cage benefitted from trans-Atlantic politics and diplomacy. The United States Information Service, a key agency in promoting American culture overseas with political aims, played a significant role in supporting his two major concerts in Milan and Rome. This endorsement did not go unnoticed in a country where a strong Communist Party was widening polarisation during the Cold War. Critic Luigi Pestalozza, a Marxist, included anti-American claims in his attacks on Cage’s music. Fedele D’Amico dismissed the concert in Rome as a product of capitalist society. By contrast, Heinz-Klaus Metzger, who had come from Germany to support Cage, modelled the composer as a fighter for freedom in a leftist European sense. This article examines how musicians, institutions, critics, and the audience engaged with Cage during this series of concerts, also shedding light on the political dimensions that informed his arrival in Italy. The aim is to expand the perspective on the 1958–59 European reception of Cage beyond Germany. This is accomplished by broadening the geographical and chronological scope of existing studies and discussing the impact of the local political context.