The 10 year career of Dardust, the composer

Dardust, born Dario Faini, is one of the most interesting figures on the Italian musical scene. One capable of going from opening Lana Del Rey’s concert in front of almost 70 thousand people to playing in a Milanese theater with an orchestra of over thirty members. He is capable of co-signing and producing songs by Jovanotti, Sfera Ebbasta, Lazza and Angelia Mango, remixing television theme songs and producing neoclassical music inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
His career is divided into two souls: that of a composer and fine pianist from the classical world who “dirties” his minimalist music for solo piano with electronics and that of an author and producer of high-ranking pop hits. A division also marked by the different names he uses: Dario Faini, his first name, DRD and Dardust. The Marche native has made this “dualism” a flag, to the point of naming his latest album “Duality” above all by taking around the world a show of the same name divided into two parts: one for solo piano and the other for piano and electronic mixes.

What we saw last night at the Dal Verme theatre is the most classic Dardust, celebrating 10 years of career (as an artist, he specifies, because the path of the producer began earlier): in Milanese concert “10 years. 1 night” a third soul is added: the orchestral one. In the performance at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Dario presented himself accompanied by the Milanese orchestra “Musical afternoons” (which in turn celebrates 80 years of activity) directed by the Maestro Alberto Cipolla who also took care of the arrangements.

The approach is that of classical music: on stage a grand piano, the prerogative of Dario, and a group of 38 musicians including woodwinds/strings, brass/winds and percussions who reinterpret the repertoire of the composer from the Marche. Together they will present 19 songs from the 5 albums signed by Dario Faini, plus a medley of 7 of his songs performed only by the orchestra. It is a magical evening where the music played is the only protagonist, there is nothing electronic, only “traditional” instruments, in an orchestral ensemble that give a magical sound in this intersection with the piano that is the “right” protagonist. A weave of symphonic melodies designed by the power of a good-sized orchestra.

They are atmospheres that capture the audience and during the performances the attention is maximum, to then release the tension with a great applause which closes the piece every time. The musical spaces between piano and orchestra are exactly balanced, both rely on each other creating an excellent union and perfect harmony, in a correct and captivating musical dimension. During the concert there is an alternation between poetic moments and other more “full” and aggressive ones, to arrive at the conclusive and engaging closing of the concert in which Dardust asks for the support of the public with the snapping of his fingers, the clapping of his hands and the stomping of feet, in a context more of a pop concert than of classical music, as it seemed until then.

In addition to his repertoire, the composer also presents the future, anticipating his next album with the single and an unreleased song (“Urban Impression” coming out in the fall). Together with the first live performance of the trailblazing single “Mon Coeur, Béton Brut”, already published, Dario calls the young artist and pianist on stage zeintheclouds with which he performs an unreleased song entitled “New York 03.19.24”, telling the story of the composition. “Some time ago – says the pianist – through Instagram I came into contact with this very good young pianist. Together we did a challenge. We were in New York with four hours of studio time available and we wanted to compose and record a song with the time we had. The result – he concludes – is this; whose title refers to the place and date in which he was born. And so together, with four hands, sitting at the piano, they present a preview, with the orchestral contribution, of the new composition that will be included in the next album (which will be in the piano and electronic “configuration”).

Once again Dario Faini shows off his talent, shows off his musical qualities, shares them in this case with an orchestra and produces a show of great beauty, captivating, capable of conquering the audience. An audience that filled the theater (with a capacity of just over 1,400 spectators) confirming the fact that this artist, so transversal, “dual”, has a special place in the Italian musical panorama and is able to cover multiple artistic “segments”, overcoming every mental barrier and in each of them reaching a very high level.

Now Dardust is expected for the “opening” of the concert of Dua Lipa to the We Alive Festival of Lisbon and then, while waiting for the release of the new album, the 4 October in England the European leg of the“Urban Impressionism Tour”: which will have the following calendar with performances in clubs in the main European cities

4 October 2024 – London Hoxton Hall
5 October 2024 – Paris L’Archipel
10 October 2024 – Prague Conservatoire Concert Hall
October 13, 2024 – Berlin Berlin Colosseum
October 14, 2024 – Hamburg Nachtasyl
16 October 2024 – Copenhagen Hotel Cecil
October 18, 2024 – Brussels Bozar
23 October 2024 – Barcelona Sala Parallel 62
October 24, 2024 – Madrid Teatro San Pol
October 26, 2024 – Lisbon Capitol

Ladder

ACT I

Hanafubuki (Through the Storm of Cherry Blossoms)
Petals (Interior day)
Submersible in air
Birth
Lost and found
flowering clouds
Dunes
The wolf

INTERVAL ACT

Fantasia Duality (solo orchestral medley)
Addò staje, Horizon in your eyes, Space samurai, Parallel 43, fluid love, Forget to be, Hymn

ACT II

New York 03.19.24 (with zeintheclouds)
Mon Coeur, Béton Brut
Flocks of origami
Sublime
Prism
Sturm II – Ecstasy
Sunset on M.

ENCORE

Gift for a farewell
Vertigo
Urban Impressionism
Back figure