Probably feeling somewhat guilty for having disappointed hundreds of fans when he pulled out of the Malta concert he was to take part in last July, Italian singer Claudio Baglioni has hinted that he might be give a concert here in 2011.
Speaking to Italian media at the end of a five-day series of concerts in Lampedusa as part of his O’Scia campaign to raise awareness on immigration, Baglioni said that next year there might be changes made to the event’s format, because “one has to consider whether the campaign still makes sense”.
He was referring to the fact that illegal immigration – which is the phenomenon that sparked the O’Scia campaign, this year in its eighth edition – has practically died down following political agreements that Italy made with Libya, agreements from which Malta also benefited, considering that the influx of illegal immigrants has practically stopped here as well.
Malta was the venue of one of these eight activities, when Baglioni came over in August 2007 and held a concert at Valletta Waterfront together with two other well-known Italian singers, Riccardo Cocciante and Gianni Morandi, and a number of Maltese artists. It was the only time that the O’Scia campaign was held outside Lampedusa where, over a number of years, hundreds of illegal immigrants were brought to shore on their way to mainland Italy. At the time of the concert, Malta was going through the same experience, with hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving each year. With the concert in Malta, Baglioni wanted to raise the issue in another island that was having the same problems as Lampedusa.
The Italian singer mentioned Malta specifically in the interviews he gave last week, saying that the experience here was “very beautiful”, one that could be repeated. “I would like to take this festival elsewhere. When we went to Malta it was a very beautiful experience,” he said, hinting that the festival could return here after four years.
What seems to be sure is that the Roman singer, who will turn 60 next year, will revise the O’Scia format. This year, there were five evenings of music on Lampedusa, with the participation of well-known personalities such as Carmen Consoli, Lorella Cuccarini, Drupi, Francesco de Gregori, Irene Grandi, Eugenio Finardi, Roberto Vecchioni, Cristiano de Andre, Nino Frassica, Donatella Rettore, Ornella Vanoni, Fausto Leali and Luca Barbarossa.
Baglioni made it clear that it will be almost impossible to repeat such a cast over five days of concerts, and is looking into other possibilities.
“The (illegal immigration) emergency seems to be over. The immigration centre in Lampedusa has also been closed down and any arrivals are directed immediately to mainland Italy.”
Whether the O’Scia campaign will continue, or whether the festival organised by the O’Scia Foundation will be held in the future (possibly in other cities and countries) is still not decided, Baglioni said.
Baglioni was supposed to have been part of the annual Joseph Calleja concert at The Granaries in Floriana last July, but pulled out a few weeks before and was replaced by Riccardo Cocciante. Apart from the 2007 concert, he had performed solo at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta in December 2005.
He is currently on a world tour, the first part of which was held between February and May, finishing at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Last Thursday, he performed in Buenos Aires, the first concert of the second phase of the tour, which will also take him to Melbourne, Beijing, New York, Vienna, Bogota and Caracas until 11 December.
Next year, the singer will be holding concerts in Italy and, who knows, Malta too. Whether it would be part of the O’Scia campaign or a tour, it does not really matter for his fans so long as he returns.
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