Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
12 July 2011
Nairobi — World renowned conductor and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Riccardo Muti mesmerised Kenyans and the Italian Community with one of the best classical music presentation ever seen in Kenya.
Maestro Muti barely had time to take a rest as he travelled directly from the airport, together with his group, to the venue of the performance; Uhuru Park.
It was a chilly Saturday 9, 2011. Before Muti’s performance, the Ole Moipei quartet of Mary, Magdalene, Martha and Serafine kept the crowd busy.
Maestro Muti then took the stage and gave a performance many present will never forget. He surprised many by starting his performance by singing the Kenyan National Anthem, which reminded many of the military parades normally held at the park. The performance, briefly interrupted by long rounds of applause, lasted two hours.
He was accompanied by more than 200 members of the Orchestra Cherubini.
For the Kenyans present they commented on the silence that should be maintained when a performance is going on. They are used to screaming in the middle of an act or song while for the Italians they acknowledge their gratitude by clapping albeit at the end of the performance.
The event was part of the Ravenna’s Roads of Friendship initiative, born in Sarajevo in 1997. Every year since then, the Ravenna Festival have organised and performed concerts in 14 nations, with Maestro Muti various orchestras to celebrate peace and to invoke solidarity through music.
This year’s festival was dedicated to funding educational scholarships for young people in Kibera, one of sub-Sahara’s largest informal settlements.
Chief Guest Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, Kenya’s Vice President, thanked the organizers for bringing the once-in-a-life-time performance. He said Kenyans were still in a celebratory mood after passing a new constitution and South Sudan being independent. “It is absolutely heart-warming,” he said.
Among those who graced the event included the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Alain Paul Lebeaupin, the Italian ambassador to Kenya Ms Paula and Bob Collymore, head of Safaricom, the official sponsors of the event.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Follow this link:
Maestro Muti Comes Calling