Jonny Greenwood plays a Fermo benefit for the Marche's quake-hit art

Jonny Greenwood played the Teatro dell'Aquila in Fermo, in the Marche, on Friday 25 October. With him were the violinist Daniel Pioro and the pianist Katherine Tinker, both brought over from London, and the cellist Giuseppe Franchellucci from Pedaso, players he was sure would amaze the Fermo audience. It was the only concert where I played guitar this year, so I was very nervous.²

Every ticket sold went to ArteProArte, the committee that has been restoring the cultural heritage of the southern Marche since the earthquakes of 2016 and 2017, and Greenwood played without a fee, Internazionale reported.

The programme he gave Internazionale earlier in the month took in Steve Reich's “Electric Counterpoint”, a favourite of his, and pieces from his scores for There Will Be Blood, The Master and Phantom Thread. He was to play guitar, the tanpura and the ondes Martenot he plays on “How to Disappear Completely”.

He set the concert up to get people interested in the rebuilding and to bring visitors from the rest of Italy. The next plan is small concerts in the churches of the mountain villages, bringing their old organs back to life; the committee is already helping pay for the organ at Monte San Martino, near Macerata, to be restored.

He first came to Fermo about eight years ago to see the town's library, and he was at his home in the province with his family when the earthquakes struck. I'm slowly turning into a Marchigiano, or at least I hope so.¹