Opera in the Square
Friday night I settled into a plastic blue chair between Pam and Chris and their friends Krista and Richard from London who live in Chianti five months a year. Ours was one of about a half dozen rows of interlocked chairs arced in front of Greve’s Basilica di Santa Croce (in whose font Leonardo DaVinci was baptised!) at the top of the triangular piazza.
The stage was set . A grand piano waited for the pianist to take her seat. Huge golden ballons- a 3 and a 0 and a banner proclaimed this to be the 30th anniversary Daniel Ferro Vocal Program. The mayor (the sidaco) of Greve wearing the sash that proclaimed his office stood in the wings speaking with Daniel’s wife Joy, the current MC and force behind this event, since Daniel’s death some years ago.
The Daniel Ferro Vocal Program, named for the American born bass-baritone who was most famous for training many well known opera singers, takes place each summer in Greve in Chianti. It offers Master classes and private lessons and includes public concerts such as the one we were all anticipating.
Awaiting the start of the concert. Note the baptismal font on the right
Along with many others I fanned myself with the official program adding to the slight breeze that stirred the 90 plus degree air. The buzz of conversation filled the square as we waited for the 9:15 concert to begin.
Right on time, Italian time, the mayor strode to the stage at 9:40. After a lengthy introduction and explanation, and a thankfully abbreviated translation, the first singers finally stepped to the stage 10 minutes later.
For the next hour, we were treated to a selection of arias from a wide range of famous (Tosca, La Traviata, Don Giovanni) and lesser known operas ( Guiditta, Die Zauberflote) in Italian, German and English. Professionals and students, from many countries - sopranos, mezzosopranos, tenors and baritones -in dazzling evening clothes and “ smart casual” attire performed solos, duets and in other combinations.
Yiran Jia, professional Chinese baritone
The concert closed with a moving rendition of “Va, pensiero” which had the feel of an anthem. It began with all artists on stage and then as the song continued, the artists spread out through the crowd giving us the chance to appreciate the voice of each single artisit as he or she moved past.
Afterward, unfamiliar with this aria, I was curious about its history. I found it is known as the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”, from Verdi’s opera Nabucco ( Verdi’s name for the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar) which tells the biblical story of the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people and destruction of the temple in Jerusulem..
“Go, thought”, the slaves urge in this song, telling “it” to go to a better place, to home, to Jerusalem, to where they cannot go. It was adopted as the unofficial anthem of the Italian Independence Movement. Interestingly, it is a somewhat contentious choice favored by northen Italians more than those of central and southern Italy. The song is always sung twice with the audience joining in for the second round as they did here in Greve.
Daland Jones , Hakeem Henderson and Mark Watson are voices from the US