«Lorenzo Da Ponte’s house is for sale. And it’s a shame.” The question comes from the conductor Riccardo Muti, who, at the presentation of the next appointment of his Muti Italian Opera Academy at the Prada foundation in Milan, spoke about the Italian cultural heritage, which also includes Da Ponte, librettist of operas such as « Don Giovanni”, “Così fan tutte” and “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart. A writer, said the teacher, “and poet who should be studied in high school.”
«We are burning bridges with Italian culture» he said speaking of the composer’s house in Vittorio Veneto «and we are not talking about Paisiello’s or Verdi’s house. And the media tells us about rappers, Måneskin or Maneskot.”
The maestro then added: «Culture in our country is going through an even more dramatic downward period», then thanked Miuccia Prada and her husband Maurizio Bertelli for their support for his project. “It’s a thank you from the world of culture, of which you are among the few supporters” added the conductor who led, among others, the Maggio musica fiorentino, La Scala and is now head of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra.