A sculpture of a giant vintage record player playing an oversized replica of a 1909 gramophone record was unveiled on Monday in Sibenik, in memory of Ester Mazzoleni, a famous Italian opera singer who was born in that coastal town. Pročitaj više

The installation, work of the Kolektiv 4B art collective, was placed in the town’s Roberto Visiani Park, to mark the upcoming 140th anniversary of Mazzoleni’s birth.

Ester Mazzoleni was an operatic soprano born in 1883, in a prominent ethnic Italian family from Sibenik. She rose to prominence in the early 20th century, performing at prestigious opera houses in Rome, Parma, Bologna Venice, at the La Scala in Milan, and the Opera Garnier in Paris. She is also known for performing at the inaugural edition of the annual opera festival in Verona in 1913.

After marrying in 1925 she retired from stage the following year and moved to Palermo, where she died in 1982, aged 99.

The 5-meter sculpture was funded by municipal authorities, in the hopes that it might attract visitors to the city and help reconnect the town’s present-day natives with lesser known parts of its history.

“Sibenik had joined Europe’s civilization through Ester Mazzoleni, and we should really be proud of her,” journalist Stanko Feric from a local historical society Volim Sibenik (“I Love Sibenik”) told state agency Hina. Feric researched and wrote articles about key events in Mazzoleni’s life, which have been installed in the record player’s base, meant to inform visitors about her illustrious career.