The celebrations for the 550th anniversary of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s birth are drawing to a close. The Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze has celebrated the occasion in 2025 with a rich program of events and initiatives. This journey is designed to highlight the extraordinary relevance of one of the most significant figures of the Renaissance, through diverse media: poetry, music, theater, and the visual arts.

The final event of L’Eterno Contemporaneo. Michelangelo 1475–2025 will be on Monday, December 15th, at 6:00 PM (free admission from 5:30 PM), in collaboration with the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini, and will be dedicated to music and poetry. Under the imposing presence of the David and the Prisoners, the Thesan Trio—composed of Antonella Ciccozzi (harp), Giuseppina Ledda (flute), and Fabio Catania (viola)—together with actress Flavia Pezzo, will perform I Would Like to Want, Lord, What I Non Want, an unusual dialogue between some of Michelangelo’s poetic compositions and the sonata La Follia, composed by Antonio Vivaldi—accompanied by pieces by Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré.

La Follia, an ancient musical theme of portuguese origin, it has inspired numerous composers over the centuries: Corelli, Lully, Bach, and Handel have all tackled it, introducing virtuosic variations. The term—originally associated with the idea of ​​celebration and revelry—has taken on more solemn overtones over time, while remaining recognizable for its harmonic structure.

Like this musical theme, Michelangelo’s vision continues to exert a profound influence even today. Spiritual torment and a constant inner search emerge in his poems dedicated to art, and particularly sculpture, described as an act of subtraction: removing material to free the “living figure” already present in the marble. The artist’s hand, guided by an intellect inspired by a higher force, becomes a metaphor for inner inquiry and the search for an ideal of beauty capable of uniting human will and the spiritual dimension.

Admission is free until all available seats are filled.