Le Dive e la Banda

The love between Siena and the Italian Red Cross has no end. Already at the time of the Great War, with the establishment of the so-called territorial reserve hospitals of the Red Cross, buildings such as boarding schools,  villas, boarding schools and factories located outside the city centre, but close to it and well connected, were dedicated to the charitable purpose. It is remembered that in 1944, to save Piazza del Campo from certain bombings, a large red cross was drawn in the square to indicate the hospital garrison: only in this way was the noble square preserved from certain destruction. And Siena does not forget,  and it gives thanks. Decades later, the Sienese people still embrace this vital embrace and give their people an evening that has the flavor of historical memory. Yesterday at the Teatro dei Rinnovati the brilliant show "Le diva e a banda” - Il Musical: dancers, performers, choristers, and a large Palio Band warmed the hearts of the Sienese in a series of pieces from famous musicals. The actress Chiara Savoi led us through the history of this precious performance from her birth in the mid-19th century: a nice narrator-interpreter who made the series of pieces highly enjoyable, enticing the Sienese with captivating anecdotes and stories. Spectacular dance troupe and richness of costumes accompanied the talented Alice Valentini, a local talent born in the cradle of Siena Jazz and today a performer, choreographer and teacher highly appreciated at a national level. The arrangements and musical direction of maestro Giuseppe Baldesi are excellent. Endless wind instruments from the Banda del Palio conducted by the skilled Maurizio Bianchini: a beloved, popular band which has given an example of great refinement, giving life to a musical representation of the highest technical and emotional level. What can I say, at Rinnovati, in the heart of Campo, we witnessed an itinerary through classic and modern musicals with that pinch of rebellious spirit that the Sienese have poured into those stones for centuries.

Valentina Niccolai