In Baltimore, the American tour of the Amerigo Vespucci lived a wonderful musical moment. On the waterfront of the city, with the sailor moored against the background, the pianist and composer Cristiana Pegoraro held the concert From Amerigo Vespucci to America 250: A Musical Journey, an Italian tribute to the 250 years of independence of the United States. It was a concert by invitation, organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia together with the command of the ship, and ended with a reception on board.
Vespucci had arrived in Baltimore on 24 June to participate in Sail250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore, one of the naval events linked to the celebrations of America250, within the wider World Tour Amerigo Vespucci – Campaign in North America 2026, an initiative of the Ministry of Defense and Navy produced by Defense Services S.p.A. The city has hosted for some days great sailing ships, military ships, public visits and aerial demonstrations; the Vespucci, moored at Tide Point, was one of the most anticipated appearances. From there the ship continued towards New York, where on 4 July took part in the great naval parade on the Hudson along with boats from different countries.
Pegoraro’s concert alternated classic repertoire pages and original compositions, using storytelling to connect the songs to the story that revolved around the evening. The title of the concert already indicated the path: starting from Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine navigator from which America took its name, and arriving at 1776, the year of the declaration of independence. «To sound in front of the Amerigo Vespucci, with the sun set on the port of Baltimore, it was an immense honor and a great emotion», said the pianist. «With this concert I wanted to tell the encounter between two cultures that share sea, history and future».
The reference to Vespucci works because the ship, more than others, brings with it an imaginary and a history of excellence. It is the school ship of the Italian Navy, launched in 1931, and has been used for decades for the formation of official students. And then there is the famous phrase, that on the “most beautiful ship of the world”, born from the encounter with the American carrier USS Independence in 1962 that, after identifying the sailor, saluted it so.
The Baltimore stage was part of a small American Pegoraro route dedicated to America250, with concerts also in Scarsdale, New York and Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, on July 2, the pianist closed the tour with An Italian Tribute to the United States at the Union League, Lincoln Memorial Room. The date also made sense: on 2 July 1776 the Continental Congress voted for the independence of the colonies, while the text of the Declaration was approved two days later, on 4 July. And as much as it is a distinction that is left out during the celebrations, in this case it helped maintain the sense of the tour: a way to cross with the music some places and symbols of their national history.
L’articolo Cristiana Pegoraro has played under the Vespucci sails proviene da IlNewyorkese.
