Gioielli rubati– Alice canta Battiato is the seventh studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Alice, released in 1985 on EMI Music.

History

The album, whose title translates as Stolen Jewels – Alice sings Battiato, followed the highly successful 1984 single and Eurovision Song Contest entry "I treni di Tozeur", a duet with the composer. Gioielli rubati includes songs from Battiato's pop albums L'era del cinghiale bianco (1979), Patriots (1980), La voce del padrone (1981), L'arca di Noè (1982) and Orizzonti perduti (1983). "Luna indiana" ("Indian Moon"), loosely based on Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and originally largely instrumental had new lyrics penned by Francesco Messina, partly spoken and partly sung by Alice. Just like the preceding single "I treni di Tozeur", the album prominently features strings courtesy of the opera house La Scala, arranged and conducted by classical composer Roberto Cacciapaglia.

The opening track "Prospettiva Nevski", minutely detailing a cold winter's day at Saint Petersburg's Nevsky Prospekt in the early 20th century, became Alice's best-selling solo single in Continental Europe and Scandinavia since her breakthrough with Sanremo music festival winner "Per Elisa" in 1981, and despite the fact that it originally was recorded by Battiato, it today counts as one of her signature tunes in Italy. Further single releases from the Gioielli rubati album include "Summer on A Solitary Beach", "Luna Indiana" and "Il Re del Mondo". Franco Battiato himself released the album Mondi lontanissimi the same year, which also included a new version of "Il Re del Mondo" as well as solo interpretations of "I treni di Tozeur" and "Chan-son Egocentrique", both previously recorded as duets with Alice.

A re-recorded version of "Prospettiva Nevski" with the London Session Orchestra was included in the 2000 career retrospective Personal Jukebox (along with three other Alice/Battiato remakes not originating from Gioielli rubati).

All tracks from the Gioielli rubati album were included on the EMI budget compilation Alice canta Battiato in 1997, in addition to the seven other Battiato penned tracks released by Alice on her albums thus far. On her later albums, Alice has recorded half a dozen further Battiato songs.

In 2022, Alice released Eri con me (Sedici canzoni di Franco Battiato) with I Solisti Filarmonici Italiani, an album of 16 Battiato songs, 11 of which were entirely new in the Alice discography.

Track listing

Side A

  1. "Prospettiva Nevski" (Franco Battiato) – 3:39
  2. "Il Re del Mondo" (Franco Battiato) – 2:57
  3. "Mal d'Africa" (Franco Battiato) – 2:56
  4. Segnali di vita" (Franco Battiato) – 3:35
  5. "Le aquile" (Fleur Jaeggy, Franco Battiato) – 2:55

Side B

  1. "Summer on a Solitary Beach" (Franco Battiato) – 4:32
  2. "Gli uccelli" (Franco Battiato) – 4:07
  3. "Un'altra vita" (Franco Battiato) – 3:31
  4. "Luna indiana" (Francesco Messina, Franco Battiato) – 3:22

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1985)Peak massima
Austria12
Germany42
Sweden15
Switzerland13

External links