One of the most refined songwriters and interpreters of Italian song – Cristina Donà – works on a “water songbook” in which, among other things, she presents a number of her most famous pieces, starting with “Goccia”. In this musical stream we see one composition after another of her favourite authors: from Robert Wyatt who has never hidden his love for the singer and who will receive the tribute of some passages from his production such as “Sea Song” and “Maryan”; continuing with Nick Drake (“Riverman” and “Way to Blue”), Nick Cave (“The Weeping Song”, “The Ship Song”), and on to “Onda su Onda” by Paolo Conte, “Com’è profondo il mare” by Lucio Dalla, and many more.

“We come from the water and to the water, at times, we return”, says the singer; “physically or metaphorically, attracted by its unrivalled power, its evasiveness, its changeability, and by our dependence on it.
“Water has often seeped into my songs; I have viscerally loved certain pieces by artists who have nourished and hydrated my personal and artistic life. Putting together my liquid essence with theirs is for me cause of great happiness, and doing so with musicians of such high sensitivity and artistic skill will be an absolute privilege. We will see fast-running rivers, we will ride impossible waves, but we will also know how to enjoy the calm of a sound surface which like our mother’s arms can rock our need to belong to the elements of which we are made. This is what music can do.”

Weaving the sound weft among these universes is one of her long-time collaborators, one of the most prolific and interesting percussionists on the Italian scene, Cristiano Calcagnile; for this production, he has called in extraordinary musicians such as Lorenzo Corti on the guitars (Nada, Cesare Basile), Vincenzo Vaso on the bass and theremin (Vinicio Capossela, Mike Patton, OoopopoiooO), Pasquale Mirra on the vibraphone (Hamid Drake, Fred Frith, Michel Portal) and the talented young trumpet-player Gabriele Mitelli.

A Fabbrica Europa production