"La grande corsa verso Lupionòpolis" (The great race towards Lupionòpolis)

Peppe Voltarelli: voice, piano, guitar, accordion
Luca Ciarla: violin, piano

Peppe Voltarelli is an Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and writer known for his unique style that blends traditional Calabrian music with modern sounds and poetic lyrics. Born in Cosenza on December 10, 1969, Voltarelli began his musical career in the 1990s as a founding member of the folk-rock group Il Parto delle Nuvole Pesanti. This cult band of the Italian new folk scene combines rock and popular Calabrian music. With them, he released seven albums and participated in the project "La Notte Del Dio Che balla," conceived by Teresa De Sio, which, after the album's release (featuring artists such as Vinicio Capossela, Daniele Sepe, and Agricantus), brought the band on tour, including a performance on the prestigious stage of Primo Maggio in Piazza San Giovanni in Rome. In 2000, he met the Cauteruccio brothers of the Krypton theater company and staged "Roccu u Stortu," the story of a Calabrian soldier who mutinies on the Great War front. Following a tour in the United States with Calabrian actor and poet Totonno Chiappetta, Voltarelli created the recital "Voleva fare l’Artista" in 2001, based on the life of Domenico Modugno. The encounter with Calabrian director Giuseppe Gagliardi led to "Doichlanda," a documentary film about Italian emigration in Germany, which won the Jury Prize at the Turin Film Festival in 2003. In November of the same year, Peppe was part of a caravan of Italian artists traveling to Iraq for a peace concert. This journey also resulted in the documentary film "Sotto il cielo di Bagdad." In 2005, he starred in and co-wrote Italy's first mockumentary, Giuseppe Gagliardi's "La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar," for which he also composed the original soundtrack. In 2006, Peppe left Il Parto delle Nuvole Pesanti to pursue a highly successful solo career, beginning in 2007 with the release of his first solo album, "Distratto ma però," which was a finalist for the Targa Tenco award for Best Debut Album. This work marked an important artistic turning point, highlighting his talent as a singer-songwriter and his ability to blend various musical genres, from folk to rock, blues, and jazz. His warm and engaging voice, combined with lyrics addressing themes like emigration, identity, and memory, has won the hearts of many listeners. In 2010, he released the album "Ultima notte a Mala Strana," winning the Targa Tenco for Best Dialect Album, the first time this award had been given to a Calabrian artist. This victory cemented his reputation as one of the most important singer-songwriters on the Italian music scene. Voltarelli's extensive collaborations include working with Teresa De Sio, Claudio Lolli (with whom he created the project “Ho visto Degli Zingari Felici”), Davide Van De Sfroos, Roy Paci, Carlo Muratori, Sergio Cammariere, Bandabardò, Amy Denio, and many others. Peppe is also a skilled interpreter of Italian and international songwriter music, winning the Targa Tenco two more times as Best Interpreter: with "Voltarelli canta Profazio" in 2016 and "Planetario" in 2021. Voltarelli is also a writer, showcasing his artistic versatility beyond music. In 2013, he published "Il caciocavallo di bronzo," an autobiographical account exploring his Calabrian roots and artistic experience. The book received numerous accolades and was enthusiastically received by critics and the public. His extensive concert activity has taken him to perform in 23 countries worldwide; his albums are published in Europe, throughout Latin America, in Canada, and the United States. His live performances are characterized by a compelling stage presence and a disarming ability to establish a direct dialogue with the audience. Each concert is an emotional journey that leads spectators to reflect on their lives and roots, a musical journey filled with unforgettable moments of irrepressible hilarity. His album "Lamentarsi come ipotesi" (2020) is another example of his ability to innovate while remaining true to his roots. In this work, Voltarelli explores new musical and thematic territories, collaborating with artists of various nationalities and backgrounds. The songs address current themes such as environmental crisis, immigration, and modern alienation, always with a poetic and profound perspective. His latest album, "La grande corsa verso Lupionòpolis," released by Visage Music in 2023, was recorded in New York by Marc Urselli (three Grammy Awards and collaborations with Nick Cave and Lou Reed) at the historic EastSide Sound in Manhattan, and artistically produced and arranged by Italian pianist Simone Giuliani (with productions for Andrea Bocelli and the London Symphony Orchestra). The album features ten new tracks, including eight songs in Calabrian dialect, one in Italian, and an instrumental waltz, and includes international musicians such as bassist Davin Hoff, guitarist Jake Owen, drummer Stephane San Juan, percussionist Mauro Refosco, cellist Eleanor Norton, saxophonist Doug Wieselman, and Amy Denio of The Tiptons Sax Quartet. "La grande corsa verso Lupionòpolis" ranked 2nd in the final Targa Tenco standings for Best Dialect Album.
Peppe Voltarelli is a complete artist, capable of combining tradition and innovation, poetry and music, reflection and entertainment. His career is a continuous journey of research and experimentation, which has led him to be recognized as one of the most original and significant voices in contemporary Italian music. Through his music, Voltarelli continues to tell stories of life, struggle, and hope, offering the public an authentic and engaging artistic experience. With him, on stage, Luca Ciarla. A creative and surprising violinist, Luca Ciarla easily overcomes the boundaries between genres to trace an innovative musical path, a magical acoustic seduction in perfect balance between writing and improvisation, tradition and contemporaneity. His unmistakable style has led him to perform successfully in jazz, classical and world music festivals and concerts in more than 70 countries around the world; from the Montreal Jazz Festival to the Performing Arts Center in Hong Kong, from Celtic Connections in Scotland to the Villa-Lobos Festival in Rio de Janeiro, from the Melbourne Jazz Festival to the Dubai Opera and the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome. “…one of the most interesting violinists on the international scene today, able to range between different genres and sounds without ever losing the center of gravity of his unmistakable style”. (La Repubblica)

www.peppevoltarelli.eu