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Franco Battiato | |
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 Battiato at theFestival Gaber inViareggio (2010) | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Süphan Barzani |
| Born | Francesco Battiato (1945-03-23)23 March 1945 |
| Died | 18 May 2021(2021-05-18) (aged 76) Milo, Sicily, Italy |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1965–2019 |
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| Website | www |
Francesco "Franco"Battiato (Italian:[ˈfraŋkobatˈtjaːto,-battiˈaːto]ⓘ; 23 March 1945 – 18 May 2021)[2][3] was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under thepseudonymSüphan Barzani, also a painter.[4] Battiato's songs explore many themes (including, but not limited to,philosophy, art,spirituality, science, introspection, innovation,esotericism, religiousness), and have spanned genres such asexperimental pop,electronic music,minimalism,avant-garde,progressive rock,new wave,symphonic music,sound collage,opera,oratorio andmovie soundtrack.
He was for decades one of the most popular singer-songwriters in Italy. His unique sound, song-crafting and especially his lyrics (often containing philosophical, intellectual and culturally exotic references, as well as tackling universal themes about the human condition) earned him a unique spot on Italy's music scene, and the nickname of "Il Maestro".[5] His work includes songwriting and joint production efforts with several Italian and international musicians and pop singers, including the long-lasting professional relationship with Italian singersAlice andGiuni Russo. Together with Alice, Battiato represented Italy at the1984 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "I treni di Tozeur".[6]
Battiato was born inIonia, the former name of the town ofGiarre-Riposto, inSicily, southern Italy.[7] After graduating from high school at the Liceo Scientifico "Archimede" inAcireale, and following the death of his father (truck driver and longshoreman in New York),[8] in 1964 he moved first toRome, and then toMilan at age 19, and soon after won his first musical contract.
His single "La Torre"[9] was released and Battiato appeared on TV to perform the song. He scored some success with the romantic song "È l'amore". After some works as a guitarist and sound engineer for popular singers, he traveled to America for a small tour where he had considerable success. After that, Battiato met the experimental musicianJuri Camisasca in 1970 and collaborated withOsage Tribe, an Italian psychedelic-progressive rock band. As a solo artist, he released the science-fiction singleLa convenzione (The convention), one of the finest Italian progressive rock songs of the 1970s.
Starting from 1971, Battiato devoted much of his efforts to experimentalelectronic music, producing a series of LPs that remained almost unknown at the time, but are now eagerly sought by collectors worldwide. Starting out with electronicprogressive rock with some emphasis on vocals, his music became increasingly experimental, gradually moving into the realms ofmusique concrète andminimalism.Fetus, his first album, was released in January 1972,[8] followed byPollution (1973),Sulle Corde di Aries (1973),Clic (1974) andM.elle le "Gladiator" (1975).
In 1975, he moved to theDischi Ricordi label, producingBattiato (1977),Juke Box (1978) and the experimentalit:L'Egitto prima delle sabbie ("Egypt Before the Sands", 1978), which won theStockhausen award for contemporary music. Battiato's early research about sound represented an important innovation as the basis of the THX and Stereophonic Sound.
After the Ricordi label failed to re-sign him, Battiato signed withEMI. He abandoned the progressive rock experiments of the previous years and moved to a more pop-oriented style which afforded him ever increasing popularity with both Italian and worldwide audiences. In this period his albums were usually in collaboration with the renowned musician and violinistGiusto Pio, whose two later albums were produced by Battiato.[10][citation needed]
L'era del cinghiale bianco ("The Era of the White Boar", 1979) was followed in 1980 byPatriots, which reached the No 30 on the charts. It contains a few songs which have become Battiato's classics, such as "Le aquile" ("The Eagles") and "Prospettiva Nevskij" ("Nevsky Prospect"). This new era of his music marked the beginning of his collaboration with the singerAlice and the violinistGiusto Pio. His next album wasLa voce del padrone ("The Master's Voice"), with which he had even more success than withPatriots. The album contains numerous songs which became classics of Italian popular music and stayed at the number one position for six months, becoming the first Italian album with more than one million copies sold in a single month.[11][12] His commercial success was confirmed byL'arca di Noè (Noah's Ark) in 1982. Songs such as "L'era del cinghiale bianco" (1979), "Prospettiva Nevskij" (1980), "Centro di gravità permanente" ("Permanent Gravity Centrepoint", 1981), "Bandiera bianca" ("White Flag", 1981), and "Voglio vederti danzare" ("I Want To See You Dance", 1982) established his reputation in his own country.Orizzonti perduti (Lost Horizons, 1983) was followed by the successfulMondi Lontanissimi (Faraway Worlds, 1985), which featured a solo version of the popular "I treni di Tozeur" ("The Tozeur Trains)", originally a duet withAlice performed at the 1984Eurovision Song Contest.[6]
1988'sFisiognomica (Physiognomy) sold more than 300,000 copies and it confirmed Battiato's success. The album, considered by Battiato himself his best work for the balance between music and lyrics, contained the hit "Nomadi" ("Nomads"), originally recorded by Alice and written by his old friendJuri Camisasca, who in the meantime had retired to aBenedictine monastery. The album also included the songs "E ti vengo a cercare", which was performed by director/actorNanni Moretti in his 1989 moviePalombella Rossa, and "Veni l'autunnu" with lyrics entirely in theSicilian andArabic languages.[citation needed]
In 2013 he signed a publishing deal withRoberto Mancinelli andSony/ATV Music Publishing.[13]
In 1994 Battiato began to collaborate with the Sicilian philosopherManlio Sgalambro, who was to write almost all the lyrics of his following albums. After the tentativeL'ombrello e la macchina da cucire of 1995, in 1996 the duo published what is considered their best work so far,L'imboscata, containing the romantic hit "La cura" ("The care"), elected best Italian song of the year.[14]Gommalacca (1998, with a stress on hard rock),Ferro battuto (2000) andDieci stratagemmi (2004) continued on the same path, with variations mainly set by Battiato's unceasing desire for musical experimentation.[citation needed]
In 2003 Battiato released his first feature film,Lost Love (Perduto amor), for which he also composed the soundtrack. The movie won theSilver Ribbon for the best debutant director and was screened, out of competition as a Battiato request, with excellent critics in prestigious film festivals like Berlin, Cannes, Venezia, New York among others. His following movie was,Musikanten, an experimental work aboutBeethoven's last four years of life. The German musician was played by the Chilean directorAlejandro Jodorowsky. In November 2012, Battiato accepted an offer from newly elected Sicilian regional presidentRosario Crocetta to become the regional Minister for Tourism and Culture, announcing he would not receive any salary for his position, but subsequently had to resign after a controversial statement in which he defined Sicily's corrupt political elite as "prostitutes".[15]
In the 2010s he issuedFleurs,Fleurs 3, andFleurs 2, one after the other, in that specific order. They included covers of songs originally recorded by very famous Italian singers and singers-songwriters, as well as covers of French and English songs, plus three new songs. He went on releasing his music, always on a thin border between pop, rock and electronics, until 2010. He toured with Alice for the whole of 2016, but in 2017 he held his last concert in Catania. He would have continued his work, but he had to give up for health reasons. At the end of 2019, his manager announced his definitive retirement from the scene.[16][17]
Battiato wasvegetarian[18] and was a follower of the ideas ofecumenism andpolytheism.[citation needed]
Battiato died on 18 May 2021, at his home inMilo, Catania, surrounded by rumours about aneurodegenerative disease,osteoporosis orcancer. The real cause of death remains as a secret in order to respect Battiato's last request and family petition.[19] The following year it was revealed that the artist had been suffering ofmultiple myeloma for years, diagnosed in 2017.[20]
| Year | Title | Sales | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Fetus |
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| 1973 | Pollution | ||
| 1973 | Sulle corde di Aries | ||
| 1974 | Clic | ||
| 1975 | M.elle le Gladiator | ||
| 1976 | Feed Back (collection) | ||
| 1977 | Battiato | ||
| 1977 | Juke Box | ||
| 1978 | L'Egitto prima delle sabbie | ||
| 1979 | L'era del cinghiale bianco |
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| 1980 | Patriots |
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| 1981 | La voce del padrone |
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| 1982 | L'arca di Noè |
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| 1983 | Orizzonti perduti |
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| 1985 | Mondi lontanissimi | ||
| 1985 | Echoes of Sufi Dances (in English) | ||
| 1985 | Ecos de danzas sufi (in Spanish) |
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| 1986 | Battiato (collection) | ||
| 1987 | Nomadas |
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| 1988 | Fisiognomica |
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| 1989 | Giubbe rosse (live) | ||
| 1990 | Una vita scellerata (soundtrack) | ||
| 1991 | Come un cammello in una grondaia | ||
| 1993 | Caffè de la Paix | ||
| 1994 | Unprotected |
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| 1996 | Battiato Studio Collection |
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| 1996 | L'ombrello e la macchina da cucire | ||
| 1996 | L'imboscata |
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| 1998 | Gommalacca |
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| 1999 | Fleurs |
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| 2000 | La cura |
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| 2000 | Campi magnetici (soundtrack) | ||
| 2001 | Ferro battuto | ||
| 2002 | Fleurs 3 |
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| 2003 | Last Summer Dance (live) | ||
| 2004 | Platinum Collection |
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| 2004 | Dieci stratagemmi | ||
| 2005 | Un soffio al cuore di natura elettrica (live) | ||
| 2008 | Fleurs 2 |
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| 2009 | Inneres Auge |
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| 2012 | Apriti sesamo |
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| 2013 | Del suo veloce volo – withAntony and the Johnsons (live) |
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| 2014 | Joe Patti's Experimental Group | ||
| 2015 | Le nostre anime (compilation) |
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| 2016 | Live in Roma – withAlice (live) | ||
| 2019 | Torneremo ancora |
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 | Succeeded by |