Leonardo Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa -
- probably the most famous
combination in the history of art.
Five hundred years after his death Leonardo is still celebrated as one of the greatest geniuses that ever lived. The Mona Lisa, if not the greatest, certainly must qualify as the best known painted work of art in the world. And yet... there is still a degree of mystery surrounding the painting.
GIACONDA! is a book musical based on an astonishing story that now explains events and unanswered questions surrounding the creation of this iconic masterpiece. A story of intrigue, affairs, blackmail and betrayal that stems from Leonardo's illicit love for his apprentice Salai.
Why was it never delivered to the man who commissioned it, Lisa's husband Francesco del Giacondo?
Who really drew the nude version, the Monna Vanna, now proved to have been made in Leonardo's studio at the same time?
Why did Leonardo keep it with him for sixteen years until his death, then bequeath it and the Monna Vanna to his beloved Salai, who kept them both until he died?
History is an imprecise science. We rely on accounts often written many years after the event, and scholars still debate many basic details. Woven around the known facts GIACONDA! is an original dramatic interpretation, with dates, characters and locations as accurate as history will allow.
It's a fascinating story that brings new meaning to that enigmatic smile...
There are over 25 original compositions in GIACONDA!
Click a button on the left to play one of my favourites
PHIL HAMPSON