Valentina Lisitsa, the internationally renowned pianist, performed a concert on October 16th at the Teatro Electra in Iglesias, her second performance in Sardinia after her debut in Cagliari on October 11th. She presented a repertoire entirely dedicated to Franz Liszt, with evocative transcriptions from Wagner and moving ones from Schubert, the monumental Totentanz, and six Études, including some spectacular d'exécution transcendante and famous transcriptions from Paganini, such as La Campanella, up to the Hungarian Rhapsodies No. 19 and No. 6, considered among the most difficult to perform.

Music becomes a concrete gesture

The evening transcended the musical dimension. The concert was, in fact, organized for charity, with proceeds going to Casa Lions, the Cagliari-based shelter that for nearly thirty years has hosted cancer patients, transplant recipients, and long-term patients, mostly from other parts of Sardinia, seeking hospital care.

" The decision to give Valentina Lisitsa's concert a charitable purpose was a natural fit with Casa Rosa's DNA. When organizing an artistic event of this magnitude, capable of attracting a large audience and evoking great emotion, we feel a responsibility to transform the beauty of art into concrete help for the local community ," explains Maristella Casula, Events Area Manager for the La Casa Rosa Association , the organizer of the event. The aim is to make culture an opportunity for concrete support. " We chose Casa Lions for its extraordinary mission of hospitality: it offers dignity, relief, and a safe haven to patients and their families, also easing the logistical and emotional burden of treatment ," she adds.

The Ukrainian artist herself has repeatedly donated her music to charitable causes. " For me, donating music to a good cause doesn't mean making grand gestures: it means giving back what I can ," the pianist explains. This commitment has developed since childhood, when, as a child prodigy, she was told that talent was a gift: " Even if it were just a drop in the ocean, even if it gave someone just a moment of hope or relief ."

The welcome of Casa Lions

Over nearly three decades, the facility has provided approximately 230,000 nights of hospitality, welcoming between 15,000 and 16,000 families. Its 3,000 square meters contain 26 rooms, kitchens, laundries, common areas, and a chapel, while approximately 90 Lions volunteers ensure that everything runs smoothly for the guests year-round.

" Home because it's not a nursing home, it's not a hospital. People live together, get to know each other, cook together, and spend time together: it's not a sterile facility ," explains Romano Fischietti, president of Casa Lions . And regarding the initiative, he adds: " It's very important to know that the outside world periodically remembers us and does something for us. Valentina Lisitsa's participation demonstrates a special sensitivity ," he emphasizes.

La Casa Rosa's social commitment is part of a journey that began almost twenty years ago, in 2008, thanks to cultural initiatives and collaborations with third-sector organizations working alongside cancer patients, individuals with rare and autoimmune diseases, and families living with autism spectrum disorders. " We want to continue putting our skills, relationships, and resources at the service of those who work in the field every day ," says Maristella Casula .

The festival awaits its next appointment on October 18th, at the Teatro di Città in Sassari, when Paolo Restani, an internationally acclaimed Italian pianist who has performed in major European and international concert halls for decades, will perform.

The complete schedule is available on the Itinerarimusicalidellidentita.it website, while tickets can be purchased on Vivaticket.

www.itinerarimusicalidellidentita.it

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