Lucio Corsi, on tour across the island this past weekend with two stops in Sassari and Lanusei, is learning to play the launeddas. The Tuscan singer-songwriter, runner-up at the Sanremo Music Festival and winner of two Tenco awards, wasted no time in receiving the precious instrument, a symbol of the island, as a gift from a Sardinian fan. He showed himself in several videos posted to his Instagram stories, starting to play and making an appeal: "Launeddas teacher wanted."
The instrument was built by Stefano Cara, a 32-year-old craftsman from Quartu, a barber and musician who plays and builds launeddas.
"They asked me to make some launeddas because they were supposed to give them to Lucio Corsi for his concert in Sassari," Cara explains, "and I was very happy to do it because Corsi is a great artist who plays many instruments and, above all, loves instruments. If he needs some lessons, I'm available." To Lucio Corsi, she wants to tell him that "playing them isn't easy; they're not like a flute, but if you put in the effort, it's beautiful. First you have to work on the wind, then on the nodas, which are the first musical phrases, starting with the mancosedda and then with the whole instrument." For years, Cara has been bringing the instrument's distinctive sound to festivals and processions, treating it with passion and care. The same passion and care will undoubtedly be shown by Lucio Corsi, who has repeatedly emphasized that "instruments have always fascinated and captivated me and have saved me from trouble."
