- A selection of international artists from the renowned Arena di Verona will perform tomorrow evening at the Italian Embassy
- This year's concert is associated with the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
UniCredit, HypoVereinsbank and the Embassy of Italy in Berlin are proud to host the annual "Arena di Verona meets Berlin" concert for the sixth year. The event will take place tomorrow evening at the Italian Embassy in the German capital.
The opera singers of the Arena di Verona will offer the public a "lively sampling of great opera music", taking them on a journey through Europe's musical traditions. The artists performing at the event will include Natalia Roman (soprano), Anna Malavasi (mezzo-soprano), Dario Di Vietri (tenor) and Federico Longhi (baritone), accompanied by Fabio Fapanni on the piano.
The concert and the subsequent reception held by UniCredit in cooperation with the Italian Embassy have become an anticipated event in the cultural calendar of Berlin. Some 250 guests from the fields of politics, finance and culture are expected to attend .
This year's, the concert coincides with Italy's rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, thus serving as an opportunity to highlight the partnership between the Italian and German people in their common commitment to the European project.
"The Arena di Verona is undoubtedly a symbol of Italian Opera, yet the enchanting arias that they will perform are also a tribute to Europe, to its great operatic tradition and to its culture - said Ambassador of Italy Pietro Benassi of the event - This Concert in Berlin recurs again this year and gains an even more special meaning in light of the ongoing Italian Presidency of the European Union, which sees our country on a front-line commitment to relaunch the European project by bringing the Union closer to its citizens and addressing global challenges. The message that will ring out from Berlin tonight to celebrate our extraordinary common European identity will be loud and clear, and even more beautiful than ever before".
Giuseppe Vita, Chairman of UniCredit, remarked: "The Arena di Verona meets Berlin concert has become a traditional feature of the Italian and German relationship. It is a major cultural event that UniCredit is proud to provide with ongoing support. By bringing one of the most distinguished expressions of Italian art to the German capital, we intend to contribute to the dialogue between our two countries. Culture is a vital part of the heritage of Italy, Germany and the whole of Europe, and it can serve as a source of inspiration at a time when the political foundations are being laid for stronger institutions binding together the European Union and the Euro area".
Photographs of the concert will be made available after the event online at the following website: www.hvb.de\presse
Some facts and figures about the event:
· The historic partnership between UniCredit and the Arena di Verona is now celebrating its 20th year - it began in 1994 when the ticketing system became computerized and has seen over 10 million tickets being sold since then.
· The 2013 edition of the concert coincided with the bicentenaries of the births of both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, as well as with the centenary of the Arena di Verona
· The Arena di Verona meets Berlin concert is part of UniCredit's broader commitment to promoting culture. The Group is present in 50 countries and has commercial operations in 17 European countries. In Germany it operates through HypoVereinsbank (UniCredit Bank AG), one of the largest financial institutions in the country, with roughly 19,000 employees and some 850 branches. Both UniCredit and HypoVereinsbank regard music and art as connecting influence, bringing together people with different mindsets from diverse backgrounds.
Berlin, Munich, Milan, 26. November 2014