The Roads of Friendship: Ravenna-Meknès

The “Roads of Friendship” moved westward along the African shores of the Mediterranean to Meknès, the city of olives and the queen of imperial Morocco. On 17 July, in the setting of the coloured marble and mosaics of the Moorish gate of Bab el Mansour, the Orchestra and Choir of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino invited some musicians from the Orchestre Philharmonique du Maroc to perform symphonies and sacred pieces by Verdi. The unforeseen occurred once again - after the national anthems and before the first strains of La forza del destino could be played, the fury of the elements was unleashed and a sudden small tornado shook the spotlights and flags, leafing through the musical scores and raining a multitude of sand drops on both the audience and the orchestra. Riccardo Muti continued undaunted, fighting the storm by launching a storm of notes with his baton, while the Maggio’s musicians, with whom he has a long established bond, followed him unwaveringly. The heavy rain prevented the final Te Deum from being performed, but Ravenna Festival’s goal of building a “Bridge of Brotherhood” between the Adriatic and Morocco was achieved. The Maestro remarked: “Verdi is deeply moving; he deletes racial, cultural and religious differences by directly piercing the innermost feelings.”