Milan, Italy – “From the Heart of a Wounded City,” opera great Andrea Bocelli will perform, “one voice,” as a metaphorical phoenix rising from the ashes in an empty Duomo di Milano this Easter Sunday morning. His “Music of Hope” will be streamed at 10:00am LA time on Youtube worldwide, his voice broadcast from the very country second hit by the novel coronavirus, while billions of viewers remain in quarantine.
Bocelli strives to bring a message of hope not only to his homeland but also to the world. Aptly titled “Music for Hope,” Bocelli’s performance of love is self-described not as a “concert” but as “an occasion to pray together through music.”
“On the day in which we celebrate the trust in a life that triumphs,” Bochelli writes in the description of this event, ” I’m honored and happy to answer ‘Sì’ to the invitation of the City and the Duomo of Milan. I believe in the strength of praying together…”
Dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary, the Milan Cathedral is the church of Lombardy. It is the largest church in Italy, taking almost 600 years to complete, and it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbishop Mario Delpini. Since the streets of the city are either radiating from or circling the cathedral, the venue for this event seems even more significant in placement as well as in performance.
Due to restrictions of the novel coronavirus, the cathedral will be completely empty. Accompanied only by pianist Emanuele Vianelli, Bocelli will perform various inspirations, among them Rossini’s ”Domine Deus,” Bach’s “Ave Maria,” “Amazing Grace,” and other music containing sacred texts.
“Thanks to music,” Bocelli writes in his announcement of the event, “streamed live, bringing together millions of clasped hands everywhere in the world, we will hug this wounded Earth’s pulsing heart, this wonderful international forge that is reason for Italian pride. The generous, courageous, proactive Milan and the whole of Italy will be again, and very soon, a winning model, engine of a renaissance that we all hope for. It will be a joy to witness it, in the Duomo, during the Easter celebration which evokes the mystery of birth and rebirth.”
If there ever was a need in our time for Believers to be unified in our quest toward divine relationship with our Creator God, neighbors to be reconciled, and families to be healed, it is now. See Bocelli’s inspiring and beautiful “Fall On Me” and “Return to Love.”
“I believe in the strength of praying together,” Bocelli also writes in his announcement, “I believe in the Christian Easter, a universal symbol of rebirth that everyone- whether they are believers or not- truly needs right now.”
That can certainly be our Prayer, then.
Here’s your link for this once-in-a-lifetime event: AndreaBocelli.lnk.to/LivefromDuomo.
Photos of Duomo di Milano/Milan Cathedral from public use photos, pixabay
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