150 years of unification: On a musical tour of Italy

Italian musicians give a select audience of diplomats, bureaucrats and journalists a taste of opera music.

ISLAMABAD: Italian musicians gave a select audience of diplomats, bureaucrats and journalists a taste of opera music Saturday night with an extraordinary performance that drew applause after applause.

The audience, overwhelmingly foreign with a handful of desis, filled the snug auditorium of Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) almost to capacity, the air brimming with political discussions that are a distinctive feature of the capital city’s gatherings. Anticipation was written all over the faces of aficionados and newbies, everyone looking forward to a charming evening filled with some of Italy’s most famous opera songs. The occasion was aptly titled “Arie Del Mediterraneo”.

While traditional opera is popularly known to rely on acting, dramatic costumes and sets, often supplemented with an orchestra, the weight here was on the shoulders of two Italian musicians-- a singer dressed in a simple black tuxedo and a pianist--performing on a spartan stage setup. But collaborating harmoniously, the two gave a grand performance on songs with titles as intriguing as “The Moonlight” and “The Water Dance”, including an especially beautiful composition based on the idea of a young man singing under the window of his beloved. The singer’s facial expressions and hand gestures stimulated the performance, while the hands of the pianist glided silkily over the keys. At the end of each piece, the audience smiled and clapped generously.

Opera began in Italy around the 16th century, and though it spread across all of Europe, Italian and French operas are known to be the most influential ones. The evening at PNCA had been arranged by the Italian embassy and the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, when the different states of the Italian peninsula were brought together in the 19th century, forming the state of Italy. Interestingly, it was also the Italian ambassador’s birthday. This prompted a joke by the ambassador. “On my way here, my driver congratulated me on 150 years. I said no, only 63,” Ambassador Vincenzo Prati said. The audience chuckled.

Some poignant remarks were made by the ambassador on the occasion.

“For us, this conquest [of the unification of Italy] shows that we went very down to get up. Now, we can say we are a prosperous country of the world. What we can say to other communities through this is that it can be done. With Pakistan going through ups and downs, you can take this as my friendly words to you,” he said. The evening ended with light refreshments and the giddy feeling of having been treated to a tour of Italy.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2011.