Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
BIOGRAPHIES : ROMINA POWER AND AL BANO CARRISI
Al Bano and Romina Power are an Italian pop music duo formed in 1975 by then-married couple Albano Carrisi and Romina Power. They were highly successful in Italy and mainland Europe throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s. Their best known international hits include "Felicità", "Sharazan", "Tu, soltanto tu (Mi hai fatto innamorare)", "Ci sarà", "Sempre sempre", and "Libertà!". The duo primarily recorded in Italian but have also released a great number of records in Spanish and French. They participated twice in Eurovision Song Contest to a moderate success and performed five times at Sanremo Music Festival, winning in 1984 with the song "Ci sarà". The couple also shot seven films, based on their songs, between 1967 and 1984. The two separated and divorced in 1999, but reunited professionally in 2013.
Albano Carrisi met Romina Power, daughter of American actor Tyrone Power, during the filming of the movie Nel sole, named after one of his songs, in 1967. He had already released a number of solo recordings and she by then had appeared in several Italian films. The two married in 1970 in Cellino San Marco. Their debut single, "Storia di due innamorati", was released the same year by the labels La voce del padrone and Odeon, and went on to become a minor hit in Italy. The song appeared on Al Bano's solo album A cavallo di due stili. Power also released three solo albums between 1969 and 1974.
In 1975, the couple released their first album as a duo, Atto I (also known as Dialogo and Arena blanca, mar azul), which included popular song "Dialogo". In 1976, they represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "We'll Live It All Again", sung in Italian and English, and finished seventh.[1] They also recorded the song in Spanish and in French, as "Viviremos todo de nuevo" and "T'aimer encore une fois", respectively. The duo then made several recordings in French, including hits "Des nuits entières" and "Enlacés sur le sable" (French version of "Prima notte d'amore").
In 1981, they released the single "Sharazan", which went on to become their breakthrough international hit, and released a Spanish language album. In 1982, the duo broke Italian record with four songs on the Italian hit parade at the same time. The same year, they participated in the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Felicità", and finished second.[2] The song became widely popular, selling in over 6 million copies and receiving "German Golden Globe 1982". It appeared on their next album, Felicità (released as Aria pura in some territories[3]), which was a chart success. The album was also recorded in Spanish and released as Felicidad. The duo would maintain the tradition of recording Spanish versions of their albums in the following years.
Al Bano and Romina released yet one more album in 1982, Che angelo sei, with another big hit "Tu, soltanto tu (Mi hai fatto innamorare)". Their 1983 compilation Amore mio was met with a great commercial success in German speaking countries. In 1984, they won the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Ci sarà" from their album Effetto amore, gathering over 2 million votes.[4] In 1985, they participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second and final time, with the song "Magic Oh Magic" and, again, took the seventh place.
In 1986, Al Bano and Romina Power signed a contract with WEA and recorded the album Sempre sempre, which confirmed their international success. The song "Settembre" featured the voice of their baby daughter Cristel, while for "Lord Byron" they used recordings of Byron's poetry by Tyrone Power. In 1987, they participated in the Sanremo Festival with the song "Nostalgia canaglia" and came third.[6] The album Libertà! was released in the same year. The couple's daughter Ylenia sang a duet with Romina in "Abbi fede". In 1988, the couple released the album Fragile, and the following year, took part in Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Cara terra mia", placing at the third position.[6] The single was a minor chart hit in Italy.
In 1990, they released the album Fotografia di un momento, with the successful single "Donna per amore", followed by the Christmas album Weihnachten bei uns zu Hause released in Germany, which later appeared in Italy as Corriere di Natale. In 1991, Al Bano and Romina Power participated in the Sanremo Music Festival for the fifth and final time as a duo, this time around with the song "Oggi sposi", placing at the eighth position.[6] In the same year, they celebrated 25 years of their joint artistic career and released two greatest hits anthologies: Le più belle canzoni (in Italy) and Vincerai (in Europe). They also wrote an autobiography and released a video, both entitled Autoritratto dalla A alla R.
Their daughter Ylenia Carrisi disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1994 in New Orleans, what prompted Al Bano and Romina to withdraw from touring to dedicate all their time to the search for their daughter. However, police efforts yielded no results. In 1995, the couple released their last studio album together, Emozionale, followed by a video version, Una vita emozionale. In 1996, Al Bano participated solo in the Sanremo Music Festival, singing "È la mia vita", while Romina took part in the television mini-series The Return of Sandokan. Together, they released the compilation Ancora... Zugabe. In 1997, he released a solo album Concerto classico, and she published a book about her father, entitled Cercando mio padre in 1998.
In 1999, Al Bano announced their separation in an open letter to the weekly magazine Oggi, in which he explained reasons for their break-up as related to the disappearance of their daughter.[7] The two reunited in 2013, reportedly only on a professional basis, for a concert performance in Moscow (their first live performance together in sixteen years). They continued to perform live as a duo in 2014 and 2015, including at Sanremo 2015
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [9] | AUT [10] | GER [11] | NLD [12] | ||
| 1975 | Atto I | — | — | — | — |
| 1977 | 1978 | — | — | — | — |
| 1979 | Aria pura | — | — | — | — |
| 1982 | Felicità | 4 | — | 17 | 39 |
| Che angelo sei | — | — | 34 | — | |
| 1984 | Effetto amore | — | — | — | — |
| 1986 | Sempre sempre | — | 3 | — | — |
| 1987 | Libertà! | — | 10 | 35 | — |
| 1988 | Fragile | — | 28 | 53 | — |
| 1990 | Fotografia di un momento | — | 10 | — | 53 |
| Weihnachten bei uns zu Hause | — | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | Notte e giorno | — | 31 | 58 | — |
| 1995 | Emozionale | — | 13 | 62 | — |
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT [10] | FRA [13] | GER [11] | NLD [12] | ||
| 1976 | Io con te | — | — | — | — |
| Des nuits entières | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | Cantan en español – Sharazan | — | — | — | — |
| 1982 | Ieri e oggi | — | — | — | — |
| 16 chanson 16 succès | — | 23 | — | — | |
| Al Bano e Romina Power | — | — | — | — | |
| Al Bano e Romina | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | Collection | — | — | — | — |
| Amore mio | 6 | — | 3 | 37 | |
| 1987 | Romantica – Die großen Erfolge | — | — | — | — |
| 1988 | Felicità | — | — | — | — |
| 1989 | Al Bano & Romina Power | — | — | — | — |
| Super 20 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1991 | Star Collection | — | — | — | — |
| Le più belle canzoni | — | — | — | — | |
| Vincerai | 27 | — | 24 | — | |
| 1993 | Che amici | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | The Collection | — | — | — | — |
| Sharazan | — | — | — | — | |
| Golden Stars International | — | — | — | — | |
| Golden Stars International Vol. 2 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | Best Of | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Donna per amore | — | — | — | — |
| Storia di due innamorati | — | — | — | — | |
| Ancora... Zugabe | — | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | Prima notte d'amore | — | — | — | — |
| Sentire ti amo | — | — | — | — | |
| Grandes exitos | — | — | — | — | |
| I grandi successi | — | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | I successi – Volume 1 | — | — | — | — |
| The Collection | — | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | Collection | — | — | — | — |
| 2002 | Love Songs | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | Największe przeboje | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | Le più belle canzoni di Al Bano & Romina Power | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Italienische Momente | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Le nostre emozioni | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Cantando in libertà... Le più belle canzoni | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | Un'ora con... | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | Vacanze Italiane | — | — | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [14][15] | AUT [10] | BEL [16] | FRA [17] | GER [11] | NLD [12] | SWI [18] | |||
| 1970 | "Storia di due innamorati" | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | A cavallo di due stili |
| 1975 | "Dialogo" | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Atto I |
| 1976 | "We'll Live It All Again (Lo riviveri)" | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1978 |
| "Des nuits entières" | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | Des nuits entières | |
| 1977 | "Prima notte d'amore" | — | — | — | 19 | — | — | — | 1978 |
| 1979 | "Et je suis à toi" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N/A |
| "Aria pura" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Aria pura | |
| 1981 | "Sharazan" | 2 | — | 14 | — | 7 | 15 | 1 | Felicità |
| 1982 | "Felicità" | 1 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 3 | |
| "Tu, soltanto tu (Mi hai fatto innamorare)" | 14 | 16 | — | 40 | 16 | — | 5 | Che angelo sei | |
| "Che angelo sei (Amore mio)" | — | — | — | — | 35 | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Ci sarà" | 1 | 13 | — | — | 51 | — | 7 | Effetto amore |
| "Canzone blu" | — | — | — | — | 57 | — | — | ||
| "Al ritmo de beguine (Ti amo)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Magic Oh Magic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N/A |
| 1986 | "Sempre sempre" | 47 | 3 | — | — | 33 | — | — | Sempre sempre |
| 1987 | "Nostalgia canaglia" | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Libertà!" | 19 | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | Libertà! | |
| 1988 | "Makassar" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Fragile" | — | — | — | — | — | 76 | — | Fragile | |
| 1989 | "Cara terra mia" | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Donna" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Donna per amore" | — | 21 | — | — | — | 52 | — | Fotografia di un momento |
| "Bussa ancora" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Fotografia" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Un altro Natale" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Weihnachten bei uns zu Hause | |
| 1991 | "Oggi sposi" | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Le più belle canzoni |
| "Vincerai" | — | — | — | — | 65 | — | — | Vincerai | |
| 1993 | "Domani, domani" | — | — | — | — | 72 | — | — | Notte e giorno |
| "(Torneremo a) Venezia" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Sha-E-O" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Na na na" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Emozionale |
| "Impossibile" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Anno 2000" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ancora... Zugabe |
| 1997 | "Ma il cuore" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Filmography
- Nel sole, directed by Aldo Grimaldi (1967)
- L'oro del mondo, directed by Aldo Grimaldi (1968)
- Il suo nome è Donna Rosa, directed by Ettore Maria Fizzarotti (1969)
- Pensando a te, directed by Aldo Grimaldi (1969)
- Mezzanotte d'amore, directed by Ettore Maria Fizzarotti (1970)
- Angeli senza paradiso, directed by Ettore Maria Fizzarotti (1970)
- Champagne in paradiso, directed by Aldo Grimaldi (1984)
Saturday, October 22, 2016
BIOGRAPHIES : RAINIER III PRINCE OF MONACO
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs in European history. Though internationally known for his marriage to the American actress Grace Kelly, he was also responsible for reforms to Monaco's constitution and for expanding the principality's economy beyond its traditional casino gambling base. Gambling accounts for only approximately three percent of the nation's annual revenue today; when Rainier ascended the throne in 1949, it accounted for more than 95 percent.
As of 2016, he was the last European monarch to have died on the throne.
Rainier was born in Monaco, the only son of Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois and his wife, the Monegasque Hereditary Princess, Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois. Rainier was the first native-born hereditary prince of Monaco since Honore IV in 1758. Rainier's mother was the only child of Prince Louis II of Monaco and Marie Juliette Louvet; she was later legitimized through formal adoption and subsequently named heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco. Rainier's father was a half-French, half-Mexican who adopted his wife's surname, Grimaldi, upon marriage and was made a prince of Monaco by Prince Louis, his father-in-law. Rainier had one sibling, Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy.
Rainier's early education was conducted in England, at the prestigious public schools of Summerfields in St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, and later at Stowe, in Buckinghamshire. After England, Rainier attended the Institut Le Rosey in Rolle and Gstaad, Switzerland from 1939, before continuing to the University of Montpellier in France, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943, and finally to the Institut d'études politiques de Paris in Paris.
In 1944, upon his 21st birthday, Rainier's mother renounced her right to the Monegasque throne and Rainier became Prince Louis's direct heir. In World War II Rainier joined the Free French Army in September 1944, and serving under General de Monsabert as a second lieutenant, and seeing action during the German counter-offensive in Alsace. He received the French Croix de Guerre with bronze star (representing a brigade level citation) and was given the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor in 1947. Following his decommission from the French Army, he was promoted by the French government as a captain in April 1949 and a colonel in December 1954.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Rainier had a ten-year relationship with the French film actress Gisèle Pascal, whom he had met while a student at Montpellier University, and the couple lived at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Rainier's sister, Princess Antoinette, wishing her own son to ascend the throne, spread rumours that Pascal was infertile. The rumours combined with a snobbery over Pascal's family origins ultimately ended the relationship.
Rainier became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco on the death of Louis II on 9 May 1949
After ascending the throne, Rainier worked assiduously to recoup Monaco's lustre, which had become tarnished through neglect (especially financial) and scandal (his mother, Princess Charlotte, took a noted jewel thief known as René the Cane as her lover). According to numerous obituaries, the prince was faced upon his ascension with a treasury that was practically empty. The small nation's traditional gambling clientele, largely European aristocrats, found themselves with reduced funds after World War II. Other gambling centers had opened to compete with Monaco, many of them successfully. To compensate for this loss of income, Rainier decided to promote Monaco as a tax haven, commercial center, real-estate development opportunity, and international tourist attraction. The early years of his reign saw the overweening involvement of the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who took control of the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) and envisioned Monaco as solely a gambling resort. Prince Rainier regained control of SBM in 1964, effectively ensuring that his vision of Monaco would be implemented. In addition, the Societé Monégasque de Banques et de Métaux Précieux, a bank which held a significant amount of Monaco's capital, was bankrupted by its investments in a media company in 1955, leading to the resignation of Monaco's cabinet.
As Prince of Monaco, Rainier was also responsible for the principality's new constitution in 1962 which significantly reduced the power of the sovereign. (He suspended the previous Constitution in 1959, saying that it "has hindered the administrative and political life of the country.") The changes ended autocratic rule, placing power with the prince and a National Council of eighteen elected members.
At the time of his death, he was the world's second longest-serving living head of state, ranking just below the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej.
After a year-long courtship described as containing "a good deal of rational appraisal on both sides" (The Times, 7 April 2005, page 59), Prince Rainier married Oscar-winning American actress Grace Kelly (1929–1982)[5] in 1956. The ceremonies in Monaco were on 18 April 1956 (civil) and 19 April 1956 (religious). Their children are:
Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, born 23 January 1957 and now HRH The Princess of Hanover;
Albert II, Prince of Monaco, born 14 March 1958, inherited the throne of Monaco;
Princess Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth, born 1 February 1965.
Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, born 23 January 1957 and now HRH The Princess of Hanover;
Albert II, Prince of Monaco, born 14 March 1958, inherited the throne of Monaco;
Princess Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth, born 1 February 1965.
In 1979, Prince Rainier made his acting debut alongside his wife Grace in a 33-minute independent film called Rearranged, produced in Monaco. According to co-star Edward Meeks, after premiering it in Monaco, Grace showed it to ABC TV executives in New York in 1982, who expressed interest if extra scenes were shot to make it an hour long. However, Grace died in a car crash caused by a stroke in 1982, making it impossible to expand the film for American release.
Rainier then may have been romantically involved with his second cousin, Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, a former actress turned jewellery designer, who is also a Fiat heiress and the former sister-in-law of fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. Princess Ira, like him, is a great-grandchild of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, the Scottish-German wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, though by Lady Mary's second marriage.
After Grace's death, Rainier refused to remarry
Rainier established a postal museum in 1950: the Museum of Stamps and Coins, in Monaco's Fontvieille district by using the collections of the Monegasque princes Albert I and Louis II. The prestigious philatelic collectors club Club de Monte-Carlo de l'Élite de la Philatélie was established under his patronage in 1999; the club has its headquarters at the museum, with its membership restricted to institutions and one hundred prestigious collectors. Rainier organized exhibitions of rare and exceptional postage stamps and letters with the club's members. Throughout his reign, Rainier surveyed all the process of creation of Monaco stamps. He liked stamps printed in intaglio and the art of engravers Henri Cheffer and Czesław Słania.
Rainier's car collection was opened to the public as the Monaco Top Cars Collection in Fontvieille
Prince Rainier smoked 60 cigarettes a day. In the last years of his life his health progressively declined. He underwent surgery in late 1999 and 2000, and was hospitalized in November 2002 for a chest infection. He spent three weeks in hospital in January 2004 for what was described as general fatigue. In February 2004, he was hospitalized with a coronary lesion and a damaged blood vessel.In October he was again in hospital with a lung infection. In November of that year, Prince Albert appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and told Larry King that his father was fine, though he was suffering from bronchitis.
On 7 March 2005, he was again hospitalized with a lung infection. Rainier was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit on 22 March. One day later, on 23 March, it was announced he was on a ventilator, suffering from renal and heart failure. On 26 March, the palace reported that despite intensive ongoing efforts to improve the prince's health, he was continuing to deteriorate; however, the following day, he was reported to be conscious, his heart and kidney conditions having stabilized. His prognosis remained "very reserved".
On 31 March 2005, following consultation with the Crown Council of Monaco, the Palais Princier announced that Rainier's son, Hereditary Prince Albert, would take over the duties of his father as regent since Rainier was no longer able to exercise his royal functions.
On 1 April 2005, the Palace announced that Rainier's doctors believe his chances of recovery were "slim";[19] on 6 April it announced that Prince Rainier had died in Monaco at 6:35 AM local time at the age of 81. He was succeeded by his only son, who became Prince Albert II.
He was buried on 15 April 2005, beside his wife, Princess Grace, at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral, the resting place of previous sovereign princes of Monaco and several of their wives, and the place where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had been married in 1956.
Because his death occurred shortly after that of Pope John Paul II, Rainier's death was overshadowed in the media. As a mark of respect, his family did not attend that year's Monaco Grand Prix.
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