Mario Biondi is one of the few Italian artists who can claim some sort of esteem and
saleability outside Italy, perhaps on account of the characteristics of his kind of
music, or perhaps because he sings in English.
Before taking on a huge number of concerts in major European and Asian capitals,
he embarked on a tour of theatres in Italy to mark the release of his latest work
BEYOND. This album also features foreign artists and producers.
Jo Campana, the Lighting Designer who has worked with Biondi for several years,
briefly described how the tour lighting design came about.
“After a discussion with Mario and after listening to his new album, I tried to steer
my work so that it diverged from the Mario’s past and supported his intention to
seek out and discover new musical horizons,’ he said.
“My idea was to create an elegant stage concept, with just a touch of innovation,
that would be able to convey a sense of freshness and modernity. The most
characteristic elements were the two wide LED curtains which spread out from the
backdrop over the stage right up to the proscenium under four transparent
accessible Plexiglas platforms. A third beam appeared at the back in the middle
later on in the show, when a moving section of the backdrop revealed 36 array-
configured moving LED spotlights.’
“The chance to work in traditional theatres allowed me to put together a pretty
standardized lighting design with three levels of battens and a fair number of
footlights, which I particularly like.’
“The tour logistics and economic sustainability affected my choice of kind and
number of lights. The best solution was to use Clay Paky Sharpy Wash units and
Alpha Spot HPE 700s. I have used both of these lights before and I knew they would
guarantee the results,’ he continued.
“The summer tour is now going ahead effortlessly: I find all the material on site and
only take the console with me. However the second part in theatres and
auditoriums in Italy will start in October with the whole production in tow.”
