Italian singer and musician (1945-). Born in
Jonica, near
Catania in the region of
Sicily,
Italy, from the begining of the 70's he started writing
experimental music. Wins the
Stockhausen prize in 1978 with the piece "L'Egitto prima delle sabbie" (literally, "Egypt before sands"). From the beginning of the 80's, publishing with
EMI Records, he starts being a master of italian charts: "La voce del padrone", maybe his best known album, sells over a million copies and stays on top of charts for over one year.
While publishing various pop music albums, since 1984 starts writing an opera piece called "Genesi", that was received with great acclaim in 1987 in Teatro Regio, Parma (surely one of the most important theatres in Italy: Giuseppe Verdi was from a town nearby and wrote music for it). In 1991 he releases "Come un cammello in una grondaia" where, among classical lieders from the 19th century, he performs "Povera Patria", a song that will become a symbol in the era of Tangentopoli. In 1992 he releases a theatre piece called "Gilgamesh" and flies to Baghdad to hold a concert with Iraqi symphonic orchestra. In 1993 his album "Café de la paix" is rated Record of the Year in a poll on Italian music critics.
In 1996 he releases "La cura", that is rated best Italian song of the year. His latest work dates 2001 and is called "Ferro Battuto".
Franco Battiato is very well known for both his musical abilities and his lyrics, full of a complex and often far-fetched spirituality. Over ten books have been published about him over the years, though probably the best definition that can encompass him is "A Sufi and his music", because he is deeply influenced by mid-eastern spirituality and often sings in Arab.