BEIRUT: Italian trumpeter Mauro Maur and pianist Francoise De Clossey performed at the Grand Serail this week during a concert organized by the Italian Embassy in Beirut on the occasion of Lebanon’s Independence Day.

Accompanied by the choir of Lebanon’s Antonine University, Maur and De Clossey took to the stage Thursday at the government house where guests were treated to renditions of classical masterpieces composed by Donizetti, Rossini, Morricone and Bellini to name a few.

Maur is from the Rome Opera House Orchestra and De Clossey has won international competitions. Such outstanding reputation made of the evening a one-of-a-kind event.

The brilliant musicians also played “Va Pensiero” by Italian composer Verdi, highlighting the beginning of Verdi’s celebrations for the 200th anniversary of his birth. Soundtracks from “La Dolce Vita” and “Per un pugno di dollari [A Fistful of Dollars]” were also part of the program of the evening.