Violins, cellos and violas made by prisoners from wood recovered from people smugglers’ boats take their bow in La Scala concert
- The Orchestra of the Sea debuted at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala recently, and the string section were playing violins, violas and cellos with a colourful history
- The wood was sourced from wrecked boats used to smuggle migrants from Africa, and the instruments made by inmates at Milan’s Opera maximum security prison
The violins, violas and cellos played by the Orchestra of the Sea in its debut performance at Milan’s famed Teatro alla Scala this month carry with them tales of desperation and redemption.
The wood that was bent, chiselled and gouged to form the instruments was recovered from dilapidated smugglers’ boats that brought migrants to Italy’s shores; the luthiers who created them are inmates in Italy’s largest prison.
The project, dubbed Metamorphosis, which had its public debut at the famous theatre on February 12, focuses on transforming what otherwise might be discarded into something of value to society: rotten wood into fine instruments, inmates into craftsmen, all under the principle of rehabilitation.
Two inmates were granted leave to see the concert featuring 14 prison-made stringed instruments playing a programme that included works by Bach and Vivaldi. They sat in the royal box alongside Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala.
“I feel like Cinderella,” said Claudio Lamponi, as a friend approached in the lobby before the show with a bow tie to complement his new suit. “This morning I woke up in an ugly, dark place. Now I am here.”