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 luna
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
la luna si stancò
di guardare il mondo di lassù;
prese una cometa,
il volto si velò
e fino in fondo al cielo camminò.
E sorpresa fù
non fosse neve.
Eran solo sassi
e i piedi si ferì,
piangendo di nascosto lei fuggì.
Affrontare il mondo a piedi nudi
non si può
e dall'alto a spiarlo lei restò.
E sorpresa non è più
che la bianca distesa
non sia neve.
The lyrics of Angelo Branduardi's "La luna" describe a situation where one day, the moon got tired of looking over the world from above and decided to explore it in person. It took a comet and walked through the sky until it got to the bottom. Once it landed, the moon was surprised to find out that the white canvas of the sky was not snow but rocks. As it walked, the moon hurt its feet and cried, seeking refuge in hiding. Unable to face the world barefooted, it remained observing it from up high.
The lyrics of this song express a metaphoric message of unfulfilled expectations, disillusionment, and alienation. The moon symbolizes achievement and success, but once it takes the leap and discovers the world, it finds out that things are not as anticipated. The harsh reality meets the romanticism of the dreamer, highlighting the desire to escape from the mundane and the impermanence of beauty. The story provides a sense of melancholy and reflection on the pursuit of ideals that are not always achievable.
Line by Line Meaning
Un giorno all'improvviso la luna si stancò
One day suddenly the moon got tired
di guardare il mondo di lassù;
of looking at the world from up there;
prese una cometa,
she took a comet,
il volto si velò
covered her face
e fino in fondo al cielo camminò.
and walked to the end of the sky.
E sorpresa fù
And she was surprised
che la bianca distesa
that the white expanse
non fosse neve.
was not snow.
Eran solo sassi
They were just rocks
e i piedi si ferì,
and she hurt her feet,
piangendo di nascosto lei fuggì.
crying in secret she ran away.
Affrontare il mondo a piedi nudi
Facing the world barefoot
non si può
is not possible
e dall'alto a spiarlo lei restò.
and from above she remained watching it.
E sorpresa non è più
And she's no longer surprised
che la bianca distesa
that the white expanse
non sia neve.
is not snow.
Contributed by James M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jldaniel.lefranc
Un jour et sans valises
La lune fit un saut
Pour regarder la terre de moins haut
Au fils de la comète,
Le voyage fut beau
La face cachée par l'aile du manteau.
La surprise fut
Que la blanche surface
N'était pas neige.
Errant sur les pierres
Les pieds elle s'ouvrit
Et en cachant ses pleurs elle s'enfuit.
Marcher seul au monde
Pieds nus et sans un mot
C'est se clouer au coeur le rire des sots.
La surprise n'est plus
Que la blanche surface
Ne soit pas neige.
@pfmforever
Questa canzone mi ha emozionato già all'uscita e continua adesso, ancora di più di allora. Questa versione con una lunga parte strumentale è fantastica. In questi 4'50" ci sono 40 anni di ricordi. Grande Angelo e grazie per aver caricato questo video.
@filippolanciani6020
Angelo, mannaggia, m'hai fatto piangere. Questa non è una canzone, ma poesia allo stato puro!
@damiano-yo9lx
Ma come si fa a non apprezzare un artista così semplicemente fantastico
@SantiagoGarcia-od5gr
Una obra maestra es esta genial canción interoretada por uno de los más grandes y profundos cantautores de Italia ( de la estirpe de Guccini, Faber, De Gregori y Batistti.
@elenacantoro9021
Pura poesia...è magia. Ascoltarla ti porta in un'altra dimensione benché il testo sia spaventosamente attuale.
@lucilla576
Oggi,4 giugno 2012...ho scoperto per la prima volta questa magica luna del maestro Branduandi...da lei,non fuggirò più via,perché in lei,ho scorto riflesso il mio volto! Infinitamente grazie,a chi ha pubblicato questo video!
@raffaelepianese584
pensa che io l'ho ascoltata appena uscita ...
e ancora la ascolto con emozione ❤
@cady154
se si considera che è dal vivo...quelle fantastiche dita sanno far vibrare non solo le corde della chitarra...grazie Angelo.
@jldaniel.lefranc
Un jour et sans valises
La lune fit un saut
Pour regarder la terre de moins haut
Au fils de la comète,
Le voyage fut beau
La face cachée par l'aile du manteau.
La surprise fut
Que la blanche surface
N'était pas neige.
Errant sur les pierres
Les pieds elle s'ouvrit
Et en cachant ses pleurs elle s'enfuit.
Marcher seul au monde
Pieds nus et sans un mot
C'est se clouer au coeur le rire des sots.
La surprise n'est plus
Que la blanche surface
Ne soit pas neige.
@marialuisatozzi8643
..grande poesia