Witnessed the “Roads of Friendship” reaching another great city, a protagonist of history. In fact, on 24 July Ravenna Festival carried its message of brotherhood to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, thus celebrating the bond between two cities - Ravenna and the Russian capital - that are rooted in Byzantine culture with the golden glow of mosaics. On this occasion the Orchestra and Choir of the Bolshoi Theatre joined the Orchestra and Choir of La Scala conducted by Riccardo Muti. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and, especially, the Ode to Joy with the elation of Friedrich Schiller’s text, resounded as a farewell to the “short century” that had just come to a close and a greeting charged with hope to the new millennium.