Mario Castelnuovo (born 25 January 1955) is an Italian singer-songwriter and composer.
Life and career
Born in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, after the
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
in surveying Castelnuovo studied French literature at the university, specializing in
Provençal and
Troubadour
A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...
aesthetics.
[Lalla Cantore. "Castelnuovo, Mario". Gino Castaldo (edited by). ''Dizionario della canzone italiana''. Curcio Editore, 1990.] In the same period he started to play guitar and to attend the
Folkstudio
Folkstudio was a musical club and a record label located in Rome, Italy.
The club was founded in by the American painter, musician and actor Harold Bradley, Jr., and was located in Via Garibaldi, in Trastevere.Ernesto Bassignano; Lalla Cantore. ...
, a well-known Roman musical club.
He started composing his first songs in the late 1970s, when was noted by singer-songwriter
Amedeo Minghi
Amedeo Minghi (born 12 August 1947) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer and producer.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Minghi started his career in the mid-1960s participating in a large number of musical contests, and then making his profess ...
, who started producing him and also earned him a contract with the label It.
Castelnuovo made his record debut with "Oceania", a single which won a selection organized by ''
Domenica in
''Domenica in'' is an Italian Sunday long-running television show broadcast by Rai 1
Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the com ...
'' that put up for grabs a place in the
32nd edition of the
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...
.
He entered the competition with the song "Sette fili di canapa", the title track of his debut album, reaching the finals and getting large critical acclaim as well as some commercial success.
Castelnuovo's major hit was "Nina", a song which tells the story of his parents during the wartime; the song premiered at the
34th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, placing sixth and subsequently peaking 10th on the Italian hit parade.
In the following years Castelnuovo gradually moved away from the spotlight, still keeping to record critically acclaimed works.
Castelnuovo's style has been described as "characterized by an elegant mastery of melody, by an intimate and elegant atmosphere created by minimalist and refined lyrics and by a delicate and theatrical singing style".
[ According to Enrico Deregibus' ''Dizionario completo della Canzone Italiana'', his songs are "enchanting", especially because of their "fascinating and delicate writing, rich in literary references".]
Discography
;Album
* 1982 - ''Sette fili di canapa'' ( IT / RCA Italiana )
* 1982 - ''Q Concert'' ( RCA Italiana ) ( EP with Marco Ferradini and Goran Kuzminac)
* 1984 - ''Mario Castelnuovo'' ( RCA Italiana )
* 1985 - ''È piazza del Campo'' ( RCA Italiana )
* 1987 - ''Venere'' ( RCA Italiana )
* 1988 - ''Sul nido del cuculo'' ( RCA Italiana / BMG International )
* 1991 - ''Come sarà mio figlio'' ( RCA Italiana / BMG International ) (collection with three new songs)
* 1993 - ''Castelnuovo'' ( Fonit Cetra )
* 1996 - ''Signorine adorate'' ( DFV / Fonit Cetra )
* 2000 - ''Buongiorno''( DFV / Fonit Cetra )
* 2005 - ''Com'erano venute buone le ciliegie nella primavera del '42'' ( Rai Trade )
* 2014 - ''Musica per un incendio'' ( Rai Trade )
References
External links
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Castelnuovo, Mario
1955 births
Living people
Musicians from Rome
Italian male singers
Italian singer-songwriters
Italian lyricists
Italian male composers