In Genuri, at the foot of the Giara di Gesturi, they sang among the thousand-year-old stones of the San Marco nuraghe. In Arbus, instead, they chose the “desert of Sardinia” as their stage: the infinite dunes of Piscinas, combed by the wind and cradled by the cobalt blue sea. But their voices also resonated among the verdant limestone walls of the Su Marmuri caves in Ulassai. Up to the last effort: Seui and the astonishing scenery of the Ardasai nuraghe, up there at a thousand meters above sea level where the sky seems within reach of your fingers and in the background stands out, unmistakable, the primordial shape of Mount Perda Liana. Breathtaking music and scenery. Emotions, a river.

The project

Scattered frames from “A choir, an island”, the ambitious video-musical project that masterfully mixes aerial shots of the natural beauty of Sardinia and singing in limba (but not only). The idea was conceived by the director of the Coro Carrales, Giuseppe Altea, a 47-year-old from Arbus, a graduate in music education and studies at the Conservatory, one of the most appreciated composers on the island. «The idea is simple: combine music with images to enhance the sites and territories of our beautiful land», he explains. A project that is collecting consensus and already has four original songs and as many spectacular videos shot with a drone in some of the most breathtaking corners of Sardinia, all online on the Carrales YouTube page.

The first act

"The initiative took shape through the first video, made inside the "Su Marmuri" caves of Ulassai, with the song "Savitri" whose lyrics are by Soleandro, while the harmonization for male choir was made by me on the music of the song "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran", says Altea. The video, published on the Facebook page of the Coro Carrales, obtained 45 thousand views and thousands of shares in a few days. "The exceptional result has encouraged the interest of numerous municipal administrations, as well as the request for a performance by the Coro Carrales to enhance the most important sites of their territories through music", continues the director.

The other videos

So the Carrales landed on the dunes of Piscinas, in the heart of the Marina di Arbus, where the second video was made in collaboration with the municipal administration. «The song chosen is “Cuore e vento” by Tazenda/Modà, of which I made a harmonization for male choir, a true hymn to nature», continues Altea. In less than a week the video has achieved 10 thousand views on YouTube and a thousand shares on Facebook. Obviously attracting the attention of other Sardinian municipalities interested in the project. Hence the third stop: the Nuragic area of Genuri, the ideal setting for the song “Bentu de Sardigna” (lyrics written by Pietro Pala, music by Altea). The latest video – the work of Dorgali filmmaker Vincenzo Fancello, online since last Saturday – was shot in Seui, where the song “Su bolu 'e sa turulìa” (lyrics by Pietro Pala, music by Altea) echoed through the alleys of the town and the granites of the Nuragic complex of Ardasai, collecting more than 1,500 views in a handful of days. «We are proud of what we are achieving», concludes Altea. «I believe that there is nothing better than music to promote a territory, the mix with images is explosive, it reaches the soul».

With him the other members of the Carrales (“fraternal friends” in Sardinian), a choir that has its operational headquarters in Cagliari but whose members include university students and former university students from every corner of Sardinia. A choir, an island. Exactly.

Max Ledda

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