Verdi represents an end, not a renewal. Italy's failure to produce another Verdi is mirrored by its failure to advance as a nation-state beyond the fudges of the Risorgimento. The nation is once again divided between rich north and poor south, an anxious citizenry and a flood of Balkan and Maghreb refugees. No composer, living or dead, can unify its dissents. Theatres that Verdi cherished in Venice and Bari have been allowed to burn down and have yet to be rebuilt.
Verdian singers come mostly from abroad.
Any Italian with half a voice rushes into pop music for easy pickings, shirking the strenuous perfection of art and national aspiration. The unifying icons of modern Italy are footballers and fashion designers. Muti was right. The Anno Verdi is no time for celebration - rather a moment for reflection on unattained summits and compromised ideals. Norman Lebrecht is a columnist for London's Daily Telegraph and the author of several books on culture.