The Sanremo Song Festival, probably second only to Eurovision in the ranks of famous popular song competitions, is to allow entries in Italian dialects in 2010. The organisers of the sixtieth edition of the Festival, which is to run from February 9th – 13th 2010, will announce this innovation today along with several others.
In previous years, it has been permissible for some words or expressions in dialect to feature in submitted songs, but the 2010 Festival will be the first to allow whole songs in dialect. This change has been broadly welcomed, not least by the separatist Lega Nord, whose leader, Umberto Bossi, has said that, prior to this move, the Sanremo Festival was a “symbol of centralisation”.
At the opposite end of the political spectrum, the playwright and Nobel Laureate Dario Fo has also welcomed the innovation, reasoning that Italy is a multiethnic society. The Neapolitan singer Nino D’Angelo says that he is delighted, if surprised to find himself in agreement with Mr Bossi.
Another change for 2010 is the waiving of a rule requiring that songwriters and performers at the Festival have Italian citizenship. In February foreign singers will be able to participate and the work of foreign songwriters will be accepted, provided that the lyrics are in Italian or one of its many dialects.
From 3rd December, singers in the nuova generazione [youth] section will be performing online at:
This is another new development, as previously the songs could not be performed in public prior to the Festival.
To celebrate the sixtieth year of the competition, in 2010 eight of Italy’s best-loved singers will be invited onstage to sing their favourite songs from all 59 previous Sanremo Festivals.
Do you think that allowing songs in dialect is a good innovation?
