The Ministry of Culture celebrated Italian Opera yesterday, Friday 7 June 2024, with an extraordinary event at the Arena of Verona broadcast worldwide by RAI. Hero lyrical singing, with 160 orchestra professors and 300 choir artists from the Italian symphonic opera foundations. And with the extraordinary participation of Maestro Riccardo Muti.
There was no shortage of prominent political figures as well. Among these, the extraordinary participation of President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
At the Verona Arena “The great Italian Opera, a world heritage site”
A unique and unforgettable evening last night, 7 June 2024, live from the Verona Arena and broadcast worldwide, dedicated to heritage of the great Italian Opera.
An event that celebrated the recent entry of opera singing from the Bel Paese in the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
The evening
The great maestro Riccardo Muti took to the podium in the first part of the evening, conducting 160 orchestra professors and 300 choir artists coming from local lyric-symphonic foundations, who will perform the most significant operatic pieces of the Italian repertoire.
From Gioachino Rossini’s Guglielmo Tell to Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma; the dramatic universe of Nabucco, Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth and the majestic symphonies from Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito, up to Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini.
The second part of the evening instead saw another famous conductor on stage, Francesco Ivan Ciampa. For him a lively anthology of pieces chosen from the most famous works of Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti.
There was no shortage of notes by Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano, Anna Netrebko, Eleonora Buratto, Rosa Feola, followed by Juliana Grigoryan, Jessica Pratt, Mariangela Sicilia, the mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina. For dance the wonderful Roberto Bolle and the spectacular Nicoletta Manni.
All made possible thanks to the fantastic management by Cristiana Capotondi, Luca Zingaretti and Alberto Angela, who accompanied the audience on the exciting ‘journey’ through the songs that made the history of music and Italy.
The participation of the President of the Republic Mattarella and Premier Meloni
Watching the wonderful show from the front row the head of state Sergio Mattarellawhich involved 160 orchestra professors and 300 choir artists from the Italian symphonic opera foundations, in front of representatives of the institutions and the world of culture, with the extraordinary participation of maestro Riccardo Muti.
The event also saw the participation of other prominent political figures. Among these, the Premier Giorgia Meloni and the president of the Veneto region Luca Zaia.
“It is a pleasure to welcome this evening to Verona – Zaia said – the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, Fra’ John Timothy Dunlap, the President of the Senate of the Republic, sen. Ignazio La Russa, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the Hon. Lorenzo Fontana, and the President of the Council of Ministers, the Hon. Giorgia Meloni.
Their presence honors the opening evening of the 101st Arena Opera Festival, during which Italian opera, recently recognized as a world heritage site, will be celebrated in an extraordinary event organized by the Ministry of Culture.”
