Young guitarist enchants locked down Rome

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Wednesday, May 15, 2024


Young guitarist enchants locked down Rome
Jacopo Mastrangelo plays the guitar from his terrace overlooking Piazza Navona in Rome on April 16, 2020, during a lockdown in Italy to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the new coronavirus. Tiziana FABI / AFP.

by Arman Soldin



ROME (AFP).- The melodic theme music from "Cinema Paradiso" soars over a completely still and silent Rome every sunset.

It provides an enchanting end to surreal days in lockdown living through a pandemic that has claimed over 22,000 lives in Italy and 145,000 worldwide.

The 18-year-old guitarist behind the performances has turned into a social media star for his impromptu covers of Ennio Morricone classics.

He plays from the terrace of his luxurious flat overlooking the fountains of Rome's now-empty Piazza Navona.

The Vatican's dome stands to the left of the setting sun and the sea gulls flutter overhead as he plays,

"We decided to lend a hand to Italians: a message of hope," Jacopo Mastrangelo tells AFP from his patio.

"We are accustomed to always seeing Rome full, teeming with people. Now the grass is growing between the cobblestones, everything has been left abandoned, and we decided to help."

Mastrangelo's father is a senior accountant and the teenager lives an admittedly privileged life in one of Rome's most exclusive neighbourhoods.

The Rome mayor heard about the teen and invited him to play a special Easter Sunday performance from the hilltop Piazza del Campidoglio that rises above the Forum.

"He moved us when he played from his terrace overlooking Piazza Navona," Raggi said in her introduction to his Easter concert.

"Today, from Rome, we want to pay homage to Romans, Italians and the whole world."

Mastrangelo said the mayor phoned him up one day and they agreed that he would perform three songs.

"I was nervous. Because it's one thing to play here with my father, like it's my hobby, and quite another when it's the mayor looking straight into my eyes," he recalls.

"I was stressed."

He says that he still worries about his high school exams this year -- but his sudden popularity does not hurt.

"Nothing is impossible now, with this popularity," he says.

"I did not expect it. Everything happened very quickly."


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

April 18, 2020

Warming climate in Norway reveals relics of ancient Viking trade route

Sunset View by Albert Bierstadt highlights Doyle's American Paintings, Furniture & Decorative Arts Auction

Lévy Gorvy exhibits twelve new ceramic works by Swiss artist Peter Regli

Christie's to present 'Andy Warhol: Better Days Photographs from the Andy Warhol Foundation'

Art Brussels, Belgium's most important international contemporary art fair, postponed to April 2021

Sixty years ago, Brasilia became Brazil's capital

Christie's expands global calendar of online-onky sales

War diaries finally speak

1921 Babe Ruth home run bat, Ali's fight-worn gloves pack a punch in Heritage's Spring Sports Catalog Auction

Montreux Jazz Festival cancelled amid pandemic: organisers

Thomas Miller, hit-making TV producer, is dead at 79

Young guitarist enchants locked down Rome

Traumatised by war: theatre's role in healing Afghanistan

Glenna Goodacre, created Vietnam Women's Memorial, dies at 80

Glasgow tailor gathers volunteer army to make medical clothing

Ottessa Moshfegh is only human

Jimmy Webb, purveyor of punk fashion, is dead at 62

Brian Dennehy found the tragic grandeur in ordinary lives

AIRIE announces Helen Toomer as Executive Director

San Diego Comic-Con canceled due to coronavirus

Gene Kranz's Apollo 13 Mission Control badge sold for $29,197 at auction

Robert Ramirez named chair of UT Department of Theatre and Dance

As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide

Health benefits of cucumber

Quarantine Is a Dangerous Time for Artists- How Not to Succumb to the Temptation

What Next After My GoPro Video Files Can't Play?

How Should You Commence Your Search For A Reliable Online Casino




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful