Italy Tour Travelogue Two
Dear Friends,
On Tuesday morning, the Georgia Boy Choir bid farewell to Venice and headed southwest. After a couple of hours they stopped near Bologna for a sandwich, before continuing on to the town of Modena. Modena is not only the birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti, but also home of the Ferrari Museum. The excitement was palpable as the boys lined up outside the front doors, eager to go in and see all the supercars up close. The museum definitely did not disappoint. There were historic automobiles from the automaker’s early days as well as many of their Formula One race cars and their newest street models. There were many audible “Wows!” and, “Oh, cools!” as the boys entered each room. They took lots of photos and imagined what it must be like to drive one of these awesome vehicles.
The next day found them in the lovely town of Montecatini Terme, famous for the healing qualities of its hot springs. This was a favorite vacation spot for the composer, Giuseppe Verdi. An enjoyable funicular ride carried the boys up to Montecatini Alto, the picturesque village on top of a mountain where they enjoyed a delicious meal and the magnificent views of the surrounding Tuscan valleys. In the18th century, a majestic courtyard, Terme Tettuccio, was built for visitors to benefit from the therapeutic waters of the area’s natural springs. This magnificent structure, decorated in an Art Noveau style, has become a place where visitors can not only partake of the healing aspects of the water, but also of beautiful music, and many famous musicians have performed here over the last two centuries. On Wednesday, it was the Georgia Boy Choir who was scheduled to sing in the famous venue.
It seemed appropriate to open the concert with the American Spiritual, “Wade In the Water.” The Boy Choir’s powerful singing immediately alerted the audience that they were in for a very special treat. The young singers kept their listeners mesmerized as they worked their way through the program of choral classics spanning centuries. They concluded the evening with some delightful Italian songs, which the audience clearly loved.
No trip to Italy would be complete without a visit to the town of Pisa and its famous leaning tower, so the boys from Georgia were able to check this off their list on Thursday morning. It was a beautiful day and they all enjoyed being there and taking lots of pictures. The iconic tower is located adjacent to a magnificent cathedral and its accompanying Baptistery. The Baptistery is known the world over for its legendary acoustics. The Choir was invited to sing in the circular room and rarely has Thomas Tallis’ motet, “A New Commandment” sounded more wonderful. The slightest sound filled the entire space and lingered beautifully. The other tourists who happened to be there were grateful for such a magnificent demonstration.
In the evening, the Choir made their way to the walled city of Lucca, home of the great operatic composer Giacomo Puccini where they were to give a concert as part of the Sagra Musichale Lucchese Festival in the stunning Cathedral of San Martino. This magnificent church also possesses a nearly perfect acoustic for choral singing. Even the most delicate sounds seem amplified and fill the vacuous chamber with beauty. There were hundreds of people on hand to hear the Choir and they clearly relished every note that came forth from the mouths of the young musicians. Following their rousing presentation of Padre Martini’s “Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina” the audience would not cease their applause even after numerous bows of appreciation until finally, Maestro David White had to ask them to stop so the Choir could continue with the rest of the program.
At the conclusion of the concert, it was evident the audience was hoping for more, so the Choir gladly acquiesced with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Va Pensiero” from his opera, Nabucco. This song has become almost a second national anthem for the people of Italy and everyone was thrilled to hear the Americans singing their song.
While the boys and young men of the Georgia Boy Choir are clearly enjoying being tourists in the beautiful country of Italy, they are also remembering that they are here on a mission to Bring Beauty to Life with their singing and they are fulfilling that mission everywhere they go.
Until next time,
The Georgia Boy Choir 2019 Italy Tour Team