Monika Wegener, for the branduardi-ans and europAMICI
Ciao Angelo
First of all: Thanks a lot for giving us some of your time to answer our questions.
Thanks to you.
We also could speak in german, that would be no problem for you... but maybe better to continue in italian.
Yes, much better.
Your audience from the german part of Switzerland has been waiting for you since more than 3 years now... and today you are coming back.
How are you feeling?
I feel good. It is clear that the thing from today will be a bit special.
Unfortunately... ehh unfortunately it will be recitated in italian. It's only me who is talking in german.
Therefore a lot of things of the story unfortunately will not be understood. If you consider that this is a Lauda, not a concert, but a holy
presentation.
But you know, in Zürich there live a lot of people talking italian.
Italians, yes I know.
So there will be no problems.
No, I don't think so.
Which do you consider to be the essential message of the Lauda?
The fact that this is such an antique and minimal presentation makes it seem to be nearly avant-garde.
It is a bit the same paradox as in Futuro Antico: the famous step backwards before making 2 steps forward.
The main subject is obviously the person of Saint Francis of Assisi.
He is so famous in Italy, much less in the other countries.
Here in Italy he has also an influence, a poetical and artistical importance, because he was the first poet who was writing in the italian
language and the others don't know it.
But lets say, the whole point of the story is the meeting with the sultan which is extremly modern and even if it was so important
nobody in Italy knew about it, neither did I.
Nor did I.
And during that evening they made the peace.
There was a secret dinner with the sultan Melek-El-Kamel, Francis and Federico II and they signed the peace.
The concert of your new CD "Futuro Antico IV" nearly 3 weeks ago was really unique.
The fact that it was in Venice, the origin of this music and exactly during the Carneval, gave a very special aspect to it.
Will there be some more concerts with this beautiful music?
Yes, I do hope so... and not only, we are thinking of making a tour.
About this CD?
No, not only about this, but about all the 4 Futuro Antico, with this tipical renaissance orchestra.
Do you know that Ennio Morricone will give a concert in Venice on September 10th??
Yes, I knew it, yes, yes.
Will you be there?
No. I haven't been invited because he don't present the part where I play, because it is considered to be the most difficult and
complicated part for the audience.
At least I don't think so, I don't know it yet.
I talk rather often to Ennio Morricone, last time a few days ago when the gave him the Oscar. Nobody has told me yet anything.
It could be that they call me. It depends of the repertoire if they will call me or not.
We'll see.
Yes, we'll se. I hope so.
After the concert in Venice you talked about a concert in Paris in autumn.
What will it be exactly?
Yes, it will be the Lauda, in french.
People ask us often:
Do you think to make a new CD „pop“?
Yes. Yes, I have a lot of music. Now I have been much on the move, because the succes of the Lauda has been unforeseen. And was not to be expected.
Therefore I ended in the mixer.
But, I have a lot of music. Now I need simply to have a bit time, and now... from tomorrow on I'll have it, to start to put the ideas together…
Look: I have such a pile of music in my studio... That means I have written it down and now I have to find out which pieces of this material
are suitable and which not, Which parts I have to work on, what I have to do, but I have really a lot of musical ideas, look, such a pile.
Yes, let's hope. Because I don't remember anything, I have to read what came in my mind. But it is planned.
Is there a musical aim that you don't have reached yet and which would be your dream?
A lot! Conduct a symphony orchestra (in "Tristan and Isolde").
Get an Oscar, me too.
I don't know, see my daughter Maddalena, who is a good violoncellist, get famous.
Then I'd like to get older in a good way.
There are a lot of things. If one day there are no more hopes and aims, all will be finished.
Do you remember that concert of Bob Dylan in Madison Square Garden in New York, in october 1992?
What made it happen that you found yourself commenting it for the italien TV?
Ah… ah, yes, now I remember. Because my friend Enzo Guaitamacchi, who is a journalist, had ask me to comment that concert.
He's a very good friend, a very good journalist. But now I don't remember well because it was difficult to comment during 3 hours...
I must have said certainly a lot of rubbish. But I don't remember the details because it was so long ago.
Are there musical parallels between Dylan and Branduardi?
Ohh… no. He's one of my idols. But my real big idols are two: Donovan and Cat Stevens, who is now called Yusuf.
And I recommend you to listen to his new CD because in my opinion it is beautiful.
So I shut my eyes and it is like it was 30 years ago, very modern. It's called „An other cup“.
Does it happen that you read the statements and dedications of your fans on your official site?
I can do it only when I'm in Bologna, because I don't have a computer.
But maybe it is worth to have a look, there are beautiful things.
No no no. There is Davide, the drummer, and Morena, who stamp them and give them to me.
This happens often and therefore I know them, it's just because I'm not so good in handling a computer, unfortunately.
But I know that there are a lot of beautiful things.
At the end I'm bringing you the greetings from all branduardi-ans, from Michelangelo from Sorrento and from Sandra from europamici and from all
who like you.
I like you all, too!
Now I'm waiting with pleasure for the "La Lauda di Francesco" and wish you all the best.
Thanks a lot for having given us these moments of your time... e buon concerto!
Thank you… and now I'm studying a bit of german: „Ich bin der Troubadour…“
www.europamici.com
www.lalaudadifrancesco.it
branduardi-ans meeting-point
