Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel, Rome's newest and most spectacular visitor attraction, debuted shortly before Easter. Situated a short distance from St. Peter's, the former concert hall Auditorium della Conciliazione has been transformed into a multi-medial extravaganza of projected visions, lights, music, sounds and emotions that illustrates and recounts not only Michelangelo Buonarotti's masterpieces, but also the works of Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Perugino on the Sistine walls.
The show opens with a rapid photographic run-through of the history of Italy over the last five centuries, terminating with the young Michelangelo unveiling his gigantic David and subsequently accepting the commission to decorate the Sistine ceiling from Pope Julius II.
The 9 million spectacle goes on to illustrate the biblical stories behind the ceiling sections, with gigantic blow-ups of details in the Renaissance genius' work. The colossal figures of Adam and Eve and the iconic finger of God float over the auditorium walls and ceiling, accompanied by music and shifting rays of light. We are conveyed through the Creation and the Flood to the Last Judgement, with its scenes of despair and horror and then gently ushered into the conclave procession of scarlet-clad cardinals, accompanied by the lofty and inspiring Dies Irae, sung in Latin by super star Sting.
The hour-long spectacle is the brainchild of Emmy Award-winning artistic director and producer of Worldwide Shows, Marco Balich, whose achievements have included orchestrating the closing ceremonies of the Turin Olympics 2006, and the Sochi Olympics 2014, plus the 2016 Rio Olympics opening ceremony. Visitors to EXPO 2015 in Milan will also remember his revolutionary Tree of Life, focal point of the much acclaimed Italian Pavilion
In recent years, Rome has gradually added audiovisual aids to several of its famous sites, such as the Ara Pacis, Nero's Golden House and the Baths of Diocletian. Balich's show, however, takes a step further, creating a full-immersion, all-round experience involving live performers, dancers, special effects, colours, sounds and even the smell of incense, put together by a team of international experts that include music arranger John Metcalfe, lighting designers Rob Halliday and Bruno Poet, choreographer Fortis Nikolaou, costume designer Giovanna Buzzi and sound designer Mirko Perri, Davide di Donatello 2017 award winner.
The show enjoys the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Tourism and Culture MIBACT and the collaboration of the Vatican Museums.
At the moment, shows in English are programmed for Saturday evenings. See the website for full calendar details.
Info & Booking: Tel.+39.06.6832256
www.giudiziouniversale.com info@giudiziouniversale.com
