News

The rock singer Gianna Nannini comes back to Notte della Taranta after 16 years! The singer-songwriter will be part of the artistic cast of the final Concertone in Melpignano, that will be broadcast by Rai 2, on August 28th at 10.50pm.

In 2004, she exhibited on the stage of Concertone giving her audience an unforgettable and meaningful performance. She will bring her strength at Notte della Taranta this year too, for a magic night. Melodic kindness and enthralling energy, deep and scratchy voice, Gianna Nannini will give the audience a new explosive emotion! The artist has accepted maestro Paolo Buonvino’s invitation and will be on the stage, rigorously without any spectators, in Melpignano : a unique precious gift for the audience that will follow the concert just on Rai 2 on August 28^th, because her live concerts have been postponed to 2021 both in Italy and abroad.

Below the full cast of Concertone 2020: Nannini, Mahmood e Diodato accompanied by Orchestra Popolare Notte della Taranta and Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta both directed by the master and composer of famous soundtracks Paolo Buonvino. Notte della Taranta is a cultural project supported by Regione Puglia, Unione dei Comuni della Grecìa salentina, Diego Carpitella research institute in collaboration with Apulia Film Commission.

The winner of Festival di Sanremo 2020 will be the first guest at Concertone of Notte della Taranta in Melpignano. After a year of success, Diodato is intended to reinterpret the repertory of the tradition of Salento during the final Concertone that will we broadcast on 28^th August on Rai 2. Diodato’s performance will be directed by the Maestro Concertatore of Notte della Taranta 2020: Paolo Buonvino. Composer of unforgettable soundtracks, the Sicilian composer will lead the Orchestra Popolare della Taranta and the Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta on 22^nd August in the natural background of the ex Convento degli Agostiniani in Melpignano (LE).

Diodato has been chosen also thanks to the shared path between “La Notte della Taranta” foundation and the city of Taranto to support the candidacy of the Ionic city as Capitale della Cultura 2021.

This has been a golden year for the Apulian singer-songwriter. He is the unique Italian artist that has won different prizes during the same edition of Festiva di Sanremo : he won the Festival di Sanremo 2020 with his song “Fai Rumore”, the Premio della critica Mia Martini Sanremo 2020, Premio Sala Stampa Radio Tv e Web Sanremo 2020 and Premio Lunezia, the DAVID DI DONATELLO 2020 “Best original song” and the NASTRI D’ARGENTO 2020 “Best original song” both with “Che vita Meravigliosa”, written by Diodato himself for the movie “La Dea Fortuna” a Ferzan Ozpetek’s production, included with “Fai Rumore” in the record “CHE VITA MERAVIGLIOSA “.

On 16^th May Diodato has represented Italy in the show Europe Shine A Light, performing at Arena di Verona with his “Fai Rumore” in an unreleased version arranged just for the occasion and, during that particularly difficult moment, he has been able to raise great emotional feelings. On 22^nd May he has published the new single “Un’altra estate” (Carosello Records). The unpublished work, written during the lockdown, talks about a new suspended normality and a changed everyday life, with the gaze of those who look out onto the world from their home windows, looking at what is happening outside from a new point of view, the one of those who are looking outside from the inside. 

Diodato is among the artists who are having a tour in summertime, like some of his colleagues he has decided to restart his live concerts despite the limitations, the tour of Un’altra Estate has started in Valle d’Aosta, will pass through Rome, Tindari and Taormina, Taranto and on 7^th and 8^th September he will perform at Castello Sforzesco di Milano.

The Sicilian composer will lead the Orchestra Popolare on 22^nd August in the big square of the ex Convento degli Agostiniani in Melpignano (LE).

Author of unforgettable soundtracks for the cinema movies, Buonvino  today is in Salento for the first meeting with the musicians.

This is a new challenge for the Foundation that aims to the mixture between popular and well-read language, the same that has brought Buonvino to compose successful hit like the recent Renaissance for Skin, soundtrack for the TV series “I Medici” and in the past “Eppure Sentire” sang by Elisa, “Baciami Ancora” for Jovanotti, “Tutto può succedere” with Giuliano Sangiorgi. 

Buonvino, rewarded at David di Donatello with the “Best musician in 2008” prize, for the movie “Caos Calmo”, will turn the square of Taranta into the biggest cinema where stories narrated through the traditional texts, will intertwine with the audience’s emotions in a feature film of exceptional scenes fostered by the energy of pizzica, soundtrack of the Apulia rebirth. 

 “I am very glad to start today this journey with La Notte della Taranta” has told Buonvino when meeting the Orchestra. “I have wanted this adventure to start very soon because the meeting with musicians, studious and professionals, could be as furthered and intense as possible. Symbol of union and healing, pizzica offers the starting point to elaborate a synthesis of values deeply belonging to me. Apulia, so as my Sicily, is an amazing and unique territory rich in history; I am very proud for being called to bring my musical imagery inside your meaningful traditions. The energies and the interior motivations are the profound incentive bringing me here, I hope we will give on the 22^nd August the best synthesis of everything we will get to create connecting our stories and our sensibilities. We will give the music the authentic and fundamental role of making us feeling connected together”.

The maestro concertatore, during his week in Salento will visit the cities throughout Grecìa salentina.

 “We asked Buonvino to celebrate our age projecting it in the future, mixing ancient sounds with rhythms and arrangements expressing the passion of Notte della Taranta and its protagonists” explains the president of the Massimo Manera Foundation highlighting how the multi-year scheduling allows the maestro to work on Concertone for nine months. “De facto, the choice of a composer is determined by the willing to give the audience the result of a musical research on the field”.

At the end of the first reharse section with Orchestra Popolare, Friday 13^th December at 12:00 in the Foundation headquarter in Melpignano (Le), maestro Paolo Buonvino will participate at the press conference  with the president of Regione Puglia Michele Emiliano and the regional assessor for the touristic and cultural business Loredana Capone, to announce the theme of the 2020’s edition.

Fiorella Mannoia, Buika, Lisa Fischer, Nada and Tosca at the Notte della Taranta on the 27th of august with Carmen Consoli at the final concert of La Notte della Taranta festival.

Fiorella Mannoia, Afro-Spanish singer Buika, the ex-vocalist of The Rolling Stones Lisa Fischer from the USA and the voices of Nada and Tosca, these are the 5 women chosen for the final concert of La Notte della Taranta festival on the 27 th of August in Melpignano, Salento. The 5 artists, under the guide of the music director Carmen Consoli, will be reinterpreting together the pizzica repertoire, in front of over 200 thousand people. It will be a unique show, awesome and inspiring.

Buika, born and raised  in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from Equatorial  Guinea origin, is a singer, songwriter poet and composer with over a musical career spanning 15 years. Her music talent ranges with remarkable ease from jazz to flamenco  pop  to pop and soul. She has won 2 latin grammy's, one for the album " El Ultimo Trago" and the other in 2013 with the album " La Noche Mas Larga." She has also received many other nominations and recompenses. Her recent album, “Vivir sin Miedo” is a masterpiece!

Lisa Fischer is an American vocalist and song writer. She has won two grammy awards including one for her single 'How can I ease the pain. Lisa toured with the Rolling Stones for 26 years and her duets with Mick Jagger on numbers such as Gimme Shelter have become legendary. She is now pursuing a very successful second solo career with her band, Grand Baton.

The final concert in Melpignano completes the 19th edition of the Notte della Taranta festival, one of the most important folk and popular music festivals in Europe. It will be broadcast live and exclusively on RAI 5. On stage there will be 18 dancers directed by the choreographer, Fabrizio Mainini.

Together with Ligabue at the final mega concert “La Notte della Taranta” on August 22nd.  In Melpignano, in the Salento,  together with the maestro concertatore Phil Manzanera, historical guitarist of Roxy Music and co-producer of Pink Floyd, there will be also Paul Simonon, bassist of  The Clash, a famous punk-rock music,Tony Allen, a drummer from Nigeria among the Afrobeat music founders, Andrea Echeverri, guitarrist and leader of the colombian Group Los Aterciopelados,  Anna Phoebe, a violinist from London belonging to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Raoul Rodriguez.

“We are very proud  – said Massimo Manera, La Notte della Taranta Foundation President - to announce together with the maestro Phil Manzanera, the following music performers who will lead pizzica music in a virtual journey through Nigeria, Colombia, North Europe and Spain, giving unique and exclusive emotions to the audience”.
An extraordinary international parterre which will bring in Italy even artists belonging to the legend such as Paul Simonon, a musician very well-known all over the world, founder of The Clash. Among his recent projects, the following ones: The Good, The Bad & The Queen with Damon Albarn and the album of the Gorillaz, Plastic Beach. There will be also Tony Allen, drummer, songs author and compser, defined by Brian Eno as "the best drummer ever existed", to grapple with pizzica. Tony Allen was a member of Fela Kuti Group, Africa ’70, from 1968 to 1979, and he can be absolutely considered one of the pioneers of Afrobeat music”. Among his several projects, he cooperated with Paul Simonon in The Good, The Bad & The Queen.
The Whole picture is completed by two women artists: Andrea Echeverri, a famous guitarist and singer, well-known either for her solo artist career or as a member of the famous Aterciopelados Group and Anna Phoebe, a violinist from London well appreciated because her versatility allows her to master the most different music genres. From 2004 to 2009 the artist played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2010 she met Manzanera, who will bring the English musician to perform on the stage in Melpignano. Together with the violinist Phoebe, also Raul Rodriguez, a flamenco guitarist who has worked with Kiko Veneno, Martirio, Cara Oscura and who has been able to take the Tres Flamenco, a variation of the Tres Cubano, into the world of flamenco. 

“I am very happy – said Phil Manzanera - that  La Notte della Taranta has attracted such prestigious artists, ready to take part to this fantastic concert with great enthusiasm, giving a tribute to the Amazing salentina land and to its local artists. I hope this year our presence can represent a further opportunity to spread all over the world your fantastic collective and inestimable Heritage that is your culture which deserves an international audience”.

The Concertone on the 22nd of August in Melpignano, able to attract every year more than 150 thousand people dancing in the square until the sunrise, is the final part of the "La Notte della Taranta" Itinerant Festival which will start on the 3rd August in Corigliano d’Otranto and it will last 17 nights all over the Salento, during which more than 60 music groups will perform.

Notte della Taranta 2015, anche Luciano Ligabue sul palco di Melpignano
„

Ligabue will perform as guest at “La Notte della Taranta” concertone. He has accepted the invitation of the Maestro Concertatore Phil Manzanera and he will be on the stage in Melpignano, in Salento, on the 22nd of August to celebrate the 18-year-old popular music festival, the greatest festival in Europe.

In front of an audience of over 150 thousand people coming from all over the world, Ligabue will interpret some songs from the salentine popular tradition chosen by Manzanera among 100 songs and recordings of the fieldwork research by Alan Lomax. 

Massimo Manera (President of La Notte della Taranta Foundation) “we are very proud to host Ligabue on the stage in Melpignano during his 25-year-old career. I am sure that our marvellous audience will feel unique emotions. It will be, as usual, a collective party on the tambourine rhythm. ".

Phil Manzanera (Maestro Concertatore La Notte della Taranta 2015) "I am very happy that Ligabue has accepted my invitation to La Notte della Taranta festival. I am his fan and I am looking forward to playing with him on the 22nd of August ".

Manzanera, committed during these days in his London studio to choose love and work songs that he will play with the popular Orchestra during the Concertone, assures to project pizzica into a rock context.

NOTTE TARANTA 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epz0aJfjdsc