di Ilaria Longo
The young poet of Omignano, Menotti Lerro, back in the library with the poetry collection 'Bread and sugar' (Landolfi Publisher, 2016). In the title it is already possible to see what the issues addressed in the poems: those related to childhood, to the days when two simple items such as bread and sugar could represent as much for a child committed to play and to live carefree childhood, the same that for Menotti was an "unrepeatable dream." Because 'dreams, good or bad, should be made only once, "said the poet. "Repeat the same dream can be tedious and may have little sense. My childhood was dreaming because wonderful (and I can say that it was for the greater part), and painful at the same time as I understood a little 'at all. I was a smart and joyous baby to live, enthusiastic about endless things. This has made me a child, and now a man, happy even if some family little problem at times made me, and makes me not sad. But I want to stress that those who believe, reading my poems, that my childhood was just serene or melancholy wrong to interpret my message because it was loving and exciting thanks to an exceptional mother, sisters and a little friends to play with and an extraordinary father who loved us and gave us all the love and wisdom that a child can expect to receive as a gift. " So Menotti clarifies the meaning of his poems and, a day beyond the memories of this period of his life, using his verses also tell the memory theme so dear to the world of literature and beyond. Memory closely intertwined with memories that emerge from the depths of each person, who - according Menotti Lerro - are simply memories, "pictures of us in the world, inner and outer, in a past time. Some pictures are pleasant and comforting, others less; often they distorted by the instability of memory that is not black or white, but many shades. Sometimes it's nostalgic memories, other liberation or, so to speak, 'neutral'. We remain in memories of various kinds, and every memory has its own independent life. "
In addition to the latter work the past year has been very challenging to Menotti who has competed in the writing of two new genera for him: theater and music lyrics. In 2015, in fact, he has published the stage plays 'Donna Giovanna' and 'The Gorilla' and called 'The beats of the night' with 10 songs set to music by the Polish composer Tomasz Krezymon. The painting 'Woman Giovanna' is the female version of the famous 'Don Giovanni' in which the protagonist, in the intention of Menotti, "claims its independent identity of women and gender". 'The Gorilla' instead, he explains, "is a comedy that takes its cue from an image, that of the gorilla Crodino, that in my fantasy disturbs the protagonist of this story, Don Raimondo, to the point of not doing more turn on the TV for fear of encountering the ape. The story is very complicated, actually, because it tells the semi-serious in key placid madness of a man who is no longer able to contain the outside world and himself. " A 'Beats of the night' are entrusted various themes to be conveyed through the music and the lyrics of Menotti stating: "the main theme of this work is the softness of the shadows, not just those amorous". The songs were presented in three concerts (in Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk) sponsored by the Italian Institute of Culture in Warsaw and have been a great success of public and critics.
However, despite this life full of commitments, to write poetry, theatrical works to be published and verses set to music, that never ceases to emerge from the soul of Menotti's childhood, "unreal sailing ship sunk with clumsy" gestures.