"I never wanted to leave Sanremo".
Captain Amadeus remains firmly at the helm of the ship: "Doing the festival is a privilege, they painted me as 'nervous', but in reality I never was", underlines the artistic director and conductor, interviewed by Marco Liorni in Italiasì, in connection from home to Milan.
"I've been at work since May, I've listened to 960 songs by the Young and 300 by the Big. And then there are 300 people who have been building a beautiful stage since January. We go on".
Based on the protocol developed by Rai and approved by the Technical Scientific Committee, the festival - scheduled from 2 to 6 March - will take place without an audience: "I am aware of what we are all going through: we would be happy to do Sanremo with the audience empty but still being able to bring people to the theater and cinema ", says Amadeus, thus archiving the controversy on the possible presence of the public, stigmatized by many actors, directors, professionals.
"If closing the Ariston can serve to reopen theaters and cinemas, we are very happy, because they must be reopened", he insists.
"We try to do the festival even without an audience, our enthusiasm is knowing that so many people follow us at home", he says.
"We have to be careful, there is a very strict protocol, but we have to find a balance between fighting the pandemic and returning to life: and I think not stopping the music is fundamental. This is why we will do five evenings in an unusual way, but with the same enthusiasm as always".
To make it "very quiet" is the presence of Fiorello: "Since we know each other very well, I know that something will happen and I hope that the fun can be as contagious as last year".
Amadeus confirms that "Ornella Vanoni will be on stage" as super guest, that the festival will give space to "many women, each with her own story, as happened last year" and then, answering Liorni's questions, talks about some of the co-hosts already confirmed: Matilda De Angelis, "very young, but very good, among the actresses most considered internationally, as shown by the series The Undoing in which she stars with Grant and Kidman, but also nice, a simple girl, will be a beautiful surprise ";
Naomi Campbell, "an icon, but also a woman strongly committed to social issues, who fought a lot for rights, the ideal figure to open Sanremo";
Elodie, "pure energy, sensuality, fashion, innovation, but also sympathy, I would like it to come out even more".
On the other hand, he does not focus on Vanessa Incontrada, "very good presenter and actress, I'm happy to have met her many times".
The "restart festival" will be able to "look ahead without forgetting our tradition, which will be very present", he reiterates.
And the many young people in the Big cast "I hope they will become the Celentano, the Bindis of the future", he says again.
The evenings will last until 2 "like last year: since for a long time we have not been able to see TV with music or big events, I hope that the festival will keep the audience glued until then. Then, for heaven's sake, you can also watch it on RaiPlay ".
That phrase of Aristotle posted on Instagram a few days ago, "The ignorant says, the educated doubts, the wise thinks", which divided the web, was actually directed to him: "The Instagram profile - he explains - belongs to my wife Giovanna, I am an intruder. Those words were addressed to me, in the days when there was fatigue, bitterness, there were more technical meetings on protocols than artistic ones, it was said that I would not have wanted to go to Sanremo ... we were far away, I in Rome, she in Milan, Giovanna wanted me hard: be wise, think. Then, even talking to Fiorello and my son, I realized that the festival had to be held, even with an empty audience ".
Giovanna, he adds, "gives me great peace of mind, is a great help, a fantastic woman".
Finally he reaffirms the hope that festival number 71, while "respecting the rules to be observed", will be "a beginning of reopening and a return to normal life: we deserve it".