The revenge of Music

They say that all seas are connected to each other through oceans and straits, forming a single global marine system. And therefore, thanks to the Suez Canal, Sardinia and the Mediterranean are today artificially connected to the Red Sea and therefore to the Persian Gulf, on whose western coast, facing Persia, the star of Doha shines.

But if someone had attended the end-of-year concert, organized on 31 December 2025 by the Sardinia Opera of the Teatro Lirico of Cagliari, he would not have needed to make an effort to search for these geographical connections, which also exist, since the seas and oceans constitute, through the currents, a single hydrographic basin.

But in the civic theater of Cagliari, last night, when Sardinia met Qatar, there were other currents that could be felt in the room and which, in some magical moments, connected the two seas; the Sardinian Mediterranean one, and the Persian one from Doha.

These musical currents crossed the souls of the numerous spectators present, creating a musical atmosphere of brotherhood.

Thus it happened that the percussions of the Qatari Ensemble “Fijiri”, two Darbuka and a Davul, merged perfectly with the instruments of the opera orchestra, composed of winds, woodwinds, brass, piano and other percussions and even more so with the voices of the Choir.

Those who were present could feel strong sensations. It seemed that those sounds, as a whole, called humanity back to a universal spiritual fusion, which, although too often rejected by the narrow vision of politicians and the powerful men of the world, has nevertheless found its guiding spirit in music.

It is undeniable that even the sound stones, masterfully played by the daughter of its creator Pinuccio, and the pianist Andrea Granitzio, were able to intercept these musical currents, which, rising in the large theater space, put the spirit of those present in communication.

Personally I heard the rhythms that the musicians gave to the pearl divers of Qatar. And I perceived the same sounds that echo in our Mediterranean Sea from Morocco and from the other countries that overlook our sea and which constitute a unique cultural entity, from a musical point of view, such as to include all the countries of Arab tradition, even beyond the Arabian Peninsula. And Sardinia, which has dominated the Mediterranean for millennia, radiates its music and sounds all around, even through the sound stones of Pinuccio Sciola. A symphony of Mediterranean sounds that Fabrizio De André would certainly have liked, convinced as he was that the Mediterranean constituted a unique basin of culture and sounds.

The Gavino Murgia Quintet also participated in this universal symphony of sounds, in the song of the two seas, with their masterfully performed pieces, which in the musical form of jazz, recalled, at times, the best Frank Zappa, in his most daring experiments, but also other musicians, purer in their jazz background, such as Davis, Coltrane, and even more Metheny, Di Meola and Mc Laughlin.

The climax of the evening, in my opinion, occurred with the performance of some songs by Dana Al Fardan, taken from the album “Tempest”, masterfully arranged, in the orchestration by Joris Laenen and for the choral part by Giovanni Pasini, who conducted the orchestra, the choir and all the other musicians present with authority and precision.

Special praise also deserves the violinist Anna Tifu (who carries on the musical legacy of Enzo Bosso), the pianist Andrea Granitzio and Gavino Murgia, with his incomparable sax.

The final pearl, as also underlined by director Pasini, was the singing performance of Alice Marras who ventured into “Andimironnai”, a traditional Sardinian song, accompanied by Anna Tifu on violin, Gavino Murgia on solo sax, Daniele Russo on solo drums and again by the sound stones of Maria Sciola, who did not make us regret the trite and hackneyed finals of the most classic of the year-end concerts.

A successful experiment therefore, both on a cultural and more purely musical level. a hope for a future of peace and brotherhood, through music.

In this sense, applause goes to superintendent Andrea Cigni who had the courage to break with tradition without forgetting that good music must still be conveyed with the right professionalism.