Wu Wei, Alexis Baskind, Pascal Contet

Greet the sunrise with synthesised melodies, as the rich musical heritage of China propels us into contemporary soundscapes

From Col Margherita you can admire some of the most important peaks in the Dolomites, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009: from the Pale di San Martino to the Civetta, from the Pelmo to the Focobon group, up to Cima Uomo and the majestic Marmolada.

It’s hard to imagine a more evocative place to greet the sunrise in the company of Wu Wei and his music.

Born in China and trained in Shanghai and Berlin, Wu Wei brings to the Dolomites a traditional Chinese instrument, the sheng, a tiny mouth organ made of bamboo pipes set in a metal frame.

However, in keeping with the spirit of the event, which aims to bring different traditions and languages into dialogue with each other, the musician goes beyond the limits of the instrument, exploiting its potential in terms of melody, harmony, rhythm and polyphony, to embrace classical, chamber or orchestral contexts, to improvise as a soloist or together with jazz ensembles, to explore the realms of electronic and minimal music.

It’s no coincidence that he will be joined at Col Margherita by French accordionist Pascal Contet, a pioneer in the use of his instrument in contemporary music, and double bass player Alexis Baskind, a musician, sound engineer and electronic composer based in Berlin.

A meeting of cultures well suited to the mountains, an environment that, far from representing a mere barrier, has over the centuries been a place of transit and transhumance, of encounters, exchanges and migrations.

How to get there

from Passo San Pellegrino, take the Col Margherita cable car (hourly capacity: 1,300 people)
20-minute walking, descent 100 meters, difficulty E

or

from Passo San Pellegrino, follow trail 658 to Forcella di Pradazzo and then trail 695
1 hour 45 minutes walking time, altitude change 534 meters, difficulty E

or

from Passo Valles, follow trail 658
1 hour walking time, altitude change 400 meters, difficulty E