Pope Leo XIV will be honored with a special evening concert at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo on Saturday, July 18, as the Diocese of Albano welcomes the Holy Father with a musical tribute celebrating his presence in the region.
According to Vatican News, the concert will begin at 9:00 p.m. in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace and has been organized as “a gesture of affection and communion with the Holy Father.” The event has already reached capacity, with all available tickets allocated.
The evening’s program will open with internationally acclaimed violinist Marco Rogliano performing La Polacca from Niccolò Paganini’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3 in E major.
The concert will then feature pianist Rossana Tomassi Golkar performing Norma: An Immense Love Story – Free Fantasy and Variations for Piano and Orchestra. According to Vatican News, the composition is a new interpretation of Vincenzo Bellini’s celebrated opera, written exclusively for Golkar by Academy Award-winning composer Luis Bacalov.
Accompanying the soloists will be the 55-member orchestra I Musici di Parma under the direction of Pier Carlo Orizio, who serves as artistic director of the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo and teaches orchestral conducting at the Luca Marenzio Conservatory in Brescia.
The Bellini-inspired performance will also include a visual presentation illustrating significant moments from the opera’s story. A Bechstein grand piano from the Fabbrini Collection will be used for the performance.
Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano said the Holy Father’s presence has brought renewed joy to the local Church.
“The renewed presence of the Holy Father in our diocesan territory has filled our local Church and its people with joy,” Bishop Viva said, according to Vatican News.
The bishop also expressed gratitude to the many individuals and organizations that helped make the concert possible, including the Banca di Credito Cooperativo dei Castelli Romani e del Tuscolo, local businesses, the participating artists, the diocesan Office for Sacred Music, the staff of the Pontifical Villas, and the Prefecture of the Papal Household for their work in preparing the event.
The concert serves as both a cultural celebration and an expression of the Diocese of Albano’s welcome to Pope Leo XIV during his stay at Castel Gandolfo, continuing the long tradition of music and the arts accompanying moments of papal life.
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