BALCONY TENOR MAURIZIO MARCHINI SINGS FOR PEACE, HARMONY, AND HEALING by Teresa De Fazio
From flash mob to balcony stardom, Maurizio sings in the hope of uplifting everyone’s spirits.
W
e all remember watching how COVID-19 sprang up in Italy and like wildfire spread across many cities and touched the lives of so many. To help ease the anxiety and isolation during the early days of the pandemic, there was a call for musical artists to take part in a flash mob. Isolation was not going to be a barrier to music.
In fact, when Maurizio leaned on the balcony railing and shared his song, it seemed like the world listened. Maurizio chose “Nessun dorma” from Giacamo Puccini’s opera Turandot: “I felt it was appropriate. It captures the resilience and tenacity of Italians and is an iconic aria for us. I sang with my heart in my hands (Ho cantato con il cuore in mano).”
Maurizio Marchini recounts how his wife convinced him to overcome his uncertainty and participate. At the appointed time, Maurizio’s melodic tenor voice rose above the red rooftops of Florence, curled its way into houses through open windows and balcony doors to surprise and delight his neighbors. Unbeknownst to him, his wife posted a recording on social media.
Subsequent to his balcony debut, his neighbors realized they had a tenor in their midst and eagerly requested an encore – only music seemed to express the depth and range of feelings they were experiencing. “The next night, I sang another aria and chose one that is a favorite – “La donna è mobile”, a more lively aria.” It is the Duke of Mantua’s song in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto and considered a showcase aria for tenors. Further, it represents a story set in Lombardy, the region of Italy first impacted by the voracity of the pandemic. Maurizio was soon overwhelmed with messages after his balcony appearances. Stars, such as Nicole Kidman, and neighbors were moved, and so Maurizio became known as the “balcony tenor.” Many of the messages expressed the importance of the gesture to Italians living abroad helplessly watching the horror which ravaged il bel paese (Italy) as well as many others across the world who each went through their own experiences of the pandemic. Maurizio recalls one message from the daughter of an elderly father who was
Photo by Lorenzo Desiati
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ART & CULTURE
Segmento Issue XXVII • Jun-Aug 2022
