What a feast in Florence with "Macbeth" by Muti

There are rare occasions when a concert turns into something different. This is the case of what happened for the closing of the "Maggio Musicale Fiorentino" which presented a performance not in a stage form of Macbeth of Verdi. At the head of Verdi's masterpiece, along with the artistic forces of what is now called the Florence Opera, was Maestro Riccardo Muti, who on this occasion celebrated fifty years after its debut in the Grand Ducal city. In Florence, they trusted the unknown young director, who fled to conquer the world. And the Florentine public never forgot Muti (vice versa), and made him feel with the impressive warmth of applause. At the end of the concert, the maestro, thanked the artists and the public, did not linger on the deserved laurels. He expressed his desire to conduct again in Florence, indicating on the occasion: the translation of the ashes of Luigi Cherubini from Paris to the Basilica of Santa Croce. The authorities, from Palazzo Vecchio to Quirinale, have been warned: there is nothing to hope for in the Elysee (perhaps on the wave of football), to allow the illustrious emigre Italian to return to his hometown. Thus, Muti's last call transforms the concert into a music festival, reminding us of his masterly apostolate for Cherubini's lonely grandeur, which has earned a respect for a few in France. Not easy conquest in a jealous land for those who came from the transalpine regions with the unwavering pride of its cultural roots.