Ten years of records, concerts, books, theatre, research. The Mario Cervo Archive, the precious and unique container of Sardinian music, blows out the candles, happy to have achieved many goals: 10,000 cataloged media, 200 events organized and over 600 artists who have graced the numerous stages. Thus, the Archive, from a giant of conservation, memory and usability of the island’s recording and book heritage, has become a cornerstone of the city’s cultural animation and a pivot among the associations.
And on the tenth anniversary of its opening, a big party, accompanied by the notes of a band that made the history of Sardinian music, Bertas, also inaugurates a new space, in Via Lettonia. The Archive, opened and carried forward by the valiant work of the heirs of the Olbia record producer Mario Cervo, the brothers Velia and Ottavio (with the support of the whole family) collaborates with the Municipality of Olbia, which supports it. It currently manages the administrative part of the MusMat multipurpose centre: the administration’s certificate of esteem was well underlined during the evening by the deputy mayor Sabrina Serra. Among the first and main contributors to the project, the Regional Ethnographic Institute of Sardinia.
«I offer my best wishes for the fruitful continuation of this important activity that the Archive has been carrying out for years, which began thanks to the work of Mario Cervo, a lover of tradition and the first record producer in Sardinia – the message sent by the president, Stefano Lavra – L ‘Isre pays particular attention to effective collaboration for the future and I hope to carry forward joint projects. It’s impressive to scroll through the Archive’s catalogue, because the number of authors present is enormous and there are so many musical compositions that can be enjoyed.”
This summer too, the events will involve places and traditions, music and emotions: on 23 June, on the Pittulongu beach, there will be the evocative concert at dawn, “Su Sole Ballende”, a musical revival of the ancient Terranoese rite of waiting for the sunrise on the occasion of the anniversary of San Giovanni; in mid-July the awaited tenth edition of the record award (in the city park dedicated to Mario Cervo), an event of regional importance, an unmissable stop for enthusiasts who, thanks to the awards given to the best productions of the previous year and to historical records, can appreciate (often discover) the talent of many young artists, established musicians and all the best-known faces of the Sardinian music scene. All the music of the island passes, and has passed, through the Archive and there, fortunately, the memory of it remains imprinted: the collection, started by “uncle” Mario (and which, we remember, does not only include recordings), becomes more and more substantial . «The balance sheet of the first ten years is truly satisfactory – admits Velia Cervo – we are continuing to acquire material and thanks to the increasingly frequent events, working in synergy with other local entities, we are happy to be considered an important cultural meeting point for the city. The work will always continue with a view to promoting Sardinian culture and music, its acquisition and conservation.” Among the many new features is the digitization project which will allow you to listen, on the web, to the first thirty seconds of all the tracks from the Archive’s immense database.
© All rights reserved
