An appeal by a renowned Italian orchestra institution for funds at an Expo 2020 Dubai event ended with officials weeping with joy and jumping to the stage after Gucci’s chief made a substantial contribution.
It all started when Alexander Pereira, superintendent of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the main opera venue in Florence, said they were short of $2 million required for a new concert hall and that a woman in Italy had recently given them $500,000.
Minutes later Marco Bizzari, Gucci’s president and chief executive, said he would match the donation, when it was his turn to speak at the conference in the Italian pavilion on Sunday.
As the audience clapped, Mr Pereira wiped away tears and Dario Nardella, Florence’s mayor, leapt on to the stage to give the Gucci chief a hug.
My tears were real ones
Alexander Pereira,
superintendent of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Zubin Mehta, an internationally renowned orchestra conductor, stood up from his wheelchair and walked to the podium to express his thanks.
Mr Bizzari spoke of the bond with the city and said it was vital to support the community in Florence that was the source of “new ideas, initiatives and imagination.”
Covid-19 has hit the performing arts and the tourist industry hard with regions and nations shutting down during the pandemic.
The Gucci chief said he was happy to back the much-loved institution particularly in a tourist haven like Florence even as “people were coming out of a period of Covid."
“So very, very shortly after the request of Mr Pereira, I asked my team to match the donation,” Mr Bizzari said.
Florence is the birth city of the luxury brand that celebrates 100 years in 2021.
Mr Pereira, who is in charge of the Florence music hall, said securing the funding far away from home at a conference in Dubai took him by surprise .
“My tears were real ones,” he told The National.
“This concert hall is really awaited. The theatre has a main opera house but there was never a concert hall in Florence. With this, Florence gets its first concert hall in history.”
Following the Gucci contribution, other arts lovers and businessmen at the Expo venue stepped in to make contributions and Mr Pereira said the group reached its $2 million target for the 1,200-seater hall.
“Now I can start really strong with the concert hall, with great artists, great programmes and also beautiful furnishings,” he said.
Plans for a grand opening for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino are now on track for December 21 when Italy’s President will attend a concert by orchestra conductor Mr Mehta, who has also performed at the Expo.
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Indika
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