The penultimate evening of the Sanremo festival saw all the artists in the Campioni section pay tribute to the past. In an evening called ‘Sanremo Story. They all sung classic songs from festivals past.
The main event of the night would be the climax of the Novita competition. This is the part of the festival dedicated to giving the opportunity for a new and up and coming talent to show their potential. Past winners of Novita include Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli.
Before this, the Campioni contestants sung their chosen son from a past festival:
Malika Ayane con Paolo Vecchione e Thomas Signorelli – Cosa hai Messo nel Caffè
Daniele Silvestri – Piazza Grande
Annalisa Scarrone con Emma Marrone – Per Elisa
Marta sui Tubi con Antonella Ruggiero – Nessuno
Raphael Gualazzi – Luce (Tramonti a Nord Est)
Modà con Adriano Pennino – Io che non Vivo
Simone Cristicchi – Canzone per te
Simona Molinari con Peter Cincotti e Franco Cerri – Tua
Maria Nazionale con Mauro di Domenico – Perdere l’amore
Marco Mengoni – Ciao Amore Ciao
Elio e le storie tese con Rocco Siffredi – Un Bacio Piccolissimo
Max Gazzè – Ma che Freddo Fa
Chiara Galiazzo – Almeno tu nell’universo
Almamegretta con James Senese, Marcello Coleman, Clementino e Albino D’Amato – Il Ragazzo della via Gluck
During the interval, Pippo Baudo, who was ‘Mr Sanremo’ for many years in the 80’s and 90’s, had a long chat with presenters Fabio Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto about his memories of the festival. He was given an award in recognition of his contribution to the history of the event.
Then came what was really the main event of the eveing, and what Friday night at the Sanremo festival is all about, the Novita! It is not beyond impossible that the winner could be selected by RAI to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in May.
Antonio Maggio – Mi Servirebbe Sapere – This is a chirpy little son with a hint of madness about it. even the conductor did a bit of singing, albeit only very little.
Ilaria Porceddu – In Equilibrio – Probably the most ‘Italian’ of the four songs, In Equilibrio travelled between quiet and dominant.
Blastema – Dietro l’intima Ragione – The only band of the four acts, Blastema performed a rock song that was a bit inconsistent in its construction.
Renzo Rubino –Il Postino (Amami Uomo) – Renzo remained at the piano for his rendition of his mostly understate ballad. However, once the tenor enters the fray, things liven up a bit, but only a bit.
The winner was decided with a mixture of a public phone vote and a jury known as the Giuria di Qualità. This jury also had the opportunity to award a prize to a singer for their performance and this award was given to a young man called Il Cile, who had been knocked out of the festival on Wednesday evening.
The winner of the Novita was announced, and it was Antonio Maggio who joined the long list of illustrious winners. It seemed a popular result with the audience. Tomorrow, we will find out who has won the Campioni and also who will represent Italy in Malmo in May.
