Damascus, June 3 (SANA) Italian musicians Francesco Bearzatti and Gianpaolo Rinaldi performed alongside the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra at the Damascus Opera House on Tuesday in a concert marking Italy’s National Day.
The event, titled Italian Breezes, brought together Italian classical works and Syrian musical traditions in a one-hour program conducted by Maestro Missak Baghboudarian.
The concert opened with an excerpt from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata before moving to contemporary Italian compositions, including Bruno Martino’s Estate (Summer), a piece noted for its themes of longing and nostalgia.
Bearzatti and Rinaldi also presented original works, including Hope by Bearzatti and Tiresias’ Prophecy by Rinaldi. Speaking during the event, Bearzatti described music as a bridge between cultures and said his composition conveyed a message of hope.
Rinaldi, performing in Syria for the first time, said he was pleased to take part in the concert and praised the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra for its artistic approach and engagement with both classical and traditional music.
The orchestra performed a selection of Italian opera classics, including Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, featuring Bearzatti in the famous Figaro passage, as well as excerpts from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Turandot.
The evening concluded with selections from the Arab Symphonic Dances of late Syrian composer Nouri Al-Rahiban, including the traditional songs Tal’a Min Beit Abuha and Bint Al-Shalabiya, highlighting a musical dialogue between Syrian and Italian cultural traditions.
Among those attending were Stefano Ravagnan, chargé d’affaires of the Italian Embassy in Damascus, representatives of diplomatic missions in Syria and Deputy Minister of Culture Ahmad Al-Sawwaf.
R.D/ABD
