Lhe 74th edition ended ten days ago, but the enthusiasm for the Sanremo Festival it hasn’t subsided yet. Waiting to find out who will replace Amadeus this evening the documentary is broadcast on Rai 1 at 9.20pm Why is Sanremo Sanremo?. A journey back into the past scandals, controversies and dramas which have marked not only musical history, but also that of the whole of Italy.
Why is Sanremo Sanremo?the plot of the doc
For more than seventy years, the Italian Song Festival – founded in 1951 to keep tourists on the Riviera and modernize the song a bit – invades the news, customs and also – despite being the center of the event – the music of our country. A unique case in the world: it is in fact the mirror of Italy and our national character. From the beginning to the very recent Amadeus “era” with the back-to-back trials of John Travolta and the calls for immigrants and ceasefires.
The documentary – directed by Giovanni Filippetto and Michele Truglio – he says then a story made of scandals, surprises, dramatic events and heavy controversiesbut also of great guests known all over the world and of songs that have remained in the history of music.
Through 16 of the most representative songs of the Festival, the doc maps the intrinsic link of the manifestation with the political and news events that have taken place in Italyand which make it a great popular novel every year. Special guests: Carlo Conti, Al Bano, Orietta Berti, FiorelloFrancesco Gabbani, Aldo Cazzullo, Noemi and Enrico Ruggeri.
After Amadeus? Here are the possible names
After five glorious editions, Amadeus has made it clear that in 2025 he will no longer be host and artistic director of the festival. Of course, he also made a similar announcement at the end of its third edition, but this time the presenter is more determined than ever. A farewell that scares Rai a lot, especially afterwards the record results of the just concluded editionwith an average of 66% share.
As expected, after these statements the totonome for his successor has already been unleashed. Between spontaneous applications – like that of Elettra Lamborghini – and names that are already circulating with a certain insistence.
Al Bano and Domenico Modugno in a scene from the documentary. (Rai Press Office)
Fiorello thought of adding even more spice to the matter in an episode of Long live Rai 2. Where he “launched” the couple Antonella Clerici and Alessandro Cattelan. With her that she said she was availablealso because she was the last woman to host the Festival way back in 2010.
Among the historical faces of Rai, Milly Carlucci and Carlo Conti could stand out, the latter at the helm of the Festival in the two-year period 2015-2017. Instead among those of the competition it is talked about Paolo Bonolis – who, not exactly secretly, he has been dreaming of returning to Rai for a while. AND Gerry Scottiformer DJ like Amadeus and always in step with the times regarding musical trends.
But predicting now who will host Sanremo 2025 is almost impossible. In the next few months there will be a radical reshuffle in the Rai managementwith the consequent change of network directors and changes of positions.
Sanremo at risk? The harsh words of the president of FIMI
Guest at the microphones of RTL 102.5 in the program Non Stop News, Enzo Mazza, CEO of FIMI (Italian Music Industry Federation) did very heavy statements about Sanremo. To the point of making some fear possible drastic consequence for the future.
«Rai has modernised. We record companies have modernized. And Sanremo is still there with the facades of the buildings chippedthe fast train which is however slow, the sewers which break and the hotels that have not been renovated for twenty years» thundered Mazza. «The most modern thing is that absurd train station carved into the rock that to reach the two platforms you have to walk four hundred meters and take two lifts. Not even in New York. It will have cost billions.”
Could moving the Festival be a solution? Yes, if it weren’t for that the municipality of Sanremo holds the “Sanremo Festival” and “Italian Song Festival” brandstherefore the Festival must necessarily remain in the municipality near Imperia if it wants to continue to be called that.
Continuing his invective, the president of FIMI added that «It is a city that probably thinks it can live off its income. Russell Crowe and John Travolta slept in Nice to avoid being in Sanremo. Will there be a reason or not?”.
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