MILVA
17 July 1939 – 23 April 2021
Described by her own PR as "one of the greatest female performers on the international scene ever", my own music collection containing more than 50 albums by the Italian diva Milva should provide more than a clue as to my view of that statement! Known as La Rossa on account of her flame-coloured tresses, I consider she well and truly set the bar for any aspiring Italian singer. Few of her contemporaries can boast an eclectic a catalogue as Milva, ranging as it does from pure pop to Brecht, and embracing collaborations with outstanding global music-makers like Ennio Morricone, Francis Lai, Mikis Theodorakis, Enzo Jannacci and Vangelis. Fewer still can claim to have performed at venues such as La Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, London's Royal Albert Hall, the Edinburgh Festival and other prestigious locations.
"L'Immensita", which literally - and appropriately - translates into "Immense", was written by Mariano Detto (who died last year), Don Backy and lyricist Mogol, whose outstanding work included "Il Cielo Un Una Stanza" "Al Di Là" and the original Italian words to "Uno dei Tanti", which was refashioned by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller to become "I (Who have Nothing)". Milva delivers a powerful performance which, since its release, has remained firmly on my list of all-time greatest female recorded performances and, in my view, demonstrates both how accurate is her own PR's description and how effectively she defines her status as a 'song stylist'!

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