Maestro Paolo Conte makes his debut at La Scala 'Viva la musica'

It is with music that Paolo Conte expresses himself, he has done it for a lifetime with songs that have gone down in history, and it is with music that he responded to the controversy for his debut this evening at the Scala in Milan.

Temple of opera which in the past refused to host artists such as Bob Dylan and Paul MCartney.

Asti's lawyer had not replied so far.

He did it during the concert by adding an extra piece 'Dal loggione' performed on the piano to the planned lineup.

"Long live the music that goes into your soul" he sang to applause, beyond genres.

And how can you blame him?

For him accustomed to large theaters, from the Parisian Champs-Elysées to that of the Berliner, his debut at the age of 86 in the Milanese theater was nonetheless an extraordinary appointment.

"La Scala represents something unique" he explained and in fact for this occasion he thought up an ad hoc lineup and arrangements with a ten-piece 'orchestra'.

In the foyer VIPs and ordinary people, regulars at La Scala and neophytes, colleagues like Biagio Antonacci (happy that "author's music is finally entering this sacred place"), Giuliano Sangiorgi (convinced that "Paolo Conte is unique. Before and after none is there'), Madame, Jack Savoretti, Motta, Vinicio Caposala and again Maurizio Cattelan, Isabella Ferrari, Caterina Balivo, the Undersecretaries of Culture Vittorio Sgarbi and Gianmarco Mazzi.

"It's a beautiful evening - commented the superintendent Dominique Meyer - They are for people who build bridges, not barriers".

It was enough for Conte to put one foot on the stage for everyone to agree and to trigger the applause while, dressed in a dark suit with the ever-present crew-neck under his jacket, he sat down at the piano to begin with 'Aguaplano', a song which given the title to his seventh album.

A curled curtain as a backdrop, reminiscent of the clubs of the 40s, helped the atmosphere of 'Sotto le stelle del jazz' and 'Come di'. Green light, and it could not be otherwise, for 'Grappling with a green Milonga ' But his voice and his music are enough as special effects. After 'Ratafià', he got up handing over the piano to keyboardist Lucio Caliendo to sing 'Recitando' and then again 'Man-Truck- and 'La frase'. No comment between a song and the

other but only the presentation of one of its musicians at a time.

With the surprise of 'Dal loggione' he closed the first half to resume with 'Dancing' and 'Gioco d' gambling'.

Audience in raptures at the first notes of 'Via con me' followed by 'Diavolo rosso' with solo by the multi-instrumentalists who accompanied him and then a French moment with 'Le chic et le charme', before the encore which could only be 'Il maestro ', a piece dedicated to an orchestra and its conductor, "the master" who "is in the soul and will always remain inside the soul".

Like Conte's music that he granted as a second encore again 'Via con me' this time sung with the audience.

For those who were unable to attend the concert, there is still the possibility of reviewing the concert that was filmed or of getting tickets for the next concerts: the new date announced at the Arcimboldi on May 20th and then June 6th at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome of Rome, July 15 in Perugia, on the occasion of Umbria Jazz, and July 21 in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata in Florence within the Musart Festival.