Tomorrow at 9:30 pm, in Porto Cervo's main square, a classic summer event promoted by the Costa Smeralda Consortium returns: the Sardinian Gala, entirely dedicated to folk music.
Following the success of Francesco Gabbani, who drew over 5,000 spectators to the Abbiadori sports field for a stunning live performance, Istentales are back to Porto Cervo to close the Gala, celebrating their 30-year career with the Emerald City crowd. The group was formed in Nuoro in March 1995, inspired by their singer, Gigi Sanna, and was the island's first agro-pastoral musical group. The debut lineup included Gigi Sanna (guitar and vocals), Luca Floris (drums), Sandro Canova (bass), and Luciano Pigliaru (keyboards and vocals), who left the group in 2000.
Over the years, several musicians have come and gone, but the core group has remained unchanged: Sanna, Canova, and Floris. After 17 CDs and several singles with editorial releases, in 2025 they released a book and a celebratory album, "30 Years Always with You": an emotional journey during which they had the fortune of collaborating with numerous national artists with millions of album sales, first and foremost the one the Istentales consider their "life mentor," Pierangelo Bertoli, with whom they shared the stage for five seasons.
This year's concert, dedicated to the sounds, songs, and dances of the island, will be divided into two parts: the first will feature four of the most interesting groups in the regional folk scene, showcasing their extraordinary ability to pass on a wealth of invaluable traditions. Two renowned performers of folk music reworked in an ethno-pop style will then take the stage in Porto Cervo with their signature tunes. Opening the show will be the tenor Su Cunsonu Santu Juanne from Thiesi, one of the island's most popular vocal quartets. This will be followed by the instrumental virtuosity of Giampaolo and Pierpaolo Piredda's Organeddas and the evocative voices of the Terra Galana male choir from Monti. And there's more: traditional dances with the minifolk group from the Pro Loco di Posada, led by Arduino and Roberta Carta, and accompanied on the accordion by Andrea Marongiu. The beginning of the second part will feature singer-songwriter Marta Schirru, one of the new voices of Sardinian music with her rhythmic and refined melodies that appeal to a wide range of audiences, from young people to families and those over 60.
(Unioneonline)
