The Grazia Deledda Choir of Nuoro will be featured on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. at the former Seminario theater, with an evening dedicated to Christmas carols and the Sardinian choral tradition.
The initiative is promoted by the Natural Commercial Center of Cuglieri with the sponsorship of the Region of Sardinia and the Municipality of Cuglieri and is part of the activities to promote the businesses of the CCN and the territory of Cuglieri.
A good opportunity for all our businesses to attract new customers who will be in our village for the event and an important moment for the community to meet and spend a few hours in company and listen to one of the most appreciated choirs in the panorama of Sardinian polyphonic choral music.
The history of the Grazia Deledda Choir.
The choir was founded by a group of young people from Nuoro who were passionate about choral singing back in 1987, forming the sixth choir in the city of Nuoro. They obtained the support of Banneddu Ruiu, who is still known today as among the best choral masters in Sardinia. Maestro Ruiu was the first to give real meaning to traditional melodies and to create the first pieces of folk-inspired cultured music. Even today, the recording made with the then Barbagia Choir, entitled “Sardegna Canta e Prega,” is remembered as the greatest of all Sardinian and Nuoro choir recordings.
The choir’s original name was Coro Folk Polifonico di Banneddu Ruiu, but in 1990 it was changed to Associazione Culturale Coro Grazia Deledda. The choir was officially formed in the same year at a notary’s office. The early years were devoted to mastering Banneddu’s vast repertoire. These included popular songs such as Adios Nugoro amada, Non potho reposare, Cunservet Deus su Re and In su Monte ‘e Gonare, as well as religious hymns such as Deus ti salvet Maria, Non mi giamedas Maria and Stabat Mater. The choir’s inaugural performance was held at the Teatro Eliseo in Nuoro on June 8, 1988.
The large audience applauded the choir’s debut and officially welcomed it to the world.
Maestro Ruiu was forced to discontinue his collaboration with the choir after two years, and the responsibility of artistic direction was taken over by the late Antonello Congiu, a founding member of the choir who passed away in 2007. The tribute to Grazia Deledda, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926, is not only an emblematic gesture, but also a way to underscore the organization’s commitment to the research and study of cultural traditions, particularly with regard to the protection and dissemination of language and customs.
Efforts were made to further enhance the musical aspect, taking advantage of the favorable results already achieved. In 1996, the artistic direction was entrusted to Maestro Paolo Flumini, a graduate of the “G.P.L. da Palestrina” Conservatory of Singing in Cagliari and winner of the “Santa Cecilia” Academy of Music choral competition in Rome. The collaboration with Maestro Flumini, which continued until the end of 2000, enabled the choristers to perfect themselves and produce their first CD, entitled “Intro su Coro.”
During this period, Maestro Flumini’s pieces were updated by incorporating the works of other composers. One of these pieces is “Sardigna,” an extraordinary song, created by the great Stanislao (Lao) Silesu of Samassi, on the words of Desulese poet Antioco Casula “Montanaru.” The popularity of this song led to the recognition of Silesu, one of the most famous Sardinian composers, not only in the world but also in his homeland. His heirs granted the Association exclusive permission to perform “Sardigna.”
The work of two Nuoro poets, Franzischinu Satta and Leonardo Berria, who both sadly passed away in 2001, is celebrated through their set to music rhymes. In 1998, the Association made a big impact on the city’s cultural scene with its participation in Gavino Poddighe’s show “Sa die de sa Sardigna,” entitled “The Signs of Roots.” It was a great success, with Sebastiano Satta Square filled to capacity.
The final goal of producing an album was finally achieved in October 2000.