Accompanied by the spectacular melodies of late Renaissance classical music, the Italian community in Jeddah celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification at the Italian Cultural Center (C.I.C.E.R), Thursday. The evening was marked by a splendid concert by the classical quartet Quartetto d' archi di Roma (The Rome String Quartet), who dazzled the audience with unplugged performances by two violinists, a violist and a cellist. The musical eve included around 13 pieces from different eras, including six pieces by the well known Italian composer Gaetano Maria Donizetti (1797-1848), one prolonged piece by G. Puccini (1858- 1912), two performances composed by G. Ricordi )1840-1912) and finally, another six pieces by G.B. Viotti (1755-1824). The Consul General of Italy, Simone Petroni, expressed happiness about using classic musical performances to celebrate the very special occasion. “It is my great pleasure to see many attendants from different walks of life including diplomats, businessmen, media representatives, artists and educationalists who have come here to share with us this very superb national occasion,” he remarked in his address. The quartet was formed in 1976, comprising of two violinists Vittorio Di Lotti and Stefano Di Lotti, violist Aldo Giovagnoli and finally violoncellist Alessandro Incagnoli. In addition to their backgrounds, the musicians have also been members of the Quartet of the Rome Opera and the Panartis Quartet. The band has performed internationally across the world including Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Hungary, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Holland, Yugoslavia, Greece, Senegal, Luxemburg, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal, Spain, Germany, US, Bangladesh, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Albania, Pakistan, Somalia, China, Korea and Russia.
