Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Italian Business Group (IBG) in collaboration with the Italian mission conducted an authentic live musical concert by a group of efficient Italian musicians, at the Italian Cultural Center here on Sunday.

The concert “The Soloists of the Rome Symphony Orchestra” was in line with the artistic movement and the ambitious vision of the Kingdom that aims to support arts and culture.

Italian Consul General Elisabetta Martini noted: “I think that the artistic movement is one of the most interesting parts in the social change happening in Saudi Arabia. In fact, all the visits done by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in the US, France and Madrid are all anticipated by Saudi cultural days. So what we want to do is to encourage the current art movement happening in Saudi Arabia, also showing how artistic movement in Italy has developed.”

Martini added: “We are encouraging Italian journalists to come and witness the social change and to go visit the houses, studios and the workshops of Saudi designers because the first step is to let the people abroad know about what’s going on here, and how we are trying to build a bridge to bring Saudi artists to Italy for cultural events and festivals.”

The musical evening showcased six strings of the Symphonic Orchestra of Rome, directed by Maestro Giuseppe Pellegrino, with a young, talented soprano, Ms. Ilaria Bellomo. The concert is composed by professional international musicians showcasing a distinctive classical repertoire that included Vivaldi and arias from famous lyric operas.

The orchestra has recorded the original soundtracks of two Oscar-winning films: Luis Bacalov’s “Il Postino” and Nicola Piovani’s “La Vita è Bella”.

They also recorded soundtracks for film directors such as Roberto Benigni, Giuseppe Tornatore, Adrian Lyne, Brian De Palma, and Oliver Stone. Also, they recorded and performed with the legendary popular Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and other artists such as Charlie Haden, and Elton John.

Their clients included major corporations such as Universal Music, Decca, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Dreamworks, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Sony, and EMI.

They recently performed at the Opera House of Tokyo and Paris, then in Riyadh, at the Italian Embassy, finally they performed, here, said Martini.

Italian Business Group (IBG) is a private non-for-profit business association that operates under the patronage of the Italian Consulate General & JCCI in Jeddah.

IBG aims to foster trade activities between Italy and Saudi Arabia, bring together business opportunities and encourage mutual friendship and understanding.

The organization represents a platform for Italian and local entrepreneurs to exchange know-how, information and ideas and build a sense of community within a creative environment.