The maestro at the event in Verona “The Great Italian Opera, a World Heritage Site”
The teacher Riccardo Muti yesterday he was the protagonist of the evening event, “The Great Italian Work, a World Heritage Site”promoted by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the art of Italian opera singing, recently recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. A unique event, broadcast worldwide by Rai, with the greatest opera stars, an orchestra made up of 160 elements and a choir of 300 artists from all the Italian opera and symphony foundations.
The highest representatives of Italian institutions were present in the royal box of the Arena: the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa, the President of the Chamber Lorenzo Fontana, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and four ministers, Gennaro Sangiuliano (Culture), Adolfo Urso (Made in Italy and Business), Guido Crosetto (Defense) and Luca Ceriani (Relations with Parliament). Also in the audience were 20 UNESCO delegations and 70 ambassadors from the countries where Italian Opera is most loved, the president of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, and the mayor of Verona. Damiano Tommasi, the superintendent of the Arena di Verona Foundation, Cecilia Gasdia, the undersecretary of Culture Gianmarco Mazzi.
During the evening, however, Maestro Muti addressed the Meloni Government with a metaphor: “I naturally want to greet the President of the Republic, who has done us the honor of being here this evening. All the members of the Government and the authorities who are there who represent this European dream-reality. I am addressing the men and women of government, I have said it a thousand times, but perhaps someone has missed it, the orchestra is the synonym of society, there are violins, cellos, violas, double basses, trombones. Each of them often has completely different parts but they must all contribute, despite having different phrases they must contribute to a single good, which is that of everyone’s harmony, is that clear? There is no prevaricator, in fact, many times I also continue to tell my musicians that there is an impediment to the music, and it is the conductor.
For the first time, many internationally renowned opera singers were protagonists in a single evening, exceptionally on the same stage to sing the most beautiful pages of the Opera: Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Juan Diego Flórez, Ludovic Tézier, Vittorio Grigolo, Luca Salsi, Eleonora Buratto and Francesco Meli, accompanied with the dance of Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni. And again for the first time the Arena hosted a double stage for performances. Alberto Angela, Cristiana Capotondi and Luca Zingaretti they led the audience on a compelling journey into the Opera that made the history of music and Italy.
