FRIDAY , JUNE 17

Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the Congress is held at 17.30 hrs. in the Auditorium of the Fiera Milano Congressi Center. At 18.15 hrs. a Concert will be played following this programme:

G.F. Haendel.................. from Rinaldo “Lascia ch’io pianga”
W.A. Mozart ...................from Le Nozze di Figaro “Giunse al fin il momento...Deh vieni, non tardar”
G. Rossini ......................from Il Turco in Italia “Non si dà follia maggiore”
G. Gounod .....................from Roméo et Juliette “Je veux vivre”
G. Verdi .........................from Un ballo in maschera “Saper vorreste”
W.A. Mozart ...................from Così fan tutte “In uomini, in soldati”

Soprano: Marta Vandoni Iorio
Pianist: Alessandro Ferrari

At the end of the Concert, at 19.00 hrs., a Welcome Reception will be held on Ground Floor of the Congress Venue.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

Concert
The concert is held on Saturday, June 18, 2005, in the “Basilica Santa Maria delle Grazie”, in Milan.
The concert starts at 21.00 hrs. and finishes at 22.00 hrs.
The fee per person is € 100,00 (VAT 20% included).

Basilica “Santa Maria delle Grazie”
Built for the Dominican order according to a traditional plan, the church of St. Mary of Grace has a wide central nave which is twice the width of the side aisles and cross-vaulted side chapels. The exterior of the church is faced with brick and plaster and ends in a wide façade.
In 1492 Ludovico il Moro, head of the Sforza family and Seigneur of Milan, had the newly-completed apse knocked down to enable enlargement of the lantern and creation of a family mausoleum. The design of the new lantern-mausoleum was entrusted to Bramante (Donato di Pescuccio d’Antonio) who created a richly embellished structure of monumental
proportions.
Despite his dreams of being recognized as a Prince of Renaissance Italy and of turning the church of St Mary of Grace into one of the most beautiful churches in Milan, Ludovico Il Moro had many enemies. In order to protect himself from the men who opposed his power, he dug a tunnel from the church to his castle. The tunnel was wide enough for him and his
entourage to ride to the church on horseback directly from the underground chambers of Sforza Castle. Although the secret passage is still visible from the sacristy of the church, since the building of Piazza Cadorna underground station in the 1960s it has no longer been open to the public.
When Ludovico Il Moro married Beatrice D’Este, a member of one of the most powerful families in Veneto, the lavish wedding celebrations lasted for several days. Sforza Castle in Milan was especially decorated for the occasion by Leonardo da Vinci and the celebrations were remembered as the most lavish event ever to be held in Milan for centuries after. However the marriage did not last long. In 1497 Beatrice D’Este died giving birth to Ludovico Il Moro’s third son. She was buried in the lantern-mausoleum in the church of St. Mary of Grace behind the wooden panels of the quire, although the exact place in which she is buried is no longer clear.
Shortly after Beatrice D’Este’s death, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint the Last Supper, one of the absolute masterpieces of human artistic expression. The fresco is still visible in the Dominican refectory next to the church.

The concert is played by “I Cameristi” of La Fenice Theatre - Venice

J. S. Bach .................................“Brandenburgo Concerto n. 3” BWV 1048
A. Vivaldi ..................................“Estate” r.v. 315
A. Vivaldi ..................................“Gloria”
.................................................Gloria in excelsis Deo
.................................................Domine Fili Unigenite
.................................................Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus
.................................................Cum Sancto Spiritu
W. A. Mozart .............................“Kronung-messe” K.V. 317
................................................Kyrie - Gloria
................................................Credo
................................................Sanctus-Benedictus
................................................Agnus Dei
G. F. Haendel ...........................“Halleluja”