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ITALY – A special concert at MIT celebrates the renewal of the research collaboration with Eni
It was a great success at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Kresge Auditorium, with the La Scala Chamber Orchestra
(Cameristi della Scala) performing “Fantasies from Verdi’s Operas”. The concert,
presented by Eni and MIT, celebrated the renewal of the research collaboration which
aims to achieve the key message: “Let’s give energy a new energy“.
For Eni’s Chairman Giuseppe Recchi: “Since 2008 we have been the largest partner of
MIT for energy research. Our goal is to develop innovative solutions to address global
energy needs and challenges by bringing together Eni’s own research and technological
know-how with MIT’s excellence in science and technology. The path to new breakthrough
technologies that can have an impact on human life is challenging and never ending but it
is also the prerogative of those who are naturally attracted by this fundamentally important
endeavor. The inauguration of the Eni-MIT Energy Society last June greatly enhanced our
ability to work towards fulfilling this goal”.
MIT President L. Rafael Reif said: “We are delighted to welcome the La Scala Chamber
Orchestra to MIT to help celebrate the important research relationship between MIT and
Eni. We feel incredibly fortunate to benefit from Eni’s relationship with La Scala and to
share this esteemed ensemble’s performance with the MIT community”.
Supporting cultural initiatives has always been a hallmark for Eni and in 2006 the
company chose the motto “culture of Energy, energy of culture” to effectively describe its
commitment to promoting artistic and cultural events in the countries in which it operates.
Eni is partner of the La Scala Chamber Orchestra’s international tour, which has already
included concerts in Moscow, Istanbul and Oxford. “Fantasies from Verdi’s Operas” is a
musical medley or “Fantasie” of Verdi’s operas composed by the composer’s friends and
colleagues. These compositions, which are true celebrations of Verdi’s greatness, have
been lying forgotten in libraries across the world since the 19th
century. The La Scala Chamber Orchestra found and transcribed these long lost “Fantasies” and is bringing them
to the United States for the very first time. Last night’s concert at MIT marked the start of
the Chamber Orchestra’s U.S. tour, which will also include performances in Providence
(Brown University), Washington (Embassy of Italy), New York (Carnegie Hall), and Miami.
This U.S. concert series is part of the “2013 – Year of Italian Culture in the United States“,
an initiative held under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic, organized
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., with the
sponsorship of Eni, Corporate Ambassador. Eni also supported an exhibition of the late
Hellenistic masterpiece the “Boxer at Rest” at the Metropolitan in New York as part of that
initiative.