Fembio Special: Famous Italian Women
Milva
(Maria Ilva Biolcati)
born on July 17, 1939 in Goro near Ferrara/ Italy
died on April 23, 2021 in Milan/ Italy
Italian singer and actress
85th birthday on July 17, 2024
Biography
Maria Ilva Biolcati, known internationally as Milva, was an extremely versatile singer. Whether chansons, pop songs, opera arias or Brecht/Weill compositions - the woman with the dramatic red hair (hence her nickname La Rossa) mastered them all with equal virtuosity.
Born into a family of fishmongers, she had to begin working at an early age as her father had squandered away most of the family’s money. After training as a singer, Milva started out as a nightclub singer; at the age of 21, she won an RAI talent competition and landed her first recording contract. In 1961, she achieved her breakthrough in Italy by winning third place at the San Remo Festival. She also appeared as an actress for the first time and married her manager Maurizio Corgnati the same year. Their only daughter Martina was born in 1963.
In the following decades, Milva became an internationally acclaimed star. She sang in many languages, but was particularly popular in Germany and France. Her collaboration with Giorgio Strehler led Milva to work intensively on Brecht interpretations, including rarely heard and rediscovered gems. She was also Astor Piazzolla's favorite singer; no other singer had been able to breathe so much life into his tango creations. Milva appeared in leading opera roles at La Scala in Milan, and in Paris she sang in Brecht's Threepenny Opera as Ginny Jenny. Milva dedicated one of her tours to the chansons of Edith Piaf. Renowned composers such as Theodorakis and Morricone wrote songs for her, and Herbert Grönemeyer and Udo Lindenberg, among others, collaborated with her on German record productions. She appeared in several films, acting alongside Gina Lollobrigida and under the direction of Werner Herzog.
Her private life, however, was marked by misfortune. Her marriage to Corgnati ended in 1969 and from 1986-96 she lived with the actor Luigi Pistilli, who suffered increasingly from depression and who committed suicide in April 1996.
Milva had initially planned to stop performing in 1992, but after experiencing a magnificent comeback in 1994, she continued to sing on stages all over the world for many more years. (Text from 2008)
Milva died in Milan on April 23, 2021 at the age of 81.
Milva felt a close connection to Germany throughout her life. The pop songs she sung in German and her interpretations of Brecht in particular made her known to a wide audience. Her greatest German successes include “Freiheit ist meine Sprache,” “Hurra wir leben noch” and “Alexanderplatz.”
On June 1, 2006, the singer and actress was awarded the Order of Merit First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany “in recognition of her special services to the Federal Republic of Germany.”
The CD Milva canta Merini (Milva sings Merini), released in 2004, is considered a unique and fascinating interplay of song and poetry. In it, she interpreted texts by the Italian poet Alda Merini, displaying her wide vocal range and profound versatility. (Addendum 2024 by Evi Ferrarini)
(Translated with DeepL.com; edited by Ramona Fararo, 2024)
Please consult the German version for additional information (pictures, sources, videos, bibliography).
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