This past 29 November, 100 years after the composer’s death, Mumbai celebrated the genius of Giacomo Puccini at India’s oldest opera venue, the Royal Opera House, with an opera gala organized by the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of Mumbai, in collaboration with the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, Furtados, Avid Learning, and Royal Opera House Mumbai, on the occasion of the Indian stop on the Amerigo Vespucci World tour.
Thanks to collaboration with Comitato Nazionale per le Celebrazioni Pucciniane, world-class performers like the soprano Maria Pia Piscitelli, the tenor Renzo Zulian, and the baritone Pier Luigi Dilengite, to the piano accompaniment of Linda Di Carlo, ascended to the stage to offer Puccini’s arias to the Indian public.
Antonio Bartoli, the Italian Ambassador to India, opened the festivities by welcoming the public, which included the delegation of the Ministry of Defence and of the Amerigo Vespucci, with the Chief Mate, Frigate Captain Tommaso Faraldo, Admiral Antonio Natale, colonel Elio Babbo, Difesa e Servizi CEO Luca Andreoli, and a large representation of Indian authorities on hand.
Walter Ferrara, the Italian General Consul in Mumbai, had this to say about the event: “On the occasion of the centennial of the Giacomo Puccini’s death, it was an honour to be able to present his most famous arias in Mumbai as part of the Indian stop of the Amerigo Vespucci – Villaggio Italia World Tour. The Amerigo Vespucci is a true work of art, having represented our country’s excellence for nearly a century.”
As the Director of the Cultural Institute Francesca Amendola explained, “the success and joy of this evening are part of a fertile path of collaborations with Indian cultural institutions, and bear witness to the great interest and affection with which the local public views Italy and our cultural tradition.”
