|
The 16th edition of the Ferrari Finali
Mondiali ended with a spectacular twist
as two Prancing Horse cars made an
appearance during the Reina Sofia’s Palau
des Arts' performance of Opera Sinfonica
del Mediterraneo. |
|
|
|
|
The
16th edition of the Ferrari Finali Mondiali,
which was being held in Valencia, Spain, this
year for the first time, ended on Sunday night
with a spectacular twist as two Prancing Horse
sports cars made an appearance during the Palau
de les Arts Reina Sofía's evening performance of
Opera Sinfonica del Mediterraneo. Thanks
to special choreography the two cars appeared to
be floating over the sea: a 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE
and a 458 Italia, the latest model from Ferrari.
The Palau de les
Arts Reina Sofía is world famous landmark building designed
by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. Its sculpted
form is highly symbolic, looking like a ship stranded in the
old riverbed of the Turia River. This monumental building
has become a dynamic feature of the urban area. The
innovative architecture of this forty thousand square metre
building, seventy-five metres high, accommodates four venues
for opera, music, ballet, theatre, receptions and
conferences with platforms project at different levels with
passage ways and Mediterranean gardens. Access to the
different areas is provided by means of panoramic lifts and
staircases situated inside the porcelain sides of the
building. The contrast between the opaque porcelain and the
glass foyers produce ever-changing sensations when walking
about the theatre.
The metal feather planted at the main entrance seems to
float over the structure. Only one point of support sustains
the plume over the almond-shaped building, leaving the
eastern end of the feather floating in mid-air, defying
gravity. Fine white concrete covers the large metal
structural supports of the building, while broken mosaic
tile (trencadís) has been used to decorate the
outer shells, walls and reflecting pools of the Palau. The
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía is surrounded by more than
sixty thousand square metres of gardens, pathways, and
eleven thousand square metres of water in the reflecting
pools below. An elevated footbridge, fifty-six metres long,
situated at the western end of the building can be reached
by two different stairways leading to the Main Entrance and
Box Office.
Ferrari Chairman
Luca di Montezemolo and the President of the Comunitat
Valenciana Fernando Camps greeted the participants in
Valencia’s week of shows and sports events. The audience in
the stalls of the Reina Sofia’s Palau des Arts gave warm
applause to Felipe Massa when he entered the theatre, while
the Brazilian driver didn’t want to miss this spectacular
event together with new third driver Giancarlo Fisichella
and the Scuderia Ferrari test drivers Marc Gené and Luca
Badoer.
|