17.11.2009 PRANCING HORSE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHTS AT VALENCIA'S PALAU DES ARTS

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. 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 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. 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 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.
 

© 2009 Interfuture Media/Italiaspeed