Thirty years without Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno he passed away 30 years ago, August 6, 1994and today, more than ever, it is important to remember the artist who represented the voice of Italy, managing to change the perception of Italian music in the world and thus changing, forever, the history of our country. In May Sony Music Italy paid homage to Domenico Modugno by publishing “Like in a Midsummer Dream” (https://SME.lnk.to/Modugno), the album that collects the most important songs from his immense catalogue “In the blue painted in blue”, “Old Frack” to “Wonderful”, passing through “Bitter land of mine”, “It’s raining”along with Spanish versions (available in the CD version) of some of his most famous songs never before published in Italy such as “Maravilloso”, “El Hombre Del Frack”, “Dios, Como Te Amo” and many others. Here is an interview with his son Massimo Modugno, on the occasion of the project’s release.
In addition to wanting to remember an immense artist on the thirtieth anniversary of his death, this work wants to help the new generations rediscover a singer-songwriter who not only brought his songs all over the world, but also managed to tell his life story by conveying messages of freedom, such as the iconic “Nel blu dipinto di blu”, known as “Volare”, a song that has become the soundtrack of a specific historical moment, of a country that was beginning to grow and flourish. With this song Modugno not only won the Sanremo Festival in 1958 together with Johnny Dorelli, but, the May 4, 1959, also won two Grammy Awards as “Song of the Year” and how “Record of the Year” + “Best Male Vocal Performance”. A record, that of being the first Italian pop artist to win two Grammys, still undefeated.
Singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor, Modugno, when he showed up at the Sanremo Festival, was also considered a revolutionary for his way of interpreting music, for his gestures and for that gesture of spreading his arms as if to take flight, which remained imprinted in everyone’s mind. He started a new era for Italian song by overturning the rules and managing to bring Italy to the world. Continuing with the intent of wanting to bring the new generations closer to Modugno, all the graphic part of the album was taken care of by Hello Italian Discothe Turin collective that combines design, art and singer-songwriter music to create a very current imagery that is close to the language of today’s girls and boys.
The album, divided into two volumes entitled ““The Dream” and “The Awakening”, has been released in digital and three physical formats: double black LP 180gr, double CD with poster (made by Ciao discoteca italiana) and bonus tracks in Spanish and, finally, double vinyl (blue and orange) numbered with poster (made by Ciao discoteca italiana) available exclusively for Sony Music Store ( store.sonymusic.it). The CD also contains Spanish versions of some of his most famous songs never before published in Italy.
