BRUNO CANFORA

Born: November 6th, 1924, Milan (Italy)

Died: August 6th, 2017, Tavernelle (Italy)
Nationality: Italian

In due course, the short impression below will be replaced with a more extensive career overview

BIOGRAPHY

Having graduated from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan with a diploma for oboe, Bruno Canfora followed private piano lessons with Alessandro Longo and Enzo Calace. During World War II, he started playing in jazz orchestras; after the war, he formed an orchestra of his own, with which he performed for the allied forces in Italy and Germany. From the late 1950s onwards, RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, regularly invites Canfora to work for television; he was, for example, musical director of the 1959 edition of Canzonissima. In 1961, he was one of two MD’s of the San Remo Festival. He also was the musical director of the 1988 and 1993 editions of this same song contest.

As a composer, Canfora wrote songs for Rita Pavone (e.g. ‘Fortissimo’), Mina (‘Zum zum zum’), Domenico Modugno (‘Come si fa a non volerti bene’, Festival Disco per l’Estate 1965), and Alice & Ellen Kessler (‘La notte è piccola’). In 1968,his composition ‘La vita’ was interpreted at the San Remo Festival by Elio Gandolfi and Shirley Bassey; eleven years later, the song was completely revamped for Bassey with a disco arrangement and became an international hit under its English title, ‘This Is My Life’. Moreover, Canfora wrote soundtracks and music for theatrical performances.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Bruno Canfora was the musical director of the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Rome. His orchestra accompanied all twenty-two competing entries. For the Italian song ‘Comme è ddoce ‘o mare’, it was placed under Canfora’s direction; performed by Peppino di Capri, this Italian effort finished seventh.

EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR

1991 Rome

Country – Italy

Song title – "Comme e' ddoce 'o mare"

Rendition – Peppino di Capri

Lyrics – Giampiero Artegiani / Marcello Marrocchi

Composition – Giampiero Artegiani / Marcello Marrocchi

Record arrangement – Adriano Pennino / Maurizio Pica

Live orchestration – Adriano Pennino / Maurizio Pica

Conductor – Bruno Canfora (MD)

Score – 7th place (89 votes)