On December 23rd at 19.00:2014 pm, Le Mani Avanti will begin, a proudly and noisily pop a cappella choir. Born in 2015 as a choral laboratory directed by Gabriele D'Angelo (Gabriele Dorme Poco; Anonima Armonisti, Occhi Chiusi In Mare Aperto), in 2016/30 it took on the appearance of a real choir with the sudden increase in the ensemble which currently consists of about 35/XNUMX elements.
The repertoire ranges from pop, soul and rock, from Michael Jackson to Florence and the machine, from Sia to Frank Sinatra, from Ivano Fossati to Stevie Wonder. The voice is the only instrument used in the musical performance, with an identity work characterized by constant research, dealing exclusively with original arrangements written by Gabriele D'Angelo. The work on the songs includes unconventional subdivisions, with a less orthodox approach compared to the choral tradition and more in style with the world of overseas vocal groups. Another important focus of Le Mani Avanti is linked to vocal improvisation in the style of circle singing and vocal summit, in which the choristers try their hand at building extemporaneous songs, based on exclusively vocal and unprepared loops.
Their “social debut” took place at the same time as the Vokalfest 2015 in Rome, a few months later they were called to sing at the Musicantium and the following year they were finalists at the Winter Vocal Fest, where they took home the award for best solo.
In January 2017 they took part in the Come Libri festival at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, an event during which they arranged and performed a cappella some pieces from Bertolt Brecht's repertoire, alternating on stage with the actor Luigi Lo Cascio. After another year of work, in the summer of 2018 Le Mani Avanti entered the studio to record their first album, “Martedì”, currently available on all digital platforms. The album, as well as the show that the choir offers, reflects the urgency of shared music and of communicating through an instrument that unites us all: the voice. In 2019 they took part in the iPop Festival for the first time and in July of the same year they were invited to participate in the Napoli Teatro Festival, and were the first a cappella choir to be selected in the music section of the festival. At the beginning of 2020, Covid caused a partial and long stop in the choir's activity, which nevertheless tried to remain active remotely.
During the spring of 2021 they released on all digital platforms “Hot Knife”, an a cappella cover of the song by Fiona Apple, made entirely thanks to recordings made only with cell phones. The related video clip was also made by the choir members independently, and the result is a strong testimony of those months of lockdown and interpersonal distance. In the last two years the choir has resumed its activities regularly and in the summer of 2023 it was called to open the concert of Fabrizio Bosso at the Tolfa Jazz Festival. The proceeds of the event will be donated to charity to Christian Gravante, amico di tutti, the non-profit association that helps disadvantaged children by donating scholarships.
Article published on 19 December 2023 - 11:03
