Melologue "Hierarchy and Privilege" with original music

Hierarchy and Privilege

Theatrical Reading based on texts by Primo Levi
Thursday 29 January 2026, 6:00pm
In Italian with English surtitles – Duration approx. 1 hour

To commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Giornata della Memoria) 2026, the Italian Cultural Institute Sydney is honoured to host the artistic duo Diana Höbel (actress) and Federico Nicoletta (musician) for a moving and passionate musical reading based on writings by Primo Levi. The event offers an insider’s shockingly vivid perspective of life in the extermination camps.

Hierarchy and Privilege is a reflection on the structure and dynamics of the extermination camps, built entirely from the words of Primo Levi and Hermann Langbein. The dramaturgy draws on Levi’s essays, newspaper articles, and reviews; from these varied materials emerges a complex vision of the camps as infernal places yet organised according to “principles” that can still be recognised in our societies today: fear; hierarchy and privilege; the overturning of the categorical imperative—treating human beings as a means and not as an end.

The project was created in co-production with the Italian Cultural Institute of Ljubljana, where it premiered on 24 October 2019 during the Week of the Italian Language in the World.

Original music by Claudio Rastelli.

Biographies

Diana Höbel

Actress, dramaturg and director, trained at the Civica Scuola di Teatro Paolo Grassi. She has collaborated with major Italian and international theatres, alternating stage work with original projects that combine literature, history and music. Her melologues and theatrical works have been presented at leading festivals and cultural institutions, including the Associazione Amici della Musica di Modena, Hangar Teatri, and the Fondazione Benetton. She also works in film, radio drama, and theatre education.

Claudio Rastelli

Composer, pianist and educator, with works performed throughout Europe, the United States and Japan by renowned soloists and ensembles. His output ranges from chamber and orchestral music to theatre projects and re-elaborations of classical repertoire. He is Artistic Director of Amici della Musica di Modena and teaches at the Conservatory of Trieste. Known for his strong commitment to musical outreach, he regularly leads conferences, workshops and lecture-performances.

Federico Nicoletta

Pianist and conductor, graduated with honours from prestigious Italian academies including the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. He performs as a soloist and chamber musician across Italy and abroad, and his recordings and broadcasts have appeared on RAI, Radio3, RTVE and Swiss TV. He has collaborated with major opera institutions as répétiteur and assistant conductor, and currently heads the Piano Department and teaches in the Master Play&Rec programme at the Conservatory of Rovigo.

Free entry

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Istituto Italiano di Cultura