by Chiara Tenca
Monterosso (La Spezia)
Anticipating the spirit of Lectio, during the interview he will conduct this evening on the occasion of the stage of the Journey Festival of Beauty in Cinque Terre in Monterosso – starting at 9.15 pm on the Pescatori pier – he sings some of his immortal songs: Italian personally Conversations with the history of music. Giulio Rapetti, aka Mogol, needs no introduction: 523 million records sold internationally bear his signature (SIAE data), a record only broken by the Beatles and Elvis, and top Italian charts Can claim 151 hits in five. Despite the dwarf numbers and an agenda worthy of a head of state, at 86, music remains his life and he is preparing to take it to the masses once again.
The title of your lecture is “The Journey of Pop”: what will it be about?
“We will look at how pop interpretation has evolved from Claudio Villa to Ed Sheeran: the interpretation of a piece will be followed by listening; the text will be followed by an understanding of whether an artist sings well or badly, and the interpretation of current technical judgement.” Knowledge will be acquired and votes can be cast.
But what difference do you see between the songs of yesteryear and the songs of today?
“I’m a writer and not a critic: I don’t want to pass judgment. Having said that, I realize there’s also some degree of cultural meltdown: once upon a time you hear songs that people still sing (eg , he sings Unaventura, ed.), whereas today it seems to me that they cannot go on for so long. Rap, for example, has words and rhythm, but no melody: there is little in it, like a cake in which One component is missing”.
It’s hard to choose between a production as vast and quality as yours, but are there works you feel most proud of?
“I am more fond of some of them, especially about twenty: one example is Vento nel vento, which literature lovers really like and is less famous than others. And then, again an adventure, March Garden of Thoughts and Words and For You Too, which is a very poignant story about three lonely women.” (All songs by Lucio Battisti, with whom he formed an extraordinary partnership, ed.).
What inspired you to write these lessons?
“Often I talk about my life, the emotions I’ve felt or the successes I’ve had in my mind. However, to immortalize a composition, you also need to sing it a certain way. I will quote about this from La prima cosa bella di Bari of Nicola, who believed that he was obliged to hold the last note longer in order to remain in the present. Understanding Music Just one of many cases I’ll be talking to the Monterosso audience about.