A famous artist, Australians and "The Little Drummer Boy"...
Celebrating the first day of winter, we invited the delightful Australian family, holidaying next door, to join us for the evening. Steve and I were enthralled by this announcement:
It was built to replace a church razed by Frederick Barbarossa in 1155, when the emperor destroyed Spoleto for refusing to pay him tribute. The new cathedral was consecrated by Pope Innocent III in 1198.
The 12th-century apse is beautifully decorated with the 15th-century Life of the Virgin fresco cycle by Filippo Lippi. While the lecture about him was in Italian, our friend, Gilberto was there and graciously offered a brief translation. Lippi was an interesting character and certainly an amazing artist.
The music that followed was hauntingly beautiful in such a spectacular setting. The Laudesi Umbri program, accompanied by the church organ, was very diverse and emotion-evoking. Stille Nacht (Silent Night sung in German) almost made me cry. While Steve thought his understanding of Italian was going really well when they sang The Little Drummer Boy (in beautiful English).
It was an evening the epitomized "Christmas in Italy" for us. Una serata eccezionale!
Archbishop Mgr. Renato Boccardo calls on the people at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Maria in Spoleto for "Merry Christmas in the Cathedral". At 18, Professor. Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, will give an "art-historical reading of the frescoes by Filippo Lippi." Next, at 19, the Umbrian Laudesi offer a concert.
Il Duomo (the cathedral) is one of the most important historical sights in town and was the location of our 2010 Christmas photo. Its history is interesting and its interiors- breathtaking!It was built to replace a church razed by Frederick Barbarossa in 1155, when the emperor destroyed Spoleto for refusing to pay him tribute. The new cathedral was consecrated by Pope Innocent III in 1198.
The 12th-century apse is beautifully decorated with the 15th-century Life of the Virgin fresco cycle by Filippo Lippi. While the lecture about him was in Italian, our friend, Gilberto was there and graciously offered a brief translation. Lippi was an interesting character and certainly an amazing artist.
The music that followed was hauntingly beautiful in such a spectacular setting. The Laudesi Umbri program, accompanied by the church organ, was very diverse and emotion-evoking. Stille Nacht (Silent Night sung in German) almost made me cry. While Steve thought his understanding of Italian was going really well when they sang The Little Drummer Boy (in beautiful English).
It was an evening the epitomized "Christmas in Italy" for us. Una serata eccezionale!
1 comments:
What gorgeous frescos! So bright!
I almost didn't see you in the audience...the bearded gentleman threw me off. I don't think he consented to have his picture on your blog. Hahaha. (I have been hanging out with my lawyer too much!)
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