Milva‎ - Canta Un Nuovo Brecht

Today, 24 April 2021, Milva died in her Milanese house. Thanks for all the wonderful music!

Singer and actress Milva reigned for decades among the most popular and far-ranging performers in her native Italy. Born Maria Ilva Biolcati in Goro on July 17, 1939, at 20 she beat out more than 7,000 rivals to claim top honors in an influential talent showcase, and in 1960 cut her debut single, a cover of Édith Piaf's "Milord." In 1961 Milva earned third place at the influential San Remo Music Festival. A year later she came in second and returned to the competition often in the years to follow despite never earning first prize. In 1962 Milva headlined Paris' legendary Olympia Theatre, performing a set of Piaf songs to rapturous reception. Soon after, she befriended actor and director Giorgo Strehler, who nurtured her interest in musical theater and encouraged the expansion of her repertoire, recommending works spanning from the Italian resistance movement to Bertold Brecht.

Milva would become the first actress outside of Germany to prove successful in Brecht adaptations, in addition moving into film, appearing in Mario Mattoli's musical comedy "Appuntamento in Riviera". She remained a remarkably eclectic and adventurous performer in the years to follow, collaborating with composers including Luciano Berio, Ennio Morricone, Mikis Theodorakis, and Ástor Piazzolla and performing at venues including Milan's La Scala, Berlin's Deutsche Oper, London's Royal Albert Hall, and even the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

With 1981's "Ich Hab' Keine Angst" Milva inaugurated a long-running collaboration with electronic composer Vangelis. In the years to follow, she also worked on a recurring basis with composer Franco Battiato. With the death of Strehler, Milva curtailed her theatrical pursuits, although she continued exploring new musical directions via collaborations with Thanos Mikroutsikos, James Last, and Giorgio Faletti.                

This is an album with 22 Brecht interpretations, with the music of Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau.


Tracklist:
01: Un'amora d'amore
02: Sette rose sono
03: Quando venni via do te
04: La ballata di Hanna Cash
05: Von der Freundlichkeit der Welt
06: Jakob Apfelböck o il giglio dei Campi
07: La ballata di chi vuole star bene al mondo
08: Ricordo di Maria A.
09: Sul suicidio
10: Bilbao-Song
11: Das Lied von Surabaya Johnny
12: Corale
13: La ballata di Lilly all'inferno
14: La ballata della vivificante potenza del denaro
15: Il filo stroppato
16: Portami un fiore
17: Mandelay-Song
18: La ballate di Marie Sanders
19: La canzone del marinai
20: La canzone dei pendagli da forca
21: La canzone di una ragazza di piacere
22: Grabschrift 1919

Milva - Canta Un Nuovo Brecht
(192 kbps, cover art included)