Spring Symphony

Spring is the air in Florence! The skies are blue, the temperatures warm, and the flowers in bloom. What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with a symphony concert. And that’s exactly what the AIFS staff planned for us.

On April 16 a group of students attended a 9 p.m. concert at Chiesa di Orsanmichele, a beautiful church in the heart of Florence that once served as a granary. While it was a granary, it was claimed that an image of Madonna appeared on a column inside, interpreted as many to be a miracle. It was at this point that the lower level of the church was turned into a chapel for the various merchant guilds of Florence. The outside of the church has 14 niches, each containing a statue honoring the patron saint of each guild. You can read about these statues, which were commissioned at the beginning of the 15th century in one of my earlier entries.

The inside of the church is also spectacular and includes a huge glass and marble tabernacle. This tabernacle frames a painting of the Madonna that was painted in 1347 by Bernardo Daddi to replace the apparition of the Madonna, which was tragically destroyed by fire in 1304. No problem though! It is said that this painting inherited all of the powers of the original apparition, powers which are still believed to exist today.

Perhaps the Madonna helps to make the acoustics so good in this church, a perfect place for a concert. And the students came dressed in their finest for the event—gorgeous spring dresses and shirts and ties. Yes, they were looking sharp!

Performing on this special evening was the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina (the Florentine Chamber Orchestra). This orchestra, which was founded in 1981, has the mission of spreading appreciation for chamber and symphony music at home and abroad. Today it is considered to be one of the best chamber orchestras in Europe.

The orchestra, conducted by Vincenzo Mariozzi, performed the following pieces:

Lirica per Archi (Prima esecuzione assoluta) by N.D’Angelo
Concerto in La Maggiore Per Clarinetto e Orchestra K. 22 by W.A. Mozart
Sinfonia in Mi Minore N 44 Trauer by F.J. Haydn

The music was enchanting, uplifting, and spiritual—a perfect welcome to the spring weather that has embraced the city.