Praise and prizes for Muti’s commitment to culture

On June 6, Riccardo Muti conducted a special concert to reopen the restored Teatro degli Animosi, a theater whose construction began in the 18th century and was completed in the early 19th century, in Marradi, a picturesque town among the Apennine Hills. The performance featured the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, of which Muti is founder and director, as well as soprano Rosa Feola, actress Elena Bucci and a local band. Muti has never missed a chance to underline the importance of regional theaters in Italy or the opportunity to support even the smallest theater as part of Italy’s cultural legacy.

“It is a battle that I have been waging for many years. In Italy, in addition to the large cities and their large theaters, every small town has a 19th-century theater,” said Muti on the occasion. For Muti, these theaters are a valuable resource for local communities, their youth in particular: “If we really want to restart with culture, it is time to reopen them, and above all to entrust them to young people. We must give young people the opportunity to express themselves.”

The city of Marradi is one of the stops on a historic steam train route along the Faentina railway line dedicated to Dante Alighieri. This year marks the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death and has been marked by special celebrations, many of which Muti has participated in both as an Italian cultural leader and a proud resident of the city of Ravenna, where Dante is buried. The train made its maiden voyage on June 6, beginning in Florence, the poet’s birthplace, then stopping in Marradi for the symbolic concert before traveling on to Ravenna.

The Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella, who was among many dignitaries representing both the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, marked the occasion saying, “The fact that this train connects Florence and Ravenna and that it stops for Maestro Muti’s concert in Marradi is really an important way to celebrate this anniversary year for Dante that is unfolding with hundreds and hundreds of initiatives in Italy and around the world. Dante represents many things in this country and above all represents the idea of Italy before Italy was born.”

Muti’s concert in Marradi was the final performance for Muti and the Cherubini Orchestra on a tour that also included concerts in Piacenza and Bari. In Bari, Mayor Antonio Decaro presented Muti with the Manna of San Nicola: “To the maestro, Italian pride and emblem of music and culture in the world, the most prestigious gift that the city can offer its guests… with sincere gratitude for having wanted to be with us on this extraordinary occasion that marks the resumption of live music after a very hard year.”

Muti then traveled to Rome, where on June 8, he received the distinguished De Sanctis Europa Prize, bestowed to figures of extreme importance in the European cultural, scientific and literary fields. The other recipient was the scientist and General Director of CERN Fabiola Gianotti. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio said at the ceremony, “Here are two extraordinary personalities, two Italian and European citizens, who stand out for the honor they have brought to Italy and to Europe in the world.”

As he had on the occasion of the reopening of the Teatro degli Animosi in Marradi, Muti took the opportunity to champion Italy’s cultural patrimony as he accepted the prize: “We have an internal strength for which to continue to fight a cultural battle for the greatness of our country… We have the greatness of a past that tells us where we need to go.”