Gianfrancesco and Angelo Federico have been attending the Vibo Valentia Academy of music in southern Italy for years. The two brothers—one a cellist and the other a violinist—would never have believed that they would use the balcony of their terraced house in the town of Crotone as a stage. But they did so on a silent evening this month. The brothers joined the first national flash mob organised by Italians after being forced into quarantine to contain the coronavirus infection by playing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. “Because it is a prayer, and because it is full of hope. We need to hope,” they said, after their performance became viral on social media. From the balconies of their homes in Rome, Naples and Milan, hundreds of Italians sang or played with their instruments popular songs, from “Azzurro” by Adriano Celentano to the Italian national anthem.
Italians are reacting to fear in the most natural way—with optimism, the quality for which the world admires them the most. And, from a tragedy that has already caused more than 2,000 deaths, especially in northern Italy, new opportunities arise. Elena Inversetti works in the communication sector and lives in the southern outskirts of Milan. She also participated in these musical flash mobs and noticed that something has changed. “I have lived here for five years, but I have never met my neighbours,” says Elena. “The neighbour is a stranger. If you meet him on the stairs, he takes the elevator. We only say ‘good morning, good evening’. Nothing more. But now that we have all seen each other from the balconies and we have sung together, something has changed. We exchanged phone numbers to send us the flash mob videos and suddenly we know who lives near us. Unexpected solidarity is emerging. How strange are these days.”
Denne historien er fra March 29, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 29, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
