by InTrieste
The University of Trieste, affectionately known as UniTS, is marking its centennial with a distinguished classical music concert organized in collaboration with the Giuseppe Verdi Opera House. The event, set for Tuesday, July 23, at 9 PM, will be held in Piazza Verdi as part of the Trieste Summer 2024 series.
The concert promises to be a musical journey through significant milestones of 20th-century Italy, reflecting key moments in the history of both the University and the city of Trieste.
The evening’s program will commence with Ottorino Respighi’s “Tramonto” for mezzo-soprano, soloist, and strings. This early composition evokes a melancholic atmosphere, inspired by a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Composed before World War I, it captures the end of an era of prosperity and cultural vibrancy, ideal for founding a university.
Following Respighi’s piece, the audience will be treated to Alfredo Casella’s “Concerto per archi op. 40b.” This work, coinciding with the University’s establishment in 1924, revisits national themes through instrumental music.
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s “Festlicher Morgen,” part of his Venetian Suite from 1936, will transport listeners to the time when the cornerstone of the University’s central building was laid, amidst a period shadowed by dense political and social upheaval.
The concert will then move to the 1960s with Luciano Berio’s “Folk Songs.” This piece reinterprets traditional songs in a scholarly and innovative manner, reflecting the University’s expansion. By then, UniTS had become a place of social mobility for middle-class and working-class youths alike.
The program concludes with Fabio Nieder’s “3 unvollendete Portraits,” composed in 2014 by the internationally renowned Trieste-born composer. This work contemplates the theme of incompleteness, characteristic of a culture and science open to innovation. Nieder’s composition aims to leave a lasting legacy for the University’s future.
Riccardo Martinelli, a professor of Music Philosophy at UniTS, will introduce the pieces, offering insights to enhance the audience’s appreciation. The orchestra of the Giuseppe Verdi Opera House Foundation will be conducted by maestro Giulio Prandi, featuring the esteemed mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer.
“This event is one of many initiatives we’ve organized to celebrate the Centenary of the University of Trieste,” said Rector Roberto Di Lenarda. “Our goal is to create new opportunities for the University to engage with the city, involving cultural institutions more deeply. Art, music, and culture enable us to narrate our history and mission in a creative and original way, connecting past and future perspectives. The concert also sets the stage for our symbolic celebration on August 8, 2024, at the Piazzale Europa campus.”
Giuliano Polo, Superintendent of the Teatro Verdi, expressed similar sentiments: “We are delighted to continue and deepen our relationship with the University of Trieste. We are honored to contribute significantly to the Centenary celebrations with a concert performed by our orchestra and a specially curated musical program.”
The Centenary concert is made possible by contributions from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region and Promoturismo Io Sono FVG, with additional support from the Municipality of Trieste and the Discover Trieste Convention and Visitors Bureau as part of the broader Trieste Summer 2024 festival.
