Branduardi was born in Cuggiono, a small town in the province of Milan, but early moved with the family to Genoa. He was educated as a classical violinist in the local school of music. At the age of 18 he composed the music for the Confessioni di un malandrino (Hooligan's Confession) by Sergei Yesenin, still one of his finest songs.
He is married to Luisa Zappa, who wrote the lyrics for many of his songs. Luisa and Angelo have two daughters, Sarah and Maddalena, both musicians.
Angelo's first album was never released, and resulted from a co-operation with Maurizio Fabrizio, composer and gifted performer. The first released album, Angelo Branduardi '74 was arranged with Paul Buckmaster.
La Luna ("The Moon"), including "Hooligan's Confessions" and the fine, delicate song giving the LP its name, is a prelude to the success of the following works. Alla Fiera dell'Est (English edition: Highdown Fair, 1976) was Angelo's first vastly popular album, followed by La Pulce d'Acqua ("The Water Flea", 1978) and Cogli la Prima Mela (English edition, Life is the Only Teacher, 1979). In those albums Branduardi exploits themes and patterns from ancient music, mostly Renaissance and early Baroque. The very song Alla Fiera dell'Est ("At the Eastern Fair") is still popular among Italians of every age, who test themselves to send in memory all the fable-like, repetition-based lyrics.
Lyrics have a broad spectrum of inspiration: a Danse macabre, the theme of Satan's mistress, Chinese, Native American and Druidic tradition, the apocryphal Gospels. Concertation owes much to the talents of Maurizio Fabrizio, and exploits unusual instruments for pop music: dulcimer, Pan flute, lute, clarinet, among others - mixed with more standard guitar-bass-and-drums.
Subsequent albums are mark by an increasing desire towards experimentation and differentiation. Branduardi (1981) has a more intimate tone, Cercando l'oro ("Searching for Gold", 1983), has very sophisticated and delicate arrangements (starts with a String Quartet), Branduardi canta Yeats (1985) is a tribute to William Butler Yeats. Pane e rose ("Bread and Roses", 1988) is a still inspired, but increasingly dark picture of life and death. Though similar in style to the early ones, 1980s Branduardi's songs seemed to have lost the strong, rythmical energy that backed masterpieces like "Ballo in Fa Diesis Minore" or "Cogli la prima mela". Il Ladro (1991) marks a very delicate point of Branduardi's life, edging on depression, echoed in a dark, almost cemeterial, style of singing.
The album Si puó fare 1993 brings back Branduardi to normality, but the artist is now struggling to evade the minstrel character which is now too strict for him. In 1994 he publishes Domenica e Lunedì ("Sunday and Monday"), dedicated to Franco Fortini.
In 1996, during the celebrations for the restoration of the Duomo of Spilimbergo after the catastrophic 1976 earthquake, he records the extraordinary album Futuro Antico, in which he poses as an early Baroque musician, reusing, mixing, wording pre-existing material along with his own. This experience, together with musicians and musicologists, will continue with Futuro Antico II and Futuro Antico III.
In 1998 Branduardi teams with Italian stand-up comedian and writer Giorgio Faletti for Il Dito e la Luna ("The Finger and the Moon").
He reworks earlier musical themes with writings of and about St. Francis to produce L'Infinitamente Piccolo; he writes a musical on the same topic (Francesco).
In 2003 a new album, Altro ed Altrove ("Other and Elsewhere"), in a time period marked by a rise of racism and intolerance, brings together (mainly) love stories from several cultures.
Discography
* 1974 Angelo Branduardi
* 1975 la luna(France: Confession d'un malandrin, 1981)
* 1976 Alla fiera dell'est (France: A la foire de l'est - UK: Highdown Fair, 1978)
* 1977 La pulce d'acqua (UK: Fables and fantasies, 1980)
* 1979 Cogli la prima mela (France: Le demoiselle)
* 1980 Gulliver,la luna e altri disegni
* 1980 Concerto
* 1981 Branduardi '81
* 1983 Cercando l'oro (France: Tout l'or du monde)
* 1983 State buoni se potete (Soundtrack for the movie with the same name)
* 1986 Branduardi canta Yeats
* 1988 Pane e rose (France: Du pain et des roses)
* 1990 Il ladro
* 1992 Musiche da film
* 1992 Si può fare France: Ça se fait)
* 1994 Domenica e lunedì (France: La menace, 1995)
* 1996 Camminando camminando (Live collection)
* 1996 Futuro antico I
* 1998 Il dito e la luna (Lyrics by Giorgio Faletti)
* 1998 Studio Collection (Collection)
* 1999 Futuro antico II
* 2000 L'infinitamente piccolo
* 2002 Futuro antico III
* 2003 Altro ed altrove
* 2005 The Platinum collection (Collection)
==LINKS==
*http://www.angelobranduardi.it/
*[http://www.branduardi.info Branduardi.info
*[http://guide.supereva.com/angelo_branduardi/ Guida di Angelo Branduardi
*[http://www.angelo-branduardi.com ABcom - Il sito internazionale di Angelo Branduardi
*[http://www.europamici.com EuropAMICI di Angelo Branduardi
*[http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/branduardi-ans/ Branduardi-ans -Mailing List Ufficiale- Gruppo di discussione su Angelo Branduardi e la sua musica.
Giovane per sempre
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
corrompi la tigre e il leone.
Tempo feroce, tempo vorace,
la terra divora i suoi figli.
Tu strappi i denti alla belva crudele
e la Fenice che non muore consumi.
Tu rendi tristi e felici le stagioni,
tempo dal piede leggero,
Tempo feroce, tempo vorace.
il delitto più atroce ti vieto.
con le tue ore tu non ferire
la fronte del mio caro amore.
Con la tua penna rughe non disegnare,
lasciala intatta nel tuo passare.
a ricordo del bello negli anni a venire.
tempo dal piede leggero.
fa quel che vuoi delle dolcezze del mondo.
E così nei miei versi il mio amore vivrà per sempre...
E sarà nei miei versi il mio amore giovane per sempre.
Inghilterra. 1560 circa. W. Shakespeare
Quanti hanno cantato queste parole? Forever young...
Il mio amore fermerà il tempo
e la bellezza del tuo volto rimarrà intatta, per sempre.
The song Giovane per sempre by Angelo Branduardi is a reflection on the concept of time, personified as a fierce and voracious force that corrupts and consumes everything in its path. The lyrics describe time as a powerful entity that can tame even the wildest beasts, symbolized by the tiger and the lion, and ultimately devour the earth and its inhabitants. The image of Phoenix, a mythical bird that rises from the ashes, is used to suggest that even life itself is not immune to the destructive power of time.
The lyrics also express the desire to protect something precious from the ravages of time. The singer asks time not to touch the forehead of his beloved with its hands, as if to preserve her youth and beauty forever. He also pleads with time not to draw wrinkles on her face with its pen, so that her beauty can live on in his memories and in his verses, which will keep her forever young.
Overall, the song reflects on the fragility of life and the inevitability of change, but also celebrates the power of love and art to transcend time and preserve beauty and youthfulness.
Line by Line Meaning
Tempo feroce, tempo vorace.
Time is fierce and voracious
corrompi la tigre e il leone.
It corrupts the tiger and the lion
Tempo feroce, tempo vorace,
Time is fierce and voracious
la terra divora i suoi figli.
The earth swallows its children
Tu strappi i denti alla belva crudele
You tear the teeth out of the cruel beast
e la Fenice che non muore consumi.
And you consume the Phoenix that doesn't die
Tu rendi tristi e felici le stagioni,
You make seasons sad and happy,
tempo dal piede leggero,
Time with a light foot
fa quel che vuoi delle dolcezze del mondo
Do what you want with the sweetness of the world
Tempo feroce, tempo vorace.
Time is fierce and voracious
il delitto più atroce ti vieto.
I forbid the most atrocious crime to you
con le tue ore tu non ferire
Don't hurt with your hours,
la fronte del mio caro amore.
My dear love's forehead.
Con la tua penna rughe non disegnare,
Don't draw wrinkles with your pen,
lasciala intatta nel tuo passare.
Leave it untouched in your passing.
a ricordo del bello negli anni a venire.
As a memory of what is beautiful in the years to come.
tempo dal piede leggero.
Time with a light foot.
fa quel che vuoi delle dolcezze del mondo.
Do what you want with the sweetness of the world.
E così nei miei versi il mio amore vivrà per sempre...
And so in my verses my love will live forever...
E sarà nei miei versi il mio amore giovane per sempre.
And my love will be forever young in my verses.
Inghilterra. 1560 circa. W. Shakespeare
England. Circa 1560. W. Shakespeare.
Quanti hanno cantato queste parole? Forever young...
How many have sung these words? Forever young...
Il mio amore fermerà il tempo
My love will stop time
e la bellezza del tuo volto rimarrà intatta, per sempre.
And the beauty of your face will remain untouched, forever.
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.