Battiato’s concert-event to rebuild the cathedral of Noto

Franco Battiato’s music not only lifts the soul but also … the stones, in the literal sense of the term. When the dome of the baroque cathedral of Noto, the ‘stone garden’ city in the province of Syracuse, collapsed on March 13, 1996, AdnKronos thought of organizing a major media and cultural event that could raise public awareness and institutions on the importance of reconstruction and start an international fundraiser. And as the protagonist for the evening of the open-air concert, in the area in front of the churchyard of the masterpiece of art with the wound of the dome gutted by the collapse illuminated by Enel, a name came naturally to mind: Franco Battiato. “The Sicilian artist immediately accepted our proposal with enthusiasm and adhered for free by lending his work, while we covered all the organizational and technical expenses for the realization of the concert – remembers Giuseppe Marra, editor and at the time also director of the agency di stampa AdnKronos – It was truly an unforgettable concert, an extraordinary event of which a video was also made and which was filmed and broadcast by Rai, which helped to reinforce in everyone the need to intervene quickly and well for the faithful reconstruction of the dome collapse of the baroque cathedral of Noto “. ‘Music for the reconstruction’ was the title chosen for Franco Battiato’s concert-event, which was held on May 18, 1996 in Noto, in the churchyard of the Santissimo Salvatore, two months after the collapse of the dome. The concert, organized by the Adnkronos Group, marked the official start of the international fundraising for the reconstruction of the Noto cathedral, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Among the first to respond to the appeal for reconstruction, in addition to Franco Battiato himself, were personalities of the caliber of Giuseppe Tornatore, Franco Zeffirelli, Gesualdo Bufalino, Paolo Portoghesi, Pier Luigi Nervi, Vincenzo Consolo, Franco Cardini, Elvira Sellerio, Bruno Zevi , Enzo Bianco. (By Enzo Bonaiuto)