On Friday 2nd February, newly appointed Ambassador Trombetta and his wife Victoria paid their first UK visit outside of London to Cardiff to attend a performance of the Welsh National Opera’s new production of La forza del destino, directed by WNO artistic Director David Pountney and conducted by WNO Conductor Laureate Carlo Rizzi at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. The Ambassador and Signora Trombetta attended the event alongside HRH The Prince of Wales, Mr. Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport, Welsh Government and the WNO’s Honorary president, Mathew Prichard CBE.
Ambassador Trombetta, Patron of the WNO’s Verdi trilogy, has long standing ties to the UK having previously served as Deputy Consul General in London twenty years ago between 1990 and 1995. Thus, with great pride and joy he now returns as Ambassador to the UK with the intention of further strengthening Anglo-Italian ties.
The season’s new production of Verdi’s La forza del destino, marks the start of a Verdi trilogy co-produced with Oper der Stadt Bonn which will run over the seasons of 2018, 2019 and 2020. The trilogy continues with Un ballo in maschera in Spring 2019 and Les Vêpres siciliennes in 2020.
Ambassador Trombetta himself, highlighted the importance of such musical events when he said, ‘Opera itself, acts as a bridge between the United Kingdom and Italy by reminding us of our collective ideals and common history.’ This has been facilitated by widely recognised UK-based music associations such as the WNO, which continue to preserve and promote classical music and its’ heritage.
The performance was also further supported by the Kobler Trust and the WNO Verdi Syndicate.
