‘Italian – Language of Music’ celebrated at Katara

Italian Ambassador to Qatar, H E Paolo Toschi delivering a speech during the event.

Doha, Qatar: The melodies of Italy echoed through the halls of the Cultural Village, Katara as the “Italian – Language of Music” was held on Tuesday, celebrating the historical bond between its language and music.

The Embassy of Italy in Qatar, in collaboration with Cultural Village Foundation, Katara and the European Delegation in Doha, organised this artistic performance as part of The European Language Activities series being held at Katara.

The performance shed light on how Italian, through its notation, instruments, and lyrics, has evolved over time to become a universal tool for understanding the art of music. It highlighted how musicians, singers, and enthusiasts worldwide have embraced Dante’s language as they delve into the world of melodies and harmonies.

Dante Alighieri often referred to as the “Father of the Italian language” was instrumental in establishing the literature of Italy. He is best known for his poem, “The Divine Comedy” (La Divina Commedia), which is considered one of the greatest literary works in Western literature.

The programme included engaging conversations, captivating live performances, and interactive elements led by the three artists – opera singer, David Ricardo, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra Principal Viola, Giovanni Pasini and talented pianist, Alessio Mastrodonato. They skillfully incorporated elements from different eras, spanning from the Renaissance to contemporary times.

Katara General Manager, Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating: “As a continuation of Katara’s endeavors to open dialogue with different civilizations, and to build bridges of knowledge communication between nations, it embraces the activities of the language of music in cooperation with the Italian Embassy in Qatar, as part of the events of the European language in Katara.”

“This certainly constitutes an important and luminous space that contributes to creating harmony and rapprochement between civilizations, and promotes dialogue and communication through culture. We are pleased to consolidate this cultural interdependence through various activities on an ongoing basis.”

Italian Ambassador to Qatar, H E Paolo Toschi expressed his pleasure at the collaboration between Italy and Katara and said: “We are delighted to be in Katara with an event encompassing two of Italy’s great treasures: language and music.”

“Our relationship with Katara Cultural village is one of great friendship and collaboration and we are proud to offer this new initiative to Doha’s public.” The envoy also said he is glad to illustrate to the public the beauty and history of the Italian language and music through the said event. He emphasised that Italian music dates back 900 years ago, and has since has evolved and “become the source of love and inspiration around the world.”

The European Language Activities in Katara is being held for a period of six weeks, and will continue until June 20. This is in in collaboration between Katara’s Public Diplomacy Center and embassies of the EU, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.