ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM THE LATTER PART OF 2013

VIVA VERDI!!

The Year of Italian Culture 2013 was a remarkable success, with 300 events in 60 U.S. cities, Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero reported.

The events focused on art, science, fashion, and cinema. The Ambassador noted that one of the year’s highlights was the celebration of the bicentennial of the great Giuseppe Verdi. October 10, 2013 - the 200th aniversary of the birth of the renowned composer Giuseppe Verdi - was a big day in Italy and for opera lovers around the world. On this important anniversary, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan honored the great composer with performances of his operas Aida and Don Carlo as well as a special lecture and musical program. In Bari, the Teatro Petruzzelli featured performances of Verdi’s last opera, the comic opera Falstaff. In Italy, a special TV broadcast on RAI Uno featured “Va pensiero” and an interview with Riccardo Muti, the music director of the Chicago Symphony who was born in Naples.

Locally, the Washington National Opera featured “The Force of Destiny” (La Forza del Destino). An orchestra from La Scala performed at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, MD on December 4. Casa Italiana had its own “Viva Verdi!” program on October 12, directed by Maestro Bruno Fusco. By all accounts, it was very successful. Maestro Fusco’s program featured arias from 6 of Verdi’s beloved operas -Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida, Il Trovatore, I Vespri Siciliani and Nabucco. The evening’s emcee was Cassandra Hoye. Outstanding performances were given by sopranos Marie Palmieri, Ritika Chatuvedi, tenor Tony Torchia and baritone Jose Sancin.

They were accompanied on the piano by Stephen Brown. In between the vocal performances were dances choreographed by Tuccio Rigano and performed by four accomplished dancers who came from Italy - Annamaria Perilli, Margherita Maffettone, Matteo Pastore and Alessandro Pastore. Following the performances, awards were announced, with Joseph Gawler’s sons and Tuccio Rigano receiving the Premio Internazionale delle Arti and Giuseppe Farruggio receiving the Premio Internazionale dell’Artigianato. Bringing the delightful evening to a close, Minister Cristiano Maggipinto from the Embassy of Italy took the stage to announce that Italian President Giorgio Napolitano had bestowed upon Maestro Fusco the title of “Cavaliere della Repubblica.” Tanti auguri, Maestro!!