Sunday

Sanremo 2014 — I vincitori! (the winners)



Saturday, February 22 marked the final night of the 64th edition of the famous Sanremo Festival— and here are the winners!





In the Campione category….





Arisa
 Controvento | Against the wind



My personal favorite for this category! I loved the musical arrangement and Arisa's clear and sweet singing style.  

I'll be covering the song meaning and lyrics of Controvento in a future post, so I won't give too much away now, but check out Arisa's final night performance of the song, as well as the other Campioni competitors at rai.tv:


Check out the video of all of the "Campioni", final night performances and see how they compare!







But that's not all…



In the Nuove Proposte category…





Rocco Hunt 
 Nu Juorno buono* | A good day 
(in standard Italian: un giorno buono)


It's easy to see why this song won a large percentage of the popular or "at home" vote.  In the face of overwhelmingly negative news and stereotypes about Southern Italy, this song emerges as a sort of "love song" to the region— acknowledging some of the challenges while emphasizing its strengths and pride in a heartfelt way. 

Watch Rocco's emotional performance/celebration after he found out he won {here} and check out the official music video: (click "Read more" to continue)



Wednesday

Sanremo 2014 — the first night of the Festival

Fuori il teatro Ariston per il debutto della 64ma Festival di Sanremo, from Festival di Sanremo on facebook, as seen on viaoptimae.com

The Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo, often referred to simply as "Festival di Sanremo" or even just "Sanremo" (the town where it is held) started its 2014 edition last night.  Now in its 64th year, the festival has played a part in introducing Italy and the world to new music and artists and inspiring Europe's Eurovision song contest.

The festival consists of a competition with two major categories: Campioni (Big or known artists) and Nuove Proposte (newcomers).  Both groups perform previously unreleased songs and on the final night, a winner for each category is chosen by a combination of viewer and Jury votes.  There are also guest performances and tributes from international and Italian artists alike.

Ligabue canta "Creuza de mà" prima serata di Sanremo 2014, via http://www.repubblica.it/speciali/sanremo/edizione2014/2014/02/18/news/sanremo_prima_serata-78982587/#gallery-slider=78994315, as seen on viaoptimae.com
Photo via repubblica.it: "Sanremo, partenza con brivido" (in italiano)

This year, Ligabue (one of my favorites) kicked off the festival with a birthday tribute to famed artist Fabrizio de André who would have turned 74, singing one of his songs "Creuza de mà".  I thought his performance was great, and it was interesting to hear the lyrics in dialect, and see the standard Italian lyrics in subtitles below as well. I also particularly enjoyed the sounds of the Bouzouki, played by co-author of the song Mauro Pagani [See the video on the Festival site.]


The official competition started with 7 of the 14 "Campioni" artists, who performed two songs each.  Through a mixed voting process, one song from each artist was chosen to continue in the competition.


The winning songs for each artist are starred…Let me know what you think! Which songs do you like/dislike?  Do you agree with the winning song votes?


(Click the song titles to link to videos of each performance)


Arisa, 1st night of 2014 Sanremo, from rai.it as seen on viaoptimae.com

Lentamente (Il primo che passa)  | Slowly (The first one to pass)
*Controvento |  Against the wind
Un uomo è vivo |  A man is alive

Antonella Ruggiero, 1st night of 2014 Sanremo, from rai.it as seen on viaoptimae.com

Quando balliamo |  When we dance
*Da lontanoFrom afar

Raphael Gualazzi, 1st night of 2014 Sanremo, from rai.it as seen on viaoptimae.com

*Liberi o noFree or not
Tanto ci sei |  In any case you're there



Cristiano De André, 1st night of 2014 Sanremo, from rai.it as seen on viaoptimae.com

InvisibiliInvisible
*Il cielo è vuoto |  The sky is empty





Perturbazione, 1st night of 2014 Sanremo, from rai.it as seen on viaoptimae.com


*L'Unica |  The only one
L'Italia vista dal bar |  Italy as seen from the bar




Giusy Ferreri, 1st night of 2014 Sanremo, from rai.it as seen on viaoptimae.com

L'amore possiede il bene |  Love possesses the good
*Ti porto a cena con me |  I'll take you to dinner with me



Esibizioni della prima serata Sanremo 2014 su rai.tv visto su viaoptimae.com
Links to all videos from "La prima serata" available on rai.tv



Again, I'd love to hear what you think!  Do you agree with the winning songs for each artist? Any favorite songs or artists? Comment below or you can also connect and comment via Via Optimae on Facebook if you prefer!]


Buon Ascolto!
(happy listening!)

~Alex


P.S. You can also watch the entire Prima Serata (first night) here

Tuesday

The most used nouns: no. 004 GIORNO

Buongiorno con cappuccini, Two cappuccinos with heart foam and an arrangement of hydrangeas, by Alex for viaoptimae.com


In this series, we're covering the most used nouns in the Italian language 
(I sostantivi più utilizzati nella lingua italiana)



Review the previous terms… 




Numero 4 è…..

n.004 GIORNO definition and examples in ITALIAN: The most-used nouns http://glossi.com/alshay7/84517-italian-the-most-used-nouns



I recently added more songs and pictures to The most-used nouns digital magazine, so be sure to check it out— even if you've opened it before!


Hear the pronunciation of giorno both by itself and in common phrases, as said by native speakers, in this short video:

Be sure to repeat after them and practice your own pronunciation!





giorno
day 


Buongiorno!
Good morning! 
(lit. Good day)


ogni giorno
each day


giorno lavorativo 
work day




View songs, pictures and more now in the digital magazine:


ITALIAN: The most-used nouns digital notebook by ab on viaoptimae.com



Can you write a sentence using the word giorno? Or maybe you have a citazione (quote) or aforisma (maxim) that you'd like to share? Comment below!





Happy studying!
—Alex



Ready for the next word in the series?

Thursday

Song meaning and lyrics: Tu sei lei

Mondovisione reader's 1st choice announced "Tu sei lei" video and song lyrics from viaoptimae.com


Back in December, I asked readers to vote in the poll "Ligabue's Mondovisione: Which song do you want to see next?"

Readers, in general, seemed to be in a romantic mood, overlooking many of the "political" or "rant" songs and opting instead for…


Tu sei lei  
(You are her)



The song itself is light and easy, not straying too far from many of Ligabue's previous offerings.

The video, too, is simple and sweet and shows two guys who stop various women along the streets of Rome and ask to take their pictures.  Watch it now (below) to see what happens (or just to admire the beautiful scenery and diversity of Rome!)






I've reproduced the original lyrics as well as provided an English translation to the right.  

For visual learners, it can be helpful to read along with the lyrics but I do suggest that everybody (regardless of their learning style) listen to the songs several times without looking at the written word. It gives your mind a chance to analyze what it hears and assimilate the sounds without getting bogged down by spelling and orthography "interference" and this will help reinforce the meaning when you learn it later (I promise!)







Dopo tutti questi anni After all these years
io non smetto di guardarti I never stop looking at you
qualche volta ancora a bocca aperta.                    sometimes still with my mouth agape.
Non finisco di capire I still don't understand
Non finisci di stupire You never cease to amaze
come non dovesse mai finire as if it were never ending.


Vuoi nascondermi i difetti You want to hide your faults from me
mentre a me piacciono tutti while I like them all
ma non te lo vuoi sentire dire but you don't want to hear it.
E ti guardo mentre sogni And I look at you while you dream
e mi tocca stare fuori and I have to stay out
e mi tocca solo indovinare. and I have to just guess.


Dopo tanti anni e un giorno After many years and a day
quando il mare sembra calmo when the sea seems calm
vieni fuori ancora tu you also come out
con quel nome da straniera with that foreign name
da chi è sempre stata sola of someone who has always been alone
e da un pò non deve più and for some time doesn't have to anymore
perché... because...


Tu sei lei You are her
Tu sei lei You are her
fra così tanta gente out of so many people
Tu sei lei You are her
Tu sei lei You are her
e lo sei stata sempre. and you have always been.


E quegli occhi li conosco And those eyes I know them
io li ho visti spesso nudi I've seen them nude often
ma non si vedeva mai la fine but I never saw the end.
il tuo cuore accelerato Your accelerated heart
le pupille dilatate the dilated pupils
e non mi restituisci il cuore. and you won't give me back my heart.


Dopo tanti anni e un giorno After so many years and a day
quando il vento sembra fermo when the wind seems still
vieni fuori sempre tu You always come out
con quel nome da straniera with that foreign name
da chi riesce a stare sola of someone who's able to be alone
ma da un pò non deve più but for some time doesn't have to anymore
perché... because…


Tu sei lei You are her
Tu sei lei You are her
fra così tanta gente. out of so many people.
Tu sei lei You are her
Tu sei lei You are her
e lo sei stata sempre.and you have always been.
Se l'universo intero If the entire universe
ci ha fatto rincontrare got us to meet again
qualcosa di sicuro vorrà dire. surely that's saying something.
Tu sei lei You are her
come sei as you are
inesorabilmente. without end.


E mi hai salvato tante volte And you've saved me many times
da qualche tipo di altra morte from different types of other death
andando dritta sulla verità going straight to the truth
e mi regali un altro giorno and you gift me another day
in cui sembra tutto fermo in which everything seems still
ma tutto si trasforma but everything is transformed
tutto si conferma everything is confirmed
e lasci in giro il tuo profumo and you leave behind your perfume
come a dirmi "io ci sono" as if to say "I am here"
come a dirmi "sarò sempre qua" as if to say "I will always be here"
perchè... because...


Tu sei lei You are her
Tu sei lei You are her
fra così tanta gente. out of so many people
Tu sei lei You are her
Tu sei lei You are her
e lo sei stata sempre. and you have always been.
Se l'universo intero If the entire universe
ci ha fatto rincontrare got us to meet
qualcosa di sicuro vorrà dire. surely that's saying something.
Tu sei lei You are her
come sei as you are
inevitabilmente inevitably.







Keep listening to the song until the sounds become familiar, and if you can get to the point where you can sing along, that's even better!


Once you've become familiar with the sound and flow, then you can begin to try and understand the meaning.  Use my English translation as a guide to direct you if needed, but do try and decipher the meaning yourself as well.  

Here are some questions that you may find useful in guiding your study:


  • What words do I recognize?  Does the translation provided match what I thought the definition was?  If not, is there anything in context which would explain the translation provided?
  • Which words do I not recognize?  What part of speech are they? (Noun, verb, adjective, etc.)
  • Which tense(s) does the song use?  Is all the action occurring in the present, so it uses the Simple Present?  Or does it change?  (Use the Word Reference Conjugator to look up any verb and it will tell you what tense it is and what the infinitive form of the verb is)
  • Comparing the original text with the English translation, can you match words or phrases?  Which lines are translated word-for-word and which vary a bit more?  Can you think of an alternate translation?


These questions are a great start to your own study.. but if there's anything that's unclear or that you'd like explained further… Just ask! (Comment below or use the "Chiedimi" contact form in the righthand sidebar.)




Buon Ascolto!
-Alex

P.S.We'll be covering more songs from the album, so use this link to vote again on Facebook or explore the other song titles here.






 I already covered the album's first single 'Il Sale della Terra'…in case you missed it:


...
"Il sale della terra" music video, testo in italiano and lyrics in English.





See also:

Frasi celebri su Via Optimae

Frasi celebri su Via Optimae
Acque del sud (To Have and Have Not) original: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow."