Italian PM Giorgia Meloni listened to an opera performance in Verona on Friday night as it was recognised by UNESCO as a global cultural treasure. Italian Premier joined top political and cultural figures at Verona’s ancient Arena amphitheater Friday night for an open-air celebration of Italian lyric opera’s recognition by UNESCO as a . Conductor Riccardo Muti presided over an orchestra of 170 musicians from Italy’s 14 opera houses, joined by over 314 choral singers and a cast of global star opera stars who delivered a greatest hits of Italian opera from Verdi to Puccini, Donizetti to Bellini for an appreciative crowd.
La Scala’s two star dancers, Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni, also performed. “I am here to testify to my enthusiasm and my pride for the fact that Italian lyric opera has received this great recognition,′′ Muti told the crowd. “Of course, this is an important moment, because recognition is never a point of arrival but a point of departure.
” “The great masterpieces are our heritage, which we Italians have given to the world,′′ Muti added in a prepared message for the television audience. While UNESCO included Italian opera on its intangible cultural heritage list in December, the Arena proved a fitting place to celebrate the milestone. The ancient stone amphitheater built by the Romans is home to a popular summer opera festival that for generations has made opera accessible to the uninitiated with lavish productions.
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