By IANS
New Delhi : As the shuttle service ferried busloads through the majestic entrance into the Purana Quila, one couldn’t help whistle a ‘Wow!’ But the best was yet to come – the spellbinding performance of the Parma Royal Theatre Orchestra of Italy which simply enthralled the capital’s audience.
It was their second performance in India, and in Delhi. And going by the look and the response of the audience, one could be sure that the capital’s music lovers had been awaiting Parma’s second innings here with baited breaths.
Shobha Nanda, advisor, network and development of Planet EDU, an educational service, and an ardent fan of classical music, both Indian and Western, was one of the many who couldn’t stop marvelling at the performance.
“It was beautiful. I had gone home, in Gurgaon, and have come all the way back just for this performance. I didn’t even have a pass…but thankfully I found someone who had an extra pass…the opera was worth taking the risk!” she said.
With the royal backdrop of the Old Fort, the 67-membered orchestra took the audience to a different high as they played their violins and the lead singers sung with all their might.
The language might have been a hindrance but, as they say, music breaks all barriers. So, as the lead male and female singers’ voices rose and fell, expressing love and heartbreak, so did the emotions of the audience.
Donato Renzetti, the conductor of the orchestra, who was here for the first time, said that it was an evening he would always remember.
“I was not here last year but from what I heard from my orchestra’s members about the warmth of the audience, I couldn’t stop myself from coming here this time. And I am not disappointed.
“The best thing about this place are its people,” Renzeitti told IANS.
“Another thing I really liked about the performance was the venue. It simply added to the flavour of the evening,” he added.
Organised by the Italian Cultural Centre, along with Delhi Tourism and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), the orchestra played some classical arias from well-known operas by some of Italy’s best musicians such as Verdi, Donizzetti, Puccini and Rossini.
The Parma Royal Theatre Orchestra’s musicians were among the best throughout the 19th and the 20th century in Italy.
“I just wish we had more of such performances in Delhi. It was simply brilliant,” said Anikhet Sharma, a student, capping the evening’s mood perfectly.