Al Bano Carrisi: “I too am in great demand but the situation is unacceptable”
Abundant will go to Russia to be a juror at the “Road to Yalta” music festival. This was officially announced by the social channels of the event. The news made the rounds on the web in a short time and risks becoming a diplomatic case. The risk of exploitation is evident. Since 2014 the show was staged from the occupied territory of Crimea and only exceptionally, due to the war in Ukraine, was it moved to Russian territory. Immediate criticism and controversy over the choice, including that of Al Bano, an artist much loved in Russia.
The Festival in Russia The news of Pupo’s participation as a member of the jury of the Russian international music festival now in its fifth edition is already causing controversy, despite the fact that the artist has also taken part in it in the past. The element of novelty is characterized by the conflict in Ukraine, a topic that will also be addressed on stage. The show’s official website announces that the “Soviet songs about the war will be performed in various languages of the world in duet with the stars of the Russian stage” and the Italian singer is a “special guest”, as it is emphatically reported on the home page. The Road to Yalta semi-final takes place on April 29 at the State Kremlin Palace. A 6,000-seat theater was built for the final on 2 May.
To the controversy Pupo’s choice aroused astonishment and scandal and many critical voices were raised against him. And among these also that of Al Bano Carrisi, another artist highly appreciated in Russia: “This news leaves me perplexed. I can’t answer for Pupo. I don’t know what’s behind it and I don’t even want to know. I’m angry. It doesn’t make me nice to know that he will go there”, commented the artist interviewed by Il Messaggero: “I too have had requests but now the situation is unacceptable”, continued Al Bano adding: “He made his choices. I don’t agree with them at all , but rather than being perplexed by the fact that a colleague has accepted an engagement from a country whose government has started a war that has been causing innocent victims for more than a year, what can I do? diplomacy blocks this tragic passage for the history of humanity. And when the right time comes, I will be happy to give two concerts to celebrate peace: one in Kiev and one in Moscow’s Red Square”.
Also in 2021 Pupo acted as a juror and performed The “legendary Italian, the singer who conquered Russian hearts a long time ago – it is written in great evidence on the social networks of the event – was a member of the jury in 2021 and was even the protagonist on our stage with a song”. Song that is remembered with a video clip and is
Hello beautiful performed together with the Italian colleague Thomas Grazioso, the Russian singer Ernest Matskiavichius and the musicians of the Otta-Orchestra.
No comment Pupo is much loved by the Russian public and it is not the first time he has flown to the country for professional reasons, he has participated in numerous broadcasts and has also commented on the Russian Eurovision. The artist – who has not yet taken a position on the war in Ukraine – declined to comment.
Pupo’s performance The singer, as scheduled, will sing a song again this year. This is the song “There is only a moment”. Here is a part of the lyrics of the song: “In this stormy world everything is an illusion. There is only a moment and hold on to it. There is only a moment between the past and the future. This very moment is called life. The eternal rest hardly rejoices the heart.” And then he continues: “But for the star… snatched away and falling. There is only a moment, a dazzling moment. Who knows if I will encounter fortune or trouble. There is only one moment: hold on to it. There is only one moment between the past and the future. That moment which is called life”.
An arrayed festival To leave no doubts about the ideals of the musical event Denis Maidanov, deputy chairman of the culture committee of the Duma, who said in the Russian press: “Normal people understand that the enlargement of NATO to the East has caused what is happening today in Europe. Now Ukraine, then Poland, then Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic if this continues, they will all be drawn into the war by America … Therefore, a large number of applications from European countries underline the importance of the festival Road to Yalta in the international arena”.
Even art can become propaganda “All our members – adds Maidanov – create a cultural bridge between countries. They are our messengers and share our vision of the world, our values and our ideals. Those musicians who come to the festival from other countries are, in fact, fighters for justice, understanding that muses can and should speak at the same time as guns”.