The Italian Cultural Institute and the TV channel EBS present a world premiere, the TV concert “Tanto La Vita” by the famous Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo.
The TV concert is aimed at paying a tribute to the most well-known opera singer in history, the tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), on the occasion of the Centenary of his death.
At the same time, Vittorio Grigolo would like to give a voice to those who do not have it in this unprecedented moment, specifically to all workers in culture and entertainment who, following the COVID-19 pandemic, are facing a serious personal and economic crisis on their own.
The project is aimed at encouraging the promotion of the musical art among all sections of society, and the application of the UNESCO ideals of peace and friendship between peoples, of the evolution of their cultures, of the exchange of experience and of the mutual appreciation of their aesthetic values.
Vittorio Grigolo started his operatic career at the age of 13 at Rome Opera Theatre, where he shared the stage with Luciano Pavarotti and was given the nickname ‘Il Pavarottino”. Later on, Grigolo won several international prizes, such as the European Border Breakers Award, granted by the European Commission for recording the highest sales for a debut album in 2006 within the European Union, but outside of its country of production, and the nomination to the Grammy Award 2008 for the Best Musical Show Album – “West Side Story”.
Today Vittorio Griglo is considered one of the most popular opera star all over the world: he is, in fact, the most internationally known Italian opera singer and is considered among the top best tenors in the world. He sings in the major theatres (La Scala in Milan, Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London, Opéra de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, Arena di Verona etc.), under the direction of great conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniel Oren, Antonio Pappano etc.
The TV concert, recorded in an empty theatre (without an audience present in the hall, strictly respecting all the anti-COVID19 restrictions), is composed of a series of the most important pieces of Enrico Caruso’s repertoire, in particular from the operas “L’Elisir d’Amore” and “Il Duca d’Alba” by Gaetano Donizetti, “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi, “La Bohème” and “Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini etc. Among them, for example, the Donizetti aria “Una furtiva lagrima” and the aforementioned Puccini aria “E lucevan le stelle” / “And the stars were shining” (the title of the concert was taken from the last sentence this aria: «E non ho amato mai tanto la vita! Tanto la Vita!» / «And I never before loved life so much! Loved Life so much!”).
The musical pieces are interspersed with moments of reflection by Vittorio Grigolo, addressed to the public at home and focused on the consequences of the Coronavirus emergency: on its influence on our life, on the world of culture, on theatres and artists; on the values of unity, solidarity, life, family and art; on the sacrifice of health personnel etc.
The singer is accompanied by the well-known pianist, Maestro Vincenzo Scalera, a Steinway artist, collaborator of the Teatro alla Scala and piano teacher at the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
This extraordinary musical gift for Ethiopian spectators has become possible thanks to the cooperation of the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Addis Ababa with one of the main and most popular Ethiopian channels, EBS TV, which will broadcast the concert in prime time, on Wednesday, October 13, at 20:00.