The concert “The Quartetto Mediterraneo”, an Italian chamber music ensemble, held in Amman was a great success. The Quartet comprises Luca Marziali and Edoardo De Angelis (violin), Roberto Molinelli (viola), Roberto Trainini (cello). They are well-established performers and Conservatory professors. Prof. Paolo Sabbatini, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Amman, organized the recital with a view to let music illustrate the historical and cultural ties that bind the two shores of the Mediterranean. This is in line with the spirit informing the ”Italy, Cultures, Mediterranean” programme, which is promoted by the Italian diplomatic network.
The concert programme included Verdi, Puccini, and Respighi. A highlight of the event was the performance of “Al delta della conoscenza”, an original piece Maestro Molinelli composed specifically to pay tribute to age-old civilizations and cultures born along the Nile. A selection of themes by Rossini followed, marking the 150th anniversary of the death of the Pesaro-born composer. The evening ended on the notes of the famous song “Aatini el nay wa ghanni” performed by Lebanese singer Fairouz, as a homage to the Middle Eastern culture.
The premiere of Roberto Molinelli’s “Fantasy from Jerusalem Symphony” was a big surprise. He wrote it specifically for the Amman concert, adapting it from the orchestra score of the same name composed by Youssef Khasho (1927-1997). As the score is unfortunately no longer available, Maestro Molinelli used a recording to identify the key themes of the Symphony, in order to create a synthesis, which the author’s daughter, Josephine Khasho Gammoh, called a “moving interpretation, which is very close to my father’s intentions”.
The concert was attended by Princess Dana Firas, President of the Board of Directors of Petra National Trust, the Ministers of Culture, Nabih Shuqum, of Tourism and Antiquities, Lina Annab, and the Apostolic Nuncio, Mons. Alberto Ortega, several ambassadors and representatives of the world of culture, media and business. They also included sponsors of the ”Italy, Cultures, Mediterranean” programme. A piano concert by Antonio Di Cristofano, which is featured in the “Amman Piano Festival” on 9 May, is further proof of the interest in Italian culture in Jordan.
