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.
La giostra
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
vestita a festa la gente cammina,
bambini che ridono forte,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
I vecchi che siedono soli
si addormentano a volte al calore del sole,
inizia a suonare la banda
vecchie canzoni d'amore...
nel parco la gente cammina,
la banda continua a suonare,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
Al parco nei giorni di sole
vestita a festa la gente cammina,
inizia a suonare la banda,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
I vecchi che dormono al sole,
bambini che giocano e ridono forte,
la banda continua a suonare
vecchie canzoni d'amore...
E passano giorni e stagioni,
nel parco la gente cammina,
la banda continua a suonare,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
Angelo Branduardi's song "La giostra" paints a vivid image of a sunny day in the park where people are dressed up and walking around. Children are laughing loudly while an old carousel spins in the distance. The elders, who sit alone, fall asleep in the warmth of the sun as the band begins to play old love songs. The scene repeats itself every day as the days and seasons pass. People keep walking around, the band keeps playing, and the carousel keeps spinning.
The song seems to capture the fleeting nature of life and how we should cherish the moments we have. The carousel, which represents childhood innocence, continues to spin and make children laugh, while the elders fall asleep in contentment. The band playing old love songs can be seen as a tribute to the passage of time and the memories that have been made. Despite the inevitability of change, there are timeless experiences, such as amusement parks, music, and love, that unite us all.
Overall, the song "La giostra" is a bittersweet commentary on the beauty and transience of life. It celebrates the joys of childhood, the nuances and complexities of growing older, and the importance of holding onto the memories that make our lives rich and fulfilling.
Line by Line Meaning
Al parco nei giorni di sole
vestita a festa la gente cammina,
bambini che ridono forte,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
On sunny days, people walk through the park dressed up in their best clothes, children laugh loudly, and in the background, the carousel turns.
I vecchi che siedono soli
si addormentano a volte al calore del sole,
inizia a suonare la banda
vecchie canzoni d'amore...
Old people who sit alone sometimes fall asleep in the warmth of the sun, the band starts playing old love songs...
E passano giorni e stagioni,
nel parco la gente cammina,
la banda continua a suonare,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
Days and seasons pass by, people keep walking through the park, the band keeps playing, and the carousel keeps turning in the background.
Al parco nei giorni di sole
vestita a festa la gente cammina,
inizia a suonare la banda,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
On sunny days, people walk through the park dressed up in their best clothes, the band starts playing, and the carousel turns in the background.
I vecchi che dormono al sole,
bambini che giocano e ridono forte,
la banda continua a suonare
vecchie canzoni d'amore...
Old people sleep in the sun, children play and laugh loudly, the band keeps playing old love songs...
E passano giorni e stagioni,
nel parco la gente cammina,
la banda continua a suonare,
là in fondo gira la giostra.
Days and seasons pass by, people keep walking through the park, the band keeps playing, and the carousel keeps turning in the background.
Contributed by Audrey M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mablacol
Ho Amato Angelo Branduardi dal primo istante...la Sua Musica è Melodia Divina per l'Anima.❤
@davidederomedi2778
Ascolto e riascolto questa canzone, semplicemente meravigliosa ❤️
@PittiGiuly
Le pennellate degli impressionisti esprimono bene ciò che fa all'anima questa canzone così delicata... Creatività ed emozioni allo stato puro, che Serenella condivideva con chi aveva a cuore... Grazie Vinz.
@alfabeta5175
Questo non è un cantante e nemmeno un musicista,......................... questo è semplicemente un immenso, stratosferico e divino artista a tutto tondo. Le sue note sono tocchi potenti di emozioni sonore, i suoi testi sono pennellate sfavillanti che illuminano la mente. La sua musica va oltre la mediocrità della vita quotidiana e ci proietta direttamente verso l'infinito. Secondo me il più grande di tutti!!!!
@gpf5204
Mai definizione fu più esatta, complimenti....
@alfabeta5175
grazie
@fabriziopastorino3792
concordo pienamente con la sua analisi
@alfabeta5175
grazie
@ketsuofficial5729
Hai perfettamente ragione ❤️
@valentinatortora2994
Maestro, Lei mi commuove.. L' ho vista piu' volte, anche a Padova..
La sua figura, se fosse per una luce che la mette al centro della scena, la percorre dalle spalle alla testa.
Grazie Maestro di tanta poesia..