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"We will see patched-up pants again
Red sunsets over the villages
Empty of cars
Full of poor people
Returning from Turin or Germany
The old will be masters of their little walls
Like senators' armchairs
And the children will know that the soup is little
And what a piece of bread means
And the evening
Will be blacker than the end of the world"
(Pier Paolo Pasolini, from "The Recession")
"Lungo La Strada" brought Alice to Genoa on December 4th.
This fascinating and elegant artist has traveled many roads in her career; from her beginnings as just a singer in the early '70s to her debut as an author and composer, "Capo Nord" (1980), passing through various turns marked by genuine masterpieces, "Park Hotel" (1986), "Il Sole Nella Pioggia" (1989), "Exit" (1998) to mention just a few of her works. Alice resumes her journey from "Viaggio In Italia" and from nurturing the song as a form of poetry and poetry as a form of song, and offers her audience a concert that is simple but emotionally very intense. In the "Teatro Della Gioventù" she is accompanied only by Alberto Tafuri (piano and keyboards) and Marco Pancaldi (guitars); Steve Jansen is absent from the percussion but his absence does not affect the final result. In the city of De André, the beginning could only be with "Un Blasfemo" from "Viaggio In Italia", voice and keyboard and immediately a great emotion. From this beautiful last "journey" of hers, Alice also extracts "Non Insegnate Ai Bambini" by Giorgio Gaber, poignant, "Atlantide" by De Gregori, "Febbraio" on a text by Pasolini and "é stato Molto Bello".
This work perhaps completes the exploration of a song form focused on words that began already with "Exit" in '98, and the simplicity of execution is crowned by a perfect interpretation from Alice's voice. The journey "along the road" then continues with "Gli Ultimi Fuochi" from "Charade", "Il Sole Nella Pioggia", with Alice maximizing what is a true gem of musicality and poetry, and with a tribute to Giuni Russo, "‘A‘cchiù Bella". She performs a magnificent piano and voice version of Battiato's "La Cura", so much so that the original song pales in comparison; the poignant "Prospettiva Nevski" (piano and voice only) could not be missed. A small parenthesis is dedicated to singing about love, and with great surprise Alice performs "Il Vento Caldo Dell'Estate". This beautiful piece is presented with a piano and organ arrangement, a simply fantastic interpretation for a complex song, and she sends shivers down the spine during the magnificent opening of the chorus. It ends with "Dammi La Mano Amore" and, of course, "Per Elisa" requested loudly by the audience. Alice sings it only accompanied by piano and acoustic guitar, this song maintains its ever-changing charm and she who wrote it proves once again that it is solely hers.
Listening to Alice live is an experience I have long dreamed of having, I was finally able to see and hear this elusive talent of European music engaging with a small selection of her magnificent production. Now I eagerly await the continuation of the journey along her road.
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