Orchestra in shock as young violinist’s death is confirmed as suicide
mainMusicians in the orchestra of the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele of Messina are in shock today at the death of Greta Medini, 26, who fell from a viaduct onto theΒ Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway.
It was confirmed today that Greta had driven her red Fiat onto the viaduct, stopped, left the car and jumped.
Her body had to be winched up by helicopter.
Greta played in the Messina orchestra between 2013 and last year, often occupying the concertmaster’s seat. Se is described as ‘shy, sweet and unaffected’.
Was that confirmation really necessary?
I lost my only brother to suicide last December. He was only four years older than this beautiful and brilliant girl. That said, I think yes, this confirmation is necessary. Pretending this problem doesn’t exist and that people don’t ever kill themselves doesn’t help anyone. On the very contrary! It only makes this terrible, terrible public health problem worse. Plus, suicide is no shame – nor to the late person, nor to the family. Or at least it shouldn’t be considered so!
I’m sorry for you loss; I agree that it should not be something for anybody to be ashamed about, but I know people that have experienced it and feel shame. I wish they didn’t. I guess where I was coming from was hoping that her family is more like yourself in the way you view it rather than the people I know. Thanks for your response π
I totally understand you! π And your concern is absolutely valid! Specially when we consider that many, many families (specially parents) and friends of people who kill themselves do feel guilty at least in some moment. It’s only human! We always think that we could have done more for that person, helped more or even have stopped her/him from commiting suicide, but unfortunately it is not that simple… π What the media can – and MUST – do is only disclose cases like that with prudence, humanity and lots of respect. Always!
Dear Ana Luiza Daltro and Brendan Joyce ~ Haviing personally experienced the shock of learning an unexplained utter sadness & depression which came upon me on Good Friday, 2007, was, indeed, some sort of sixth sense on the day a dear one took his life, the next morning’s surreal news was incomprehensible to imagine, asking myself how a driven person who had possessed true courage to advise a former President with no fear – his counsel being profoundly beneficial, could take his life??
The horrid feelings of guilt & if only I had done x, y, z, which may have prevented such a travesty, have haunted me for a long — very long time ~ Here was a rare & brilliant person out to conquer the world who darn well came very close to achieving all the dreams & aspirations he had, managing to make many of them reality in a very short period of time was utterly devastating. One was changed forever ~
Having partially absorbed yet fully experienced this, I realise more as Mother time passes, how much his love and devotion truly meant. One thing which has helped me is in knowing he knew his loyalty was never betrayed ~
As Ana says, this is not anything to be ashamed of by family but is so shocking it literally knocks the one left completely off one’s inner core … This is a ‘condition’
of the psyche fused with dire Events which affects many great & tender souls having no more coping skills who are then compelled to Get Out, & desperately sink into a state of mind of desolate hopelessness seeing no other solution …
Deeply riveting & tragic, this phenomenae is critically important to be addressed without lurid judgement of those who actually choose leaving Life on their own perceived terms ~ a last defiant but irreversible Act which can never again be soothed/worked through by devoted/caring experts in mental health, who are on the front lines of endeavouring to prevent precious human beings from that last desperate Cry for help due to total feelings of abandonment for starter’s …
My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved family of Greta Medini, a most gifted and deeply accomplished violinist who, ironically, was equipped with the raw & pure emotional moods which she delved deeply into in her self portrait of Massenet’s ‘Thais’ upon her violin … I’m so very sorry ~