The naves of Milan Cathedral , witnesses to centuries of history and prayer, welcomed, last Wednesday, the voices of two excellent choral groups from Sardinia.
The Santa Cecilia Choir of Tresnuraghes and the Amici della Musica Choir of San Vero Milis solemnly enlivened the weekday Mass on the liturgical memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, offering the Ambrosian Cathedral a moment of rare spiritual and musical intensity.
Leading the two ensembles from the podium was Ramona Careddu, a soprano with a degree in singing from the Cagliari Conservatory. "Uniting two choirs into one voice, in a place like Milan Cathedral, was an indescribable emotion," she said. " I tried to enhance the identity of each group, maintaining the balance that a liturgical celebration requires. Each piece was both a prayer and a gift ."
Her expert direction, enhanced by the timbre of her soprano voice, successfully brought together the two choral souls in a single sung prayer that resonated throughout the cathedral's monumental acoustics. At her side, on the organ, Maestro Marco De Vita engaged with the voices with a mastery that transforms the great instrument from a mere accompaniment to a fully-fledged musical interlocutor.
The artistic solemnity is intertwined with an equally profound human and spiritual dimension.
The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Monsignor Fausto Gilardi, Canon Penitentiary of Milan Cathedral, and concelebrated by Father Andrea Manca and Father Gianluca Romano, provost of the Parish of Sant'Elena in Milan and a friend of the local parish priest. "Father Andrea's presence gave even greater meaning to this trip," Careddu emphasized. "We were not just guest choir members in a great cathedral: we were a community bringing our faith and our music to the altar of the Cathedral. A profoundly communal act."
A piece of Sardinia, in short, resounded among the spires of Milan. For the choir members, their director, Don Andrea, and all those who lived through that moment, the memory of those voices rising toward the Gothic vaults accompanied by the organ will remain indelible. "It's an artistic achievement to be proud of ," Careddu concludes, "but above all, it was a human experience that enriched us all. We will sing for a long time to come with that sound in our souls."