Seminar on Italian presence in Cuba will start celebration of Italian Culture Week

Havana, Nov 25 (RHC) The Week of Italian Culture in Cuba will commence today with the 8th Historical Seminar on emigration and presence on the Caribbean island at the Segundo Cabo Palace in Havana.

In the building, which serves as the headquarters of the Center for the Interpretation of Cuba-Europe Cultural Relations, the project The Footprint of Italian Sculpture in Cuba will also be presented this Monday. It is a map that traces the route through the statues created by Italian artists in Havana.

This evening, the show Living for Love, Dying for Love will be presented at the Hubert de Blanck Hall, a theatrical tribute to some of the women in Puccini's operas and the result of a workshop conducted by the director Gianluca Barbadori, in collaboration with the University of the Arts of Cuba and Impulso Teatro.

The Italian ambassador to Cuba, Roberto Vellano, highlighted at a recent press conference the artistic value of the 18 events planned, emphasizing the diversity and variety of the program, which will continue until December 1.

He pointed out that the main objective of the activities is to strengthen cultural relations between the two countries, in addition to promoting the exchange between Cuban and Italian artists, and between Italian artists with the public.

He explained that part of the celebration will have as its common thread the commemoration of the centenary of the death of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924).

As the prelude to the start of the week, an exhibition was opened last Friday at the headquarters of the Cartelón group, in the Vedado district of the capital, featuring 24 posters created by young Cuban designers. Twelve of them are inspired by the composer's operas, and the other 12, dedicated to his centenary.

On Saturday, at the Universal Art Building of the National Museum of Fine Arts, maestro Marco Lo Russo will perform a solo concert with the accordion, accompanied by dancers from the Teatro Retazos dance company, inspired by the dramaturgy of the aria Vissi d'arte from the opera Tosca, also by Puccini.

The program also includes the presentation of maestro Ludovico Troncanetti at the José White Concert Hall in Matanzas, a western city with a strong Italian tradition.

The Italian pianist and conductor will offer a concert in Cuba for the first time, with soloists from the Symphony Orchestra of that city, which will include works by Mendelssohn and Saint Saens.

The Italian Culture Week will continue with a series of proposals that include visual arts, cinema, and music. It is organized by the Italian Embassy in Havana in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Cuba and the Office of the Historian of Havana, as well as with the support of several Italian and Cuban companies and institutions. (Source: PL)