Thunderous applause greeted the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra of Milan, masterfully conducted by Maestro Riccardo Chailly, during the closing evening of the Lucerne Festival, held on 13 September in the Swiss city.
This summer’s edition of the Lucerne Festival, entitled “Open End“, invited audiences to explore works that were either left unfinished or conceived to last indefinitely. Such is indeed the case of the great operatic arias of the Italian Risorgimento – by Verdi and Rossini – which were powerfully performed by the Teatro alla Scala Chorus, under the expert direction of Maestro Alberto Malazzi. These pieces remain timeless masterpieces, continuously celebrating the involvement of people in the destiny of their homeland.
The audience showed particular enthusiasm for the Tyrolean Chorus from Guillaume Tell, underlining the appreciation for the symbolic link between the Swiss national hero and the celebration of Italian patriotism.
“It was an extraordinary evening of music – a tribute to the great tradition of Italian opera,” noted Gian Lorenzo Cornado, the Italian Ambassador to Switzerland. “There could have been no better way to close the Lucerne Festival, nor a more fitting setting to conclude the triumphant European tour of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus.”
The Lucerne concert by the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra was made possible thanks to the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Bern, the Consulate General, and the Italian Cultural Institute in Zurich.
