Riccardo Cocciante, a legendary 2026 between films and celebrations
The February 20 will accomplish 80 years old. Three days later, the February 23will be presented in national preview al Lux Multiplex Cinema in Rome The first film about his life, “My name is Riccardo Cocciante”then waited on Rai1. In the week of Sanremo Festivalfrom the 24 to 28 February, Carlo Conti will reserve him a gift at the event. The February 26then he will return to the scene “Notre Dame de Paris”themost exported Italian popular opera in the worldwith music written by him. And in the drawer, as if that wasn’t enough, there is also a project to celebrate the fifty years of one of his most iconic albums, “Concert for Margherita”. The 2026 it will be a year to remember Riccardo Cocciante, special, celebratoryfull of events that tell how much the singer-songwriter is still one today central figure in Italian music.
The film with Laura Pausini, Achille Lauro and Mogol
We will start, after the birthday, with the film “I am Riccardo Cocciante”. Produced by Daimon Film in collaboration with Rai Documentaries and directed by Stefano SalvatiThe documentary film is shaping up to be a voyage which will retrace theentire career Of Riccardo Cocciantegive it debuts to date, with contributions from Laura Pausini (in 2006 he reinterpreted his “I sing”originally engraved by Cocciante in 1979for the best-selling covers album of the same name 2 million copies worldwide and that in its Spanish version, “Yo I sing”; in 2007 he won the Latin Grammy Award as “Best Female Pop Album”), Gianna Nannini, Elodie And Achille Lauro (last year they sang that one in Sanremo “Hand by hand” written by Cocciante in 1978 and brought to success by Rino Gaetano), Mogul (co-author of hits such as “Heavenly nostalgia”, “A new friend”, “Deer in spring”, “A question of feeling”, “If we are together”), Fiorella Mannoia. The story will be in first person: the voice of “Soulless beauty” will retrace memories, difficulties, moments of uncertainty and crucial steps of his career. A path human and artistic enriched by archive images and from unpublished personal photographsmaterial that promises to reveal a more side intimate and less known than the artist.
The tribute to the Sanremo Festival
Another fundamental stage of the celebrations is scheduled for Sanremo Festival. Already in 2006 Cocciante at Ariston withdrew the Lifetime Achievement Awardin the year of the thirtieth anniversary of “Margherita pizza”. This time he’ll be back for a tribute designed to remind the general public of the importance of an author who wrote some of the most memorable pages of Italian song and who also contributed to the history of the Festival, having won the event in 1991 with “If we are together”: «Sanremo? I was very happy to win it, but I will never compete again”, promised the singer-songwriter about the Festival. Furthermore, one of his songs was chosen for the covers evening: è “It was all already planned”taken from the album “Dawn” of 1975reprinted last year by Sony Music for the fifty yearswho had one two years ago new life after Paolo Sorrentino he put it in the climactic scene of his film “Parthenope”. He will sing the song Leo Gassmannpaired with Aielloconfirming how Cocciante’s influence continues to be transverse and also live in new generations.
The return to the stages
Among the most anticipated events there is also an event destined to excite thousands of fans: the February 26 will return to the scene “Notre Dame de Paris”opera – became a planetary phenomenon – which probably represents one of the most monumental and recognizable by Cocciante. A masterpiece which has crossed continents, languages and generations, transforming itself into a symbol of modern musical theater. The return to the scene will not just be a revival (195 in all the reruns: the tour will start from Arcimboldi Theater in Milan and will close the January 6, 2027 al Sports Palace in Rome): it will be another piece of a year that seems built to celebrate the greatness of an author who was able to speak to the popular audience without ever giving up artistic depth. In the summer Cocciante will also be the protagonist of a solo tour which will see him perform in some of the most evocative Italian outdoor locations: if it is true that the author of “Soulless beauty” has often been defined shy and away from the dynamics of show businessit is equally true that every time he returns to the stage he manages to transform his music into acollective emotional experience.
The 50th anniversary of “Concerto per Margherita”
Finally, in the drawer there is also a special project: celebrate the fifty years of one of the most iconic albums in his discography, “Concert for Margherita”. Published in July 1976two months later, a Septemberthe album conquered the first place of the Italian ranking and at the end of the year it was the fifth best-selling album of that year, in a ranking that saw him behind international and national giants such as – in order – “Wish You Were Here” of the Pink Floyd, “Lucio Battisti. The drums, the double bass etc.” Of Lucio Battisti, “Friends” of the Santana And “Desire” Of Bob Dylan. Inside the album you will find, of course, “Margherita pizza”a song destined to become eternaland which still today, together with “Soulless beauty”competes for the title of symbolic song of his career: his real one signature song.
