L'Italo-Americano

22 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano Verdi's 200th Anniversary, Va Pensiero, and the Very Essence of Italy Continued from page 1 Nebuchadnezzar. The story, written by poet Temistocle Solera and inspired by Psalm 137 of the Holy Bible Super flumina Babylonis tells of the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (587 b. C.) which marked the Jewish exile to Babylon and the end of the Kingdom of Judah. The choir is made up of Jewish prisoners in chains, who sigh for and dream of returning to their lost homeland. Verdi uses history as a metaphor to express the Italians' will to unify a territory divided into small states - many of them dominated by other European countries - into one nation in the 19th century. At the time, Milan was ruled by Austria, and its people's desire to be free can be clearly read between the lines in the description of the Jewish rebellion against the Assyrian oppressor Nebuchadnezzar. Verdi's opera succeeded in fueling the revolutionary spirit already rooted in Northern Italy, as all Italian patriotic hearts were reminded of themselves in the sorrowful words of the exiled, enslaved, and oppressed Jewish people. In the same way, the lost homeland Jerusalem actually represented Italy. Since the very beginning, everybody who listened to it from cleaning ladies to stagehands and members of the orchestra during rehearsals – couldn't help singing low those powerful melodies. Nabucco's strength was irresistible, and it reflected the Italians' feelings at the time. Its debut at La Scala opera house in Milan in 1842 was an outstanding success, so much that the audience called for encore. Va' Pensiero soon became a hymn of the Risorgimento, the Italian nationalist movement. It even made it past the Austrian censors. And at Verdi's funeral, people spontaneously started to sing it in the streets of Milan. On the 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth, the best way to remember this great Italian artist and patriot is to highlight the role that Nabucco played not only in his own life but also in the history of his country. At the time he wrote it, Verdi was tormented by the loss of his whole family: his beloved wife Margherita and two children had died in 1840. His grief was exacerbated by the Austrian tyranny over the city, and by the fact that his previous work Un giorno di regno had been a fiasco. For all these reasons, he had decided to abandon his career as a composer, and to return to the countryside in the Emilia-Romagna region where he was born. It was only thanks to a chance meeting with the impresario of La Scala Bartolomeo Merelli - who made him read the Nabucco while they were walking through the Galleria De' Cristoforis in Milan -, that he didn't give up composing. And Nabucco wasn't just crucial for his career as an artist: on set he met renowned soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, and their mutual esteem finally turned into a lifelong love story. Verdi's opera work Nabucco has a very special meaning for Italy and the Italians. On the one hand, many of them think that the chorale should become the Italian national anthem since more than any other - it reminds us of our origins, of our history as a country for a long time divided and dominated by foreign oppressors, and of the sacrifice of many fellow countrymen that made Italy's unification possible. On the other hand, critics affirm that Va', pensiero actually reflects the tragedy of the Jewish people who suffered defeat and had no hope in a better future. The debate is still open, so much that online petitions can be signed to support the "national anthem" proposal. In complete opposition with its deepest meaning, the Italian secessionist party Lega Nord based in Northern Italy has chosen Va' Pensiero as its official hymn, giving as a pretext the author Temistocle Solera's membership to the political movement known as Neoguelfismo that vaguely shared federalist ideas. This improper use of Verdi's composition has been harshly criticized by the National Association of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia area, which underlines instead the historical role played by the chorale in raising Italians' awareness and promoting national cohesion. Therefore, the community of exiles from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia has also adopted Va' Pensiero as a hymn representing the sense of belonging to Italy after the exodus from those territories lost in the Second World War. And, of course, this doesn't close off space for still other interpretations. Multiple reinterpretations is testimony to the deep admiration for Verdi's opera. From the one by anarchist Pietro Gori - who wrote a May Day hymn on the same music of Va' Pensiero in 1892, in memory of the Fasci Siciliani, a democratic and socialist movement born in Sicily -, up to the recent music chart version half in English and half in Italian by pop singer Zucchero. In 2011, the last performance conducted by Riccardo Muti in Rome was a huge success. Still today, the slaves' chorale is able to touch the heart of millions of Italians, it is world-renowned, and makes the audience shudder. According to the conductor, "it embodies the very essence of Italy, and strikes a deep desire for redemption that concerns also contemporary Italy with all its hatreds, scandals, and repressed cultural assets." Translation by Silvia Simonetti THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013 From the director Italian Heritage Month: The Contribution of "Our" Newspaper Cari Lettori, Federico Fellini, five-time Academy Award-winning Italian filmmaker, allegedly said, "Language is culture and culture is language." It sounds like a slogan, but it actually represents the deep meaning behind the founding of L'ItaloAmericano 105 years ago. This newspaper began as a point of reference for the community of Italian immigrants in California, by featuring their stories, leading figures, social initiatives, and Italian-themed events. Flipping through its pages, Italian-Americans find major news from Italy written in Italian, their native language. As time went by, L'Italo-Americano became a sort of heart and home, a habit, a shelter where the Italian traditions, recipes, dialects, religious holidays, and all kind of cultural connections left behind are still preserved. Today the paper aims to be also a bridge towards the future, instead of just living in the past with its bittersweet, distant, homesick, or faint memories. Quoting one of Fellini's most celebrated movies, L'Italo-Americano wishes to be not only an old "Amarcord." Of course, this doesn't mean to cut the ties with Italy: the Italian language is firmly maintained as part of the newspaper's cultural heritage, as well as the Italian legacy in terms of social traditions and values. Nevertheless, at the same time, it aims to represent the trait d'union with the present life experience of ItalianAmericans who are fully integrated in the U.S. culture, and often unaware of the background of their own parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, who emigrated to the United States many years ago. Therefore, L'Italo-Americano is using all of the new means of communication brought forth by the internet revolution, offering a wide range of services to enable a daily contact with the Italian culture through Facebook, Twitter, the web site, and the paper's online version, digital photographs, and videos. Both contents and layouts are constantly updated in order to move with the times and to attract new readers, but always taking into consideration the interests and needs of loyal and long-standing subscribers. Human resources are also a crucial asset, and new collaborators are welcome to join the team and share their ideas, contributions, and initiatives. Equally important and valued is the newspaper's Italy-based staff, which allows L'Italo-Americano to maintain direct access to the reality of a country that is close to the heart, but still far in distance. The main goal of L'Italo-Americano is to present its readers with an authentic portrait of Italy by those who are able to convey its real spirit, feelings, and ideas by experiencing them every day. This is the only way for Italy to be seen as it actually is from this side of the Atlantic, instead of as the common pizza-spaghetti-mafia-bel canto stereotype. Italy is much more than that, and the effort of L'Italo-Americano's staff—that is the weekly contribution to promote the Italian Heritage, which is celebrated this month—is always focused on different aspects of the Belpaese. If, as Federico Fellini said, "a different language is a different vision of life," then by preserving our native language and cultural heritage we are able to enrich with the Italian DNA, the genetic heritage and social fabric of the United States of America. I Wish you all a Happy Columbus Day.

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