“Having chosen to centre the new programme of Cantare amantis est on a number of sacred-themed works, it seemed both natural and fitting to pay tribute through them to Don Giovanni Minzoni, a central figure and martyr in the history of Italy.” Riccardo Muti reveals the dedication that will mark the second edition of the major project (1–2 June at the Ravenna Festival), open to choirs and choir singers from all over Italy: “Don Minzoni,” he explains, “was a priest who combined extraordinary faith with a free spirit—modern, even revolutionary for his time; committed to supporting young people, workers, and the poor, and capable of looking ahead and bringing about fundamental initiatives.”
Muti also emphasises: “Ever since my arrival in Ravenna I have always heard about him; the time has come to pay him tribute.” Ravenna, moreover, is Don Minzoni’s birthplace (1885). He later became chaplain in Argenta, a land of socialists and landowners, marked by serious unrest and labour conflicts. It was there that, after earning a medal as a military chaplain in the Great War, he strengthened the parish organisation in support of the most vulnerable: young people, women, and agricultural labourers. And it was there that Fascist squads fatally attacked him in August 1923. To their violence he always responded “with a weapon,” he would say, “that for us is sacred and divine, that of the first Christians: prayer and kindness.”
The programme of this new “journey into choral music”, a highlight of the Ravenna Festival, focuses precisely on sacred themes: Ave Verum Corpus by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Casta Diva” from Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, an excerpt from the Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi, and the Prologue from Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito. These are works that will be explored in depth under the exceptional guidance of Riccardo Muti during two intensive days of study and rehearsal, on 1 June (from 3 pm to 8 pm) and 2 June (from 10:30 am to 1 pm and from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm), once again in the Pala De André.
A new “call” to share a passion for music and singing, drawing in thousands of choir singers from across Italy of every level and age: by midnight yesterday, the official deadline for applications, there were already nearly 3,500 participants. Yet the steady stream of requests and the enthusiasm evident in every contact have convinced the organisers to stretch capacity as far as possible and to keep participation open a little longer.
All in the spirit of Saint Augustine’s words, Cantare amantis est—“singing belongs to one who loves”—and to send out, now more than ever, a message of peace to the world through the universal language of music.