Today we went for a noon hour concert at the Parco della Musica to hear the marching band of the Carabinieri. This police force is the National Police of Italy, they guard officials and Embassies and also perform work similar to the FBI. They are also a para-military organization and have in time of war participated in battles. Today we listened to a concert of operatic work performed by the marching band, there is also the horseback version for those who prefer mounted music bands. They were accompanied by the Choir of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, whom we have heard many times before and is an excellent choir.
This concert was in the annual series entitled Belcanto offered by the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. They played several pieces including the Carabinieri March "La Fedelissima'' and closed with the great Italian patriotic aria from the opera of G. Verdi Nabucco, Va' pensiero. The concert was dedicated to the 6 Italian soldiers killed this past week in Kabul, Afghanistan. Canada also lost 2 soldiers this week, up to 132 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan so far, our mission ends in 2011.
What I love of the Arma dei Carabinieri is their 1800's uniform with all the details of great military uniforms of times gone by. It is not unusual to encounter Carabinieri officers with their oak and laurel silver tread uniform collars, great capes and white gloves and great cavalry sabres on duty. The whole idea is that the respect inspired by the Carabinieri is such that any criminal would give up just at the sight of such a person.
On this video, the Carabinieri play their march on the steps of the Church of the Gesu built by Cardinal Farnese in Rome. This Jesuit church is the parish of the people of Rome.
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