(6 April, 2017) Despite the strong ties with the French tradition of singer/songwriter such as Brassens, Brel, Ferré; Italy’s strong repertoire of singer/songwriter music is not as well known in France. For this reason, the Italian Cultural Institute of Paris has decided to launch a series of public programmes on Italian singers and songwriters. “We will begin with the great artist from Bologna, Lucio Dalla who left us only 5 years ago. He was a great musician and author of ‘Come è profondo il mare’ (The Depth of the Sea) and many of the greatest hits of Italian contemporary music” according to a statement by the ICI. The event devoted to Dalla will take place on Thursday April 6 at 19:00 at the ICI.  The aim of these programmes, that have proved successful at the Panthéon with Fabrizio De André, is to offer a brief introduction on the author followed by a short sample of their work accompanied by video. Every song will be place in an historical and artistic context while the lyrics (in Italian) are displayed on the screen in order to facilitate understanding and “for those who wish to sing along” jest the event organisers. The sessions will be lead by Paolo Modugno, professor of Italian Civilisation at Sciences Po. It is an occasion to introduce the Parisian public to a slice of Italian culture, represented by an artist as ‘deep as the sea’. (Red)

THE ICI PARIS

The Italian Cultural Institute of Paris is located in the prestigious late 18^th century “Hôtel Particulier” in the heart of the faubourg Saint-Germain between rue de Varenne, rue de Grenelle and the rue du Bac. It was built by the architect Legrand between 1776 and 1792 and was inhabited by Monsieur de Talleyrand. It was also the seat of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1794-1821. Its splendid rooms have seen numerous historical figures from Napoloen to Madame de Staël, from Chateaubriand to the poet Arnault. The important conservative restoration that took place between 1992 and 1993, brought the Hôtel de Galliffet back to its original splendour. It was acquired by the Italian State in 1909 and housed the Italian Embassy, followed by the Italian Consulate General and finally, in 1962 the Italian Cultural Institute.