Communications

To say that the July 2 concert in Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples, was a symbolic event is putting it lightly.
 
Presenting not just one orchestra but two, uniting them under the baton of one of the most important conductors in the world, and having them perform one of the greatest compositions ever written, before an audience of more than 10,000 people, was not an everyday occasion.

What's more, the fact that the concert took place in a piazza that symbolises the city, speaks of a desire for rebirth - a difficult task in view of the city's current problems.

To bring the event to life, the orchestra and choir of the San Carlo Opera House, the peak of Neapolitan culture, and the orchestra and choir of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, were united for the first time under the baton of Zubin Mehta, the principal conductor of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, to perform the Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, Op. 125 by Ludwig van Beethoven, otherwise known as "The Ninth".

To this must be added, not without a certain pride, Finmeccanica as the sole sponsor of the concert, with the collaboration of Alenia Aeronautica, AnsaldoBreda, Ansaldo STS and SELEX Integrated Systems, making it one of the key moments of the sixtieth anniversary celebrations.

The choice of the universal language of music to make an important statement, something with special significance, was not by chance. It is best summarized by the word "participation", and is linked to a history that has seen Finmeccanica as a leading company in Italy since 1948, something the Group is fully aware of and intends to continue.

"There is a strong relationship in the programme," said chairman and managing director, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, "between the creative force in post-war Italy as the country rebuilt itself to become a part of Europe, and the constant commitment Finmeccanica has always shown towards the future, the technology of tomorrow, and excellence in every one of its sectors."

Going beyond the symbolic value (but not only that, since the concert also served to finance the restoration of the San Carlo opera house) and considering the musical aspect, there was a vivid performance of a legendary work, which Beethoven composed when he was completely deaf - a rare combination of strength and beauty that reaches its apex with the Ode to Joy, the anthem of the European Union which rose in a great crescendo to symbolize the brotherhood of all peoples. The applause at the end of the performance was interminable.
 
Many government figures were present including Sandro Bondi, minister of cultural affairs, Antonio Bassolini, president of the Campania Region, Dino Di Palma, president of the Province of Naples, Rosa Russo Iervolino, mayor of Naples and Crescenzio Sepe, archbishop of Naples, along with celebrities from the entertainment world including Renzo Arbore, who introduced the concert, Roberto Bolle, Carla Fracci and Maria Grazia Cucinotta.

The conductor offered an encore "by acclamation": the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. After emphasizing the significance of the event and explaining it was not possible to leave Naples - which was his first stop in Italy when he arrived in Europe from India - without playing something "from Naples", the finale of the evening was a rendition of O Sole Mio made rollicking by the powerful chorus and the emotion of the piazza. It was a wonderful combination of "cultured" music and popular sentiment, another challenge in an event that certainly did not lack ambition, leaving everyone with the wish that the storm will be followed by an "aria serena" - a time of peace.

"It will be a hymn for the rebirth of a marvellous city," declared Zubin Mehta shortly before the concert while speaking of Beethoven. He said that music cannot resolve problems - but culture, beauty and art can be important allies in confronting it.