OUR ACTIVITIES

After a first period of solo activity, MARENOSTRUM made its debut as a group on July 4^th, 1998 in Abbasanta (Sardinia). In September the new band played at the international festival Dall’isola dell’isola di una penisola in Carloforte. In this occasion they also recorded their first CD live, Ricordo… Carloforte 4-9-98, a multicolour manifesto of the project, which was later presented in Carloforte on Jan. 2nd, 1999. Some of its tracks were broadcast by Radio RAI International, by the German national radio WDR, which also transmitted an interview to Mario Brai, and by the Swiss national radio RSI 2.

The following year the MARENOSTRUM project landed in September at the 17^th Culture Month in Ghilarza, where it also offered a tribute to the recently departed artist Fabrizio De Andrè, and in December, with a smaller format, at Emmas Festival in Olbia.

The second CD, Millenovecentonovantadieci, recorded live in Ghilarza, was presented in Siena on Apr. 19th 2000, in Cagliari on June 28^th and in Malta, within the University festival “Evenings on campus”, on Aug. 17^th (a service on this last performance is broadcast by Maltese National TV, while Mario Brai also appears in a talk show on Maltese NET TV). Some tracks from this album were broadcast, together with an interview to Mario Brai, by Controradio in Florence, by Notturno Italiano of RAI 2, by RAI International and by Radio Press in Cagliari. In summer 2000 the group’s activities sped up with the participation to the benefit performance Ichnos (Jun 18th) and to the Sardinian Wine Expo in Cagliari on June 23rd. On Aug. 23rd MARENOSTRUM landed at the Mediterranean Festival in Bisceglie (Bari), with a concert that saw the participation of an esteemed special guest, guitarist Riccardo Zappa. Still in Bisceglie, on Aug. 25^th they also gave their contribution to the multimedia performance Oracles, where they played with Greek singer Georgia Sylleou, bass player Rino Zurzolo, the percussion group Etno Drums, Provençal group Gai Saber and many others. On Aug 28^th MARENOSTRUM played at the “Summer in Florence” festival, with a concert enriched by the participation as a special guest of the famous Italian violinist Mauro Pagani. On Sep. 2nd the project was presented in Carloforte within the international festival, and later in the month the group performed on several Sardinian stages.

One of their songs, E disette de zenà, is included in the compilation of traditional music from the south-west of Sardinia, Tajrà vol. II, released at the beginning of January^.