Italian opera comes to Jeddah
The Italian Consulate General in Jeddah organized a first- of- itskind opera night in the city in celebration of the 14th Italian Language in the World Week.
The event, held at the open- air Italian Cultural Club last week, was dedicated to Expo 2015, which will be hosted by Milan from May 1 to Oct. 31.
A group of talented musicians that had come all the way from Italy graced the stage and caught audiences off- guard with their grand voices and familiar renditions of classics, from Verdi’s Macbeth to Andrea Bocelli’s “con te partiro.”
The team included Maestro Paolo Andreoli ( piano), Elisa Maffi ( soprano), Davide la Verde ( tenor) and Riccardo Ferrari ( bass).
Italian Consul General Simone Petroni welcomed guests on the second event held to mark the famous week.
“Tonight’s occasion is a crossroads between world- famous events,” he said.
“Expo Milan 2015, which will run under the slogan ‘ feeding the planet, energy for life,’ will give visitors an unprecedented chance to contribute to the world’s betterment.”
Such a performance being held in Jeddah made the experience all the more special, said Petroni.
An exhibition about the literary locations of Milan, entitled “Milan: A place to read,” was showcased to audiences.
The exhibition, designed for would- be visitors and tourists to Expo 2015, is inspired by characters, events and places in Milan that highlight the fundamental link between the city and the literary world.
Many thematic videos and a short presentation of the exposition were screened during the evening.
The consul general said that world-renowned opera house “La Scala” would perform throughout the duration of the expo for the first time in history.
“As one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the country, the ‘Teatro alla Scala’ will make its contribution to what will be a great event for both Milan and Italy at large,” he said.
“For countless people from all over the world, this will be an once- in- a- lifetime opportunity to witness La Scala,” he said.
“We are thrilled to have been able bring to local audiences a glimpse of a great Italian tradition,” he said.
“We must not forget that the opera was born in Italy in the first half of the 17th century and has been performed in none other than the Italian language with few exceptions.”
“This is why professional singers or even opera lovers still find it useful to master the Italian language.”
The consul general expressed gratitude to supporters of cultural initiatives that have been organized over the past four years during his time as head of mission.
Events were organized by the consulate in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Club, the Italian School and the Italian Business Group of Jeddah. A German couple who moved to the Kingdom five years ago has published a pictorial book depicting the country’s wonders.
Jens and Kirsten Niemann, coauthors of “Beautiful Saudi Arabia,” fell in love with the Kingdom soon after they arrived.
“This is a beautiful country with a dazzling landscape and extensive cultural heritage,” the Niemanns told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
“Unfortunately, citizens hardly know their own country and foreigners even less so,” they said.
The couple visited countless places throughout the Kingdom in their free time to discover the country, “which is six times the size of Germany,” said Jens, whose hobby is to take photos of people, places and national heritage.
The couple had not initially thought of putting their experiences inside a book.
“The book isn’t only about sharing our experiences,” said Jens. “The book improves the image of a country that is negatively perceived abroad. This was our main goal in writing it.”
Jens is an aerospace engineer and information technology lecturer at the joint Saudi-German Technical Trainers College (TTC) in Riyadh, while his wife Kirsten is a photographer, author and publisher.
“We love this country and have traveled extensively throughout it because photography is our hobby,” she said.
“We capture images of people, landscapes and heritage. Many people who saw our photos encouraged us to compile them within a book,” said Jens.
“I feel obliged to share what I experienced with others because we want to show the world that Saudi Arabia is very much a livable place.”
“We do not agree with negative stereotypes about the country,” he said. “On the contrary, Saudi Arabia is a decent and peaceful country. The people here are very friendly. This is what encouraged us to travel and explore the beautiful countryside.”
Jens said that the project was difficult, nonetheless, due to the lan-