For the first time in history more than 2000 musicians in many Italian cities will share the mournful notes of the Requiems Masses by Mozart, Verdi and Brahms in a contemporaneous performance at Opera Foundations. This big demonstration points out a situation of extreme seriousness in a context where what is going to be erased is the right to access a cultural good which is emblematic of Italy itself. A strong reaction to the appalling attempt of massacring music in our Country, probably guilty of not yielding to the diktat of the business and for having asserted its autonomy in the cultural context. This manifestation is part of a General Strike and aims to highlight that cultural actors want to keep their distance from such a persecutory attitude. The protest is a unique event and we strongly hope that mass-media will pay proper attention to the event. Gisella Belgeri __________________________________________________ SLC-CGIL FISTel-CISL UILCOM-UIL FIALS-CISAL On 25 NOVEMBER 2005 THE CATHEGORIES OF THE SECTORS OF PERFORMING ARTS ON THE OCCASION OF THE GENERAL STRIKE CALL FOR A WHOLE DAY OF WORK ABSTENSION. The general strike called by all Confederations on November 25 is part of the protest in which are involved also the workers in the sector of performing arts who want to defend with a whole day strike the surviving of Italian Culture and denounce the evident political attempt to destroy a sector which is strategic and fundamental for our country. Evidence of this attempt is the dramatic cut to the FUS (state funding for performing arts) in the Financial Bill 2006-2008, passed at the Senate and now under review at the Chamber of Deputies. The workers in the sector of Performing Arts ask for the whole restoration of the cuts to the FUS to be operated using the funds at the disposal of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. In order to highlight the protest and for a further involvement of all citizens about the issue at 8.30 pm in all Italy will be performed the Requiem Masses with the emblematic meaning of DE PROFUNDIS in order to announce the death of all performing arts activities. The Requiems will be performed by all employees of the Opera houses joined by the representatives of Theatre, Dance, Music and Cinema. Programme: Bologna Fondazione Teatro Comunale 8.30 pm Johannes Brahms "German Requiem" Cagliari Fondazione Teatro Lirico di Cagliari Cultural-political event Florence Fondazione Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 8.30 Giuseppe Verdi "Requiem Mass" Genoa Fondazione Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova 10 am Cultural-political event Naples Fondazione Teatro di San Carlo 8.30 pm Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "Requiem Mass" Palermo Fondazione Teatro Massimo 8.30 pm Giuseppe Verdi "Requiem Mass" Rome Fondazione Teatro dell'Opera 8.30 pm Giuseppe Verdi "Requiem Mass" Rome Accademia di S. Cecilia with the participation of the workers of Teatro alla Scala of Milan 8.30 pm Giuseppe Verdi "Requiem Mass" Torino Fondazione Teatro Regio 8.30 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "Requiem Mass" Trieste Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi 8.30 pm Giuseppe Verdi "Requiem Mass" Venice Fondazione Teatro La Fenice 8.30 pm Giuseppe Verdi "Requiem Mass" Verona Fondazione Arena di Verona 5 pm Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "Requiem Mass" Roma, 22 November 2005 SLC CGIL ( Silvano Conti ) FISTEL CISL ( Sergio Meomartini ) UILCOM UIL ( Simonetta Corsi ) FIALS CISAL (Enrico Sciarra)