ANGELO GIACOMAZZI

Born: December 21st, 1907, Genoa (Italy)

Died: April 30th, 1977, Milan (Italy)

Nationality: Italian

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

BIOGRAPHY

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Angelo Giacomazzi worked as half of a pianist duo with Giampiero Boneschi, which accompanied singers such as Bruno Pallesi during their recordings in the studios of La Voce del Padrone in Milan. He composed jazz music, including pieces such as ‘Zona neutra’ and ‘Tema in Lab’, which, in the 2000s, were picked up again by the Mario Mariotti Jazz Sextet. Giacomazzi wrote arrangements for several Italian pop artists, including Sergio Bruni, with whom he won the 1966 Naples Festival, conducting Bruni’s entry ‘Bella’. Giacomazzi participated as a conductor in three editions of the San Remo Festival (1967, 1968, 1969), but wrote the arrangements to many more entries for Italy's most high-profile music festival from the 1950s until well into the 1970s.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Domenico Modugno chose Angelo Giacomazzi as his conductor for the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg, although his entry ‘Dio come ti amo’, which had won the San Remo Festival of that same year, had been conducted by another maestro in San Remo, Nello Ciangherotti. 

In Luxembourg, Modugno was so dissatisfied with the performance of the local orchestra - or claimed to be -, that he threatened to withdraw from the competition. Later, it was decided upon to perform the song with the accompaniment of a small combo of Italian musicians only, with Angelo Giacomazzi playing the piano. This means that Giacomazzi actually did not conduct the Luxembourg orchestra during the live broadcast; ‘Dio come ti amo’ was the first song ever in the Eurovision Song Contest without any orchestral accompaniment. Officially, however, Giacomazzi is credited as the conductor of this Italian entry, which did not score a single point and finished joint-last.

EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR

1966 Luxembourg

Country – Italy

Song title – "Dio come ti amo"

Rendition – Domenico Modugno

Lyrics – Domenico Modugno

Composition – Domenico Modugno

Studio arrangement (orchestral version) – Giulio Libano

(San Remo orchestra conducted by Nello Ciangherotti)

Studio arrangement (combo version) – Angelo Giacomazzi

Live orchestration – Angelo Giacomazzi 

"Conductor" – Angelo Giacomazzi

Score – 17th place (0 votes)