Time.news – “My absence from the podium of the festival it has nothing to do with the dispute undertaken with Rai for over five years”: maestro Peppe Vessicchio, historical face of the Sanremo Festival, explains it to Time.news, who this year will not be on the orchestral podium of the kermesse.
With the intention of clarifying some rumors leaked in recent days about his relations with Rai, Vessicchio recalls: “I was there in the last edition as well as in the previous ones. I do not deny the coldness of relations with Rai since the dispute began. In the programs managed directly by Rai, therefore not under contract, the writing office blocks my engagement procedure. They say there is an internal law that prevents collaborative relationships with those who undertake litigation with the state-owned company. Who knows if it really exists”.
The maestro goes on to underline that “in recent years I have only been able to work for the institution through contractors, such as Endemol, in the case of the ‘Prodigi’ program broadcast in prime time on Raiuno. Seen this way it looks more like a subtle coercive threat. Being then able to go on the air because you have been hired by a contractor, this rule also lacks coherence. By now everyone knows that I am allowed to participate in the festival because the directors are engaged directly by the record companies and not by Rai “
And why then is he not conducting at the festival this year?
“Because this year I didn’t participate in record productions by artists invited by the artistic director to compete on the Ariston tables. That’s all. Sooner or later it would happen… wouldn’t it? And it happened”, conclude.