Franco Battiato in NYC. A Musician, an Eclectic Artist, and...

Voglio sperare che il mondo torni a quote più normali
che possa contemplare il cielo e i fiori,
che non si parli più di dittature
se avremo ancora un po' da vivere...

“One can hope the world could come to an ordinary altitude,

That it would be able to contemplate both the sky and flowers,

No more dictatorships talking

So we will have more to live for…

While spring still longs to come.” 
 

These few lines from Franco Battiato’s song “Povera Patria” (Poor Country) give us a hint of his sophisticated style and prose. The album on which it appears and which sold 25,000 copies received the Targa Tenco Prize (an annual award recognizing singer-songwriters in San
Remo). 

Internationally revered as one of the most original artists in Italian music from the 1970s to the present, Franco Battiato is also regarded as one of the most eclectic personalities in the Italian music industry. His sound spans the genres of experimental, avant-garde, opera, ethnic, as well as progressive rock and pop music. His inclination towards a variety of influences has led to frequent collaborations with some of the most extraordinary musicians and artists, allowing him to achieve great success with both critics and the public.  

Battiato’s musical experiments culminated in 1978 with “L’Egitto Prima delle Sabbie” (Egypt before the Sands) which won a Stockhausen Prize for piano composition. In 1984, he penned and performed Italy’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest “I Treni di Tozeur” (The Trains of Tozeur).  The song is widely considered to be the most sophisticated composition to compete in this song competition that has a somewhat dubious reputation.  

In addition to his music, his prose writing and painting also reflect his vast interests that span esoteric philosophy and Eastern meditation. For the past two decades, in fact, Franco Battiato’s interest in philosophy and Eastern religions has crossed over into the visual arts. Painting under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, his work has been shown in exhibitions in Europe and the United States.   

Most recently, Franco Battiato has added the title of filmmaker to his resume with his debut effort “Perduto Amor” (Lost Love), which was awarded Italy’s Nastro D'Argento Critics’ Award for best directorial debut in 2004. Speaking about his success in filmmaking, his second film “Musikanten” about the last two years of the life of Ludwig van Beethoven was shown as a selection at the Venice Film Festival in 2006. 

His rare New York appearance on October 19 at 10 p.m. at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street at Thompson Street) will welcome his old fans as well as win over new ones.  

For more information visit Le Poisson Rouge's website or call 212.505.3474. 
 

  Franco Battiato ft. Carmen Consoli - Tutto L'Universo Obbedisce All'Amore