GIANNI FERRIO

Born: November 15th, 1924, Vicenza (Italy)

Died: October 21st, 2013, Rome (Italy)

Nationality: Italian

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

BIOGRAPHY

Gianni Ferrio was an Italian composer, arranger, and conductor. From the 1940s onwards, he has worked as an arranger and studio conductor for different record companies (including RCA Victor and CGD) and a string of artists, most notably Mina, with whom he has had a lifelong working relationship, up until her last album in 2005. He wrote some of Mina’s best-known songs, including ‘Non gioco più’ (1975). His most famous composition is arguably ‘Paroles, paroles’, which, sung by Dalida and Alain Delon, became a European hit in 1973. 

He wrote scores to more than seventy feature films, amongst which Un dollaro bucato (1965) and Tutti a squola (1979). As a conductor, he worked on many broadcasts of Italian public TV network RAI; he was the musical director of the San Remo Festival on two occasions, in partnership with William Galassini (in 1959) and Cinico Angelini (in 1962). In those days, Ferrio was considered to be a modernist conductor, because his orchestra included a prominent brass section. 

In 2007, he made a surprise return to the San Remo Festival (after an absence of 45 years!) as the composer, arranger, and conductor of Johnny Dorelli’s ballad ‘Meglio così’.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Gianni Ferrio was the musical director of the tenth Eurovision Song Contest, held in Naples in 1965. He not only conducted the Italian entry ‘Se piangi, se ridi’ (sung by Bobby Solo), but also the songs submitted by Austria and Ireland – the first ever Irish entry in the contest. 

Four years previously, Ferrio's orchestra was used to for the studio session to record Betty Curtis' San Remo winner - and Italian Eurovision entry - 'Al di là'.

EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR

1961 Cannes

Country – Italy

Song title – "Al di là"

Rendition – Betty Curtis 

Lyrics – Giulio Rapetti "Mogol"

Composition – Carlo Donida

Studio arrangement – Gianni Ferrio 

(studio orchestra conducted by Gianni Ferrio)

Live orchestration – Gianfranco Intra

Conductor – Gianfranco Intra

Score – 5th place (12 votes)

1965 Naples (1)

Country – Ireland

Song title – "I’m Walking The Streets In The Rain"

Rendition – Butch Moore 

Lyrics – Teresa Conlon

Composition – Joe Harrigan / George Prendergast

Studio arrangement – Johnny Spence

Live orchestration – Johnny Spence

Conductor – Gianni Ferrio (MD)

Score – 6th place (11 votes)

1965 Naples (2)

Country – Austria

Song title – "Sag ihr, ich lass’ sie grüssen"

Rendition – Udo Jürgens 

Lyrics – Frank Bohlen / Udo Jürgens

Composition – Udo Jürgens

Studio arrangement – Rudi Bauer

(studio orchestra conducted by Rudi Bauer)

Live orchestration – Rudi Bauer

Conductor – Gianni Ferrio (MD)

Score – 4th place (16 votes)

1965 Naples (3)

Country – Italy

Song title – "Se piangi, se ridi"

Rendition – Bobby Solo 

Lyrics – Giulio Rapetti "Mogol"

Composition – Gianni Marchetti / Roberto Satti

Studio arrangement – Gianni Marchetti

(studio orchestra conducted by Gianni Marchetti)

Live orchestration – Gianni Marchetti

Conductor – Gianni Ferrio (MD)

Score – 5th place (15 votes)