Bella Musica - Beautiful Music

We have been very fortunate over the past two weeks to attend two free musical concerts in the beautiful Mancinelli Theatre here in Orvieto.  The first was a piano recital in a private performance space within the building, where young students aged perhaps 15 - 20 years treated us to the results of their (presumably) hundreds of hours of practice each week.  To sit in such ornate surroundings and listen to these highly accomplished young people was an absolute joy.

Last night we attended a completely different concert in the main part of the theatre.  A brass band comprising 70 members of the Guardia di Finanza (a branch of the police force) performed on the central stage.  The band is very well-known and well-regarded, having been formed in 1926 and played all over the world, from Abu Dhabi and Luxembourg to New York and Belgium, always to great acclaim.  For us, it was another wonderful evening in Orvieto.

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Orvieto Brass Band

I know this is out of chronological order, but it's taken me until now to get around to uploading this little video to YouTube.

Last Sunday, we were strolling along after our morning coffee stop and could hear the sounds of a brass band playing.  Ever intrigued by all things Italian, we headed in the direction of the music, to discover a small crowd gathered in the main piazza, watching a band of musicians, as it started to parade away from the piazza and down the main street towards the Duomo.  Naturally, we wanted to be part of the fun, so we followed behind the group.

Several minutes later we arrived at the foot of the Duomo as the band played on to its audience, now with the magnificent backdrop of the most beautiful building in town.  Some folks were clearly caught in the moment and began to dance, which was lovely to watch.




As the music was finishing, the priest appeared on the steps through the huge main double doors and gently shoo-ed people away from the entrance to the cathedral, so that the band could have unimpeded passage into the church wherein they were soon seated in pride of place at the front of the congregation.  Clearly, they were the guests of honour.  We don't know the significance of the particular occasion but we were pleased that we had been witness to it.

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