Monopoli, Bari, Brindisi, Assisi and Rome: these are the five stops on the Italian tour of the opera "Francis and the Sultan," inspired by the encounter between St. Francis and Sultan Malik al-Kamil in Damietta in 1219. The tour was held last May 20-25. The opera was produced by the Custody of the Holy Land and will have its world premiere in Lebanon in November 2021. The libretto is by Professor Bartolomeo Pirone, who is also personally connected to the Franciscans. Prof BARTOLOMEO PIRONE Author of the texts of "Francis and the Sultan" "My story about St. Francis and the Sultan came about first and foremost because of having practiced and grown up with Franciscans." The main characters around Francis are Brother Elijah and the early companions, but especially Clare, who inspired Professor Pirone's other female figure in the work, Fatima: Prof BARTOLOMEO PIRONE Author of the texts of "Francis and the Sultan" "And so I invented the figure of Fatima. But even the figure of Fatima is in a sense a figure illuminated by the presence of Clare." The music was composed by Lebanese Maestro Father Khalil Rahme, who conducted the Notre Dame University Choir and Lebanese soloists. M P KHALIL RAHME Author of the music for "Francis and the Sultan" "The literary text was difficult but we managed to put it to music: Western and Eastern music, with some melodies I added, of my own composition." Br RICCARDO "My role was to connect the poet and the musician: to segment Bartolomeo Pirone's text, which was a more compact text, divided by scenes, turning it into a real opera libretto." There were three Apulian stages, in Monopoli, Bari and Brindisi. Brindisi was joined by some voices from "La Chorus," performers from Taranto's Magna Grecia orchestra and soloist Giuseppe Naviglio as the Sultan. The reception was one of the warmest. Not only at the concerts, but also during the stay, with convivial moments and an immersion in local traditions to the sounds of pizzica and tarantella. Even an out-of-schedule organ music played by a child as young as 7 years old. The tour then continued to Assisi, with the performance next to the Porziuncola. Finally, the stop in Rome. On May 25 the group was able to greet the Pope after the general audience. In the evening the concert at Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, in the presence of some authorities. The success of the tour proves once again that the message that comes from the meeting over 800 years ago between Francis and the Sultan is still valid today. Br QUIRICO CALELLA, ofm Creator and designer of "Francis and the Sultan" "This encounter, this message of brotherhood, is still very relevant today: it is the trump card for the Middle East, for Europe, for the whole world." Read More