Ornella Vanoni dies at 91
It’s dead Ornella Vanoni. She was 91 years old. The singer passed away in her home in Milan: she had been ill. She was one of the greatest interpreters of pop music and one of the Italian artists with the longest career, but also an actress and presenter, characterized by an unmistakable irony.
She had been in business as 1956 and had released over one hundred projects (including albums, EPs and collections). It is indeed estimated that she has sold over 55 million records. A complete artist, thanks to an almost unique tone of voice. Nicknamed the lady of Italian song, equipped with a very personal and sophisticated interpretative style, she put together a vast repertoire and managed to cross decades and musical genres, from author music to bossa nova up to jazz, after starting with the so-called “Songs of the Mala.”
The list of her collaborations is remarkable: Toquinho or George Benson or Herbie Hancock and again Gino Paoli, Dario Fo, Paolo Conte, Fabrizio De André, Ivan Ditsches, Lucio Dalla, Mogul, Renato Zero, Riccardo Cocciante up to younger artists like Pacifico and Francesco Gabbani and again Elodie, Marracash, Mahmood. She had participated in 8 editions of the Sanremo Festival. She is the only woman and the first artist ever to win two Press Tenco and the only Italian singer to have obtained this recognition as a songwriter.
She had said: “I’m not afraid of death. I will understand when it is time to leave, when I will be useless to life and life will be useless to me. I don’t want to be like my aunt, who lived to be 107: a torment. Her mind was clear and her body was weak.She couldn’t die and was desperate. She looked at the ceiling and murmured: “Lord, take me away…”.
Vanoni has been an icon for many generations and has interpreted songs that are in the history of song, above all Endless, born from the artistic and sentimental partnership with Gino Paoli at the beginning of the sixties. She had an intense love story with the Genoese singer-songwriter, and also a flourishing artistic collaboration wich, thanks to that song, led her to international success. Despite the tormented relationship with Paoli, on 6 June 1960 she married the well-known theater impresario Lucio Ardenzi: the two will separate very soon. In subsequent years she would say: “that marriage was a mistake. I still loved Gino and he advised me against it right up to the end, even threatening to come to the ceremony to sing.”
Ornella Vanoni: A Life in Song
Ornella Vanoni is an iconic figure in Italian music, celebrated for her distinctive voice, evolving artistry, and enduring presence across seven decades. Born September 22, 1934, in Milan, she began her career in the mid-1950s and continues to captivate audiences today.
Vanoni’s early career saw her replace Massari in the role of Rosetta in Rugantino,the famous musical comedy by Garinei and Giovannini. This led to a notable prospect in February 1964, when she brought the show to the stages of Broadway alongside Tony Bennett. [https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/23_febbraio/vanoni-89-anni-storia-della-cantante-da-rugantino-broadway-sanremo/corriere/web/rss/feed.rss]
Though, it was the Sanremo Music Festival that truly cemented her popularity. She participated in eight editions, achieving second place in 1968 with “Casa Bianca” (White House) and placing fourth in 1967, 1970, and 1999. Throughout the 1960s, Vanoni’s stage persona transformed from a theatrical performer to a sophisticated and sensual icon.
The following decade marked a period of artistic and personal growth. After leaving Ricordi and Ariston Records, she boldly founded her own record label, Vanilla, a pioneering move towards self-production. In 1976,she released L’amore,la follia,l’abbandono,la gioia (The desire,the madness,the recklessness,the joy),a collaboration with Brazilian musicians Toquinho and Vinícius de Moraes. This album is widely considered a masterpiece of Italian music, and was included in Rolling Stone Italy‘s list of the 100 greatest Italian albums of all time. [https://www.rollingstone.it/musica/lista-migliori-album-italiani-storia-canzone-italiana/] This collaboration ignited a lifelong passion for Brazilian music that would continue to influence her work.
During the 1980s,Vanoni assumed complete artistic control of her career,writing lyrics and creating concept albums. She received the prestigious Tenco Prize, recognizing her contributions to Italian song. This era also saw fruitful collaborations with Lucio dalla, Paolo Conte, Gerry Mulligan, and a accomplished reunion with Gino Paoli in the 1985 “Insieme” (Together) tour.[https://www.discogs.com/artist/14849-Ornella-Vanoni]
In the 1990s, Vanoni continued to release impactful albums, including sheherazade (1995), a tribute to the female experience, and Argilla (1997), which seamlessly blended jazz and Brazilian influences.
The new millennium brought a festivity of her 50-year career, highlighted by a concert in milan’s Piazza del Duomo in 2008 before an audience of 35,000, the duet album “Più di me,” and a live album with Paoli. Her song “L’Appuntamento” (The Appointment) experienced a resurgence in popularity after being featured in the film Ocean’s Twelve.
Vanoni continued to defy expectations in 2018, at the age of 83, by performing “Imparare ad amarsi” (Learn to love yourself) with Bungaro and Pacifico at the sanremo Music Festival. Her performance earned a standing ovation and the Critics’ Award for Best Performance, demonstrating her enduring talent. She returned to Sanremo as a guest in 2023, reaffirming her place in Italian musical history. [https://www.ansa.it/tuttosport/calcio/2023/02/11/sanremo-2023-vanoni-e-il-suo-imparare-ad-amarsi-un-inno-allamore_9999999-6999999.html]
As 2024,she has been a regular guest on the popular television program Che Tempo Che Fa (What’s the weather like?),showcasing a rare wit and self-deprecating humor. Luciana Littizzetto affectionately referred to her as “My beloved treasure.” Demonstrating her openness to new artistic interpretations, Vanoni participated in a 2024 reimagining of her song “Ti amo” with Elodie and ditonellapiaga, bridging generations and receiving widespread critical acclaim.[https://wwwbillboardit/musica/nuove-uscite/ti-amo-ornella-vanoni[https://wwwbillboardit/musica/nuove-uscite/ti-amo-ornella-vanoni
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