The Mameli anthem sung by Al Bano before the Italian Cup final between Atalanta and Juventus has become a case: the reactions on social media
The performance of Al Banocalled to sing the Italian anthem on the occasion of Italian Cup final between Atalanta and Juventus which took place at the Olympic stadium in Rome: his performance did not convince, generating a lot of controversy on social media.
Al Bano and Mameli’s anthem: the performance becomes a coincidence
The evening was one to remember: a Olympic packed and waiting for the two teams to enter the field, ready to compete for the coveted trophy. For years now, the Lega Serie A has chosen an artist to sing the Italian anthem before each final: this year the choice fell on Al Bano, one of the sacred monsters of our local songwriting.
The singer of Cellino San Marco he showed up with his inevitable white panama, ready to sing the Mameli anthem: as per tradition he took the stage, launching into one of his proverbial high notes, but something surprised both the spectators in the stands and those at home, in front of the TV.
Al Bano’s was a very personal reinterpretation of “Brothers of Italy”, far from tradition: a rhythm that did not convince those who listened to it. Furthermore, at the end, the Apulian artist, seeking the support of the stadium, intoned the word “Italy” three times, shouted at the top of his lungs without however receiving any response from the fans.
Social reactions
As often happens in these cases, the reactions of the social they were scorching, on some occasions even ruthless. The criticisms were many and of different kinds: there were those who complained about Al Bano’s choice to perform a sort of “cover” of the Italian anthem, denying fans and spectators the ability to sing it following the traditional notes.
Many professed their dissent for that final triple shout “Italy” which would have worsened a performance already below the standards of the artist from Cellino San Marco. Furthermore, the most daring social media users have evaluated the performanceclaiming to have noticed a couple of false notes.
There is no shortage of positive comments: many, beyond the singing performance, were happy to have seen and heard Al Bano at work, a singer who represents one of the symbols of Italian music, not only at home but also abroad , where it is still highly regarded.
The other hymn singers
Al Bano was only the last artist, in chronological order, called to sing Mameli’s anthem before the Italian Cup final which this year saw Juventus win 1-0 over Atalanta, thanks to the goal scored by Dusan Vlahovic, Serbian striker present in the ranking of the hundred most expensive footballers in the world. In 2023 it was Gaia’s turn to perform at the Olympic stadium in Rome, while the previous year it was Arisa who sang “Fratelli d’Italia”: for her it was the second time since she had already sung ten years earlier.
In 2021 the Italian Cup final was exceptionally staged in Reggio Emilia: on that occasion the anthem was sung by Annalisa, protagonist of the last Sanremo with “Sincerely”, one of the most listened to songs of the Festival. Among the artists who sang the Italian anthem before the final there were also: Noemi, Lodovica Comello, Chiara Galiazzo, Alessandra Amoroso, Malika Ayane and Emma.
