Fabrizio De André
Fabrizio De André in Concerto (DVD)

No one, when it was planned to film the two evenings at the Teatro Brancaccio in Rome, could have known that in this way some of Fabrizio De André's very last public appearances would be captured on tape. In an age like today's, where between YouTube and DVDs released every two days, we are constantly bombarded with images, it is strange to consider that for an artist of such stature, who with time has become a true icon, perhaps on the cusp of mythification, there are actually very few videos available and that even the publication of live material was always carefully rationed over those forty years of career. The recordings of the two Roman dates happened almost by chance; on one hand, there had been a request from Rai to film the tour, and on the other, De André's own desire to finally release new material, given that by then the footage of the "famous" 1981 Sarzana concert, whose release form Faber, by his own admission, "signed while drunk," had been circulated in every possible way.

The period in question, immediately following the release of "Anime Salve," the last great masterpiece co-written with his friend Ivano Fossati, was proving to be rich in satisfactions, with the album widely regarded as the most complete and mature, receiving unanimous acclaim from both the public and critics. The years when attending a De André concert was a feat had passed, and from the release of "Le Nuvole" onwards, the entire nineties were characterized by constant tours in theaters and arenas.

This "Fabrizio De André in Concerto," which naturally should not be confused with the practically eponymous recordings of the concerts with PFM from the late seventies, originally published in 1999 and then on DVD in 2004, shows an already established artist who, after years and years of research and experimentation, has finally achieved his artistic maturity, managing to mediate between his myriad influences and offering works of undeniable depth both lyrically and musically. Accompanied by an ensemble of first-class musicians, guided by a Mark Harris in a state of grace, De André succeeds, in almost three hours of concert, in offering a summary of all his work, from the ballads of the sixties when chanson reigned supreme, to collaborations with De Gregori and Bubola in the following decade, to those with Pagani and Fossati, in a style enriched by his approach to folk rock and ethnic music, culminating in the nineties in a musical blend as suggestive as it is difficult to confine to schemes and definitions.

The opening, entrusted to "Creuza de Ma," resembles almost a declaration of intent: the text in Genoese may be difficult for many to understand, but the charm of the final result is such that the language barrier falls shortly thereafter, effectively granting Italian music one of its most courageous and innovative works ever. The recent "Anime Salve" could not fail to be recreated in its entirety. Thus flow the various "Princesa," "Dolcenera," and "A Cumba," up to the concluding "Smisurata Preghiera," a song that closed the album and, unknowingly, De André's career, a true summa of decades of stimuli and inspirations. The second act is introduced by a solo Cristiano De André, before leaving the deserved spotlight to the long suite where the main passages of "La Buona Novella" are presented again, the masterpiece that in '70 decisively contributed to the establishment of the Genoese singer-songwriter, a work much discussed and not understood by many at the time, as remarkably relevant today. If one of the peaks of the second part of the show could only be "Il Testamento di Tito," a metaphor on power and those who suffer it, the subsequent songs are no less, an authentic parade of classics from the sixties and seventies. The original arrangements alternate with those curated at the time by PFM, enriching an already perfect concert even more: gems like "La Città Vecchia," dating back even to '62, "Via del Campo," or "Amico Fragile," one of the most interesting moments of an often underrated album like "Volume 8," do not show the passage of time, just as pieces like "Il Pescatore," "Fiume Sand Creek," or "Volta la Carta," placed here in closing, are to be appreciated.

Beyond the authentic beauty of such a work, there remains undoubtedly the regret of knowing that less than a year from then, it would all be irrevocably finished, aware that an artist like Fabrizio De André would have still had much to give and say. In fact, during that period, there were rumors of a possible album of reinterpretations of Brazilian authors, a project naturally never completed. Now accustomed to three-minute videos recorded on cell phones that are so popular on YouTube, the three hours of this DVD might intimidate someone, but it is truly worth owning such a work of depth, and it could also be a nice way to approach the production of such an artist for those who do not yet know him, a true compendium of forty years of research and emotions, constantly "in direzione ostinata e contraria." 

 First Part:Creuza de Ma Jamin-a Sidun Princesa Khorakhanè Anime Salve Dolcenera Le Acciughe fanno il Pallone Disamistade A Cumba Ho visto Nina volare Smisurata Preghiera 
Second Part:Nel Bene e nel Male (song by Cristiano De André)Invincibili (song by Cristiano De André)L'infanzia di Maria Il Ritorno di Giuseppe Il sogno di Maria Tre Madri Il Testamento di Tito La Città Vecchia Bocca di Rosa Amico FragileFiume Sand Creek Il Pescatore Via del Campo Geordie Volta la Carta 
Musicians: 
Fabrizio De André, voice and guitarsCristiano De André, strings, strings and voiceEllade Bandini, drumsStefano Cerri, bassMario Arcari, windsRosario Jermano, percussionMark Harris, musical direction and keyboardsMichele Ascolese, stringsGiorgio Cordini, strings
Chorus:
Luvi De André, voiceLaura De Luca, voice and fluteDanila Satragno, voice, accordion and keyboards