"The music of Lucio Battisti and Lucio Dalla is immortal. But if it were possible I would ask for a miracle all the same: to have them among us again so that we can continue to enjoy their art".
It is the "gift" that Mario Lavezzi would dream of giving to celebrate the 80th birthday of the two Lucios, icons of Italian music: Dalla and Battisti would have celebrated them on March 4th and Battisti on March 5th.
Renowned composer, songwriter and producer, Lavezzi is another of the musicians who have made the history of light music, writing and promoting some of the memorable pieces of the 1900s and beyond: with Mogol he wrote "Vita" for Dalla and Morandi and worked with Battisti, contributing, among other things, to the chorus of "And I think of you" and of "Il mio canto libero".
But the pieces written for Loredana Bertè "E la luna bussò" and "In alto mare" or "Stella Gemella" for Eros Ramazzotti and "Torneranno gli angeli" for Fiorella Mannoia are among the many by him.
"What gift for their 80th birthday would I give to Dalla and Battisti? If there were a Lord who could perform a miracle, it would be an immense joy for me if they could come back among us. Even if I must admit that their music is immortal in any case: the young they still listen to them, even my son" says Lavezzi speaking to ANSA.
"And the memory they left us is indelible. Even today when I hear one of their songs on the radio I realize how they sang: at the time it had escaped us, perhaps it seemed normal to us, but they were truly unique interpretations".
"No one realizes how difficult it is to interpret their songs. I recently analyzed a multitrack by Battisti. I listened to his voice alone and, I confess, I was moved," he says.
"Bel canto and interpretation are two very different concepts. There are those who can sing very well. Then there are those who also know how to communicate. Like Vasco Rossi, for example: he communicates and his message is transversal. The Battisti and Dalla did the same thing: they had a vocal technique that combined with musical technique. Battisti, for example, studied for a long time even to choose the best keys in which to sing a piece. As in "Comunque bella", for example And how can we not think of his falsettos ... Now we hear people singing randomly... lately we've heard a lot of them...".
Are you saying that you didn't like Sanremo?
"Amadeus made a beautiful 'crowd', but when the Poohs, Morandi, Albano, Vanoni or Paoli appeared it was something else. And it's not the usual fact of age, the usual regret for the past, but a fact objective. Morandi, so to speak, has a classic yet modern voice at the same time: his voice is not linked to a specific historical period, it is always current".