Lina Sastri bringing Neapolitan breeze to İstanbul

You are not only a singer but also an actress of the stage and screen. How do you describe the difference between being on the stage acting and singing?

Singing and acting are totally different spheres. When you live a story and act in a role, you let the audience observe you, and you lend all your body, mimics and voice to that role. But when you sing, you are offering your voice to the audience, and you communicate your emotions directly through your music and voice.

Your range of work goes from classical theater to musicals, and you also performed modern theater. Which of these nourishes you most in the artistic sense?

There is no difference for me, both when it comes to modern theater and classical theater; I choose whatever attracts me. When I play a role, I choose beauty.

Your most recent movie, Giuseppe Tornatore’s “Baaria,” was shown at the Venice film festival. What was the reaction in Venice?

That was a fantastic experience with Giuseppe Tornatore, and I experienced many deep emotions throughout the Venice festival. I played speaking in a Sicilian dialect -- which I don’t know -- in two different roles, but the success of the movie is owed to the director, for sure. The movie was nominated for the Italian film Oscars. It’s a great honor and privilege for me to work with Tornatore. He is such a great talent, and he is a very good person.

You began your singing career with soundtracks for your films, but did you ever dream of a singing career in the beginning?

I started with my career as an actress, and I am still an actress, although I also sing. When you are on stage, you always feel like you are [acting] in theater, even when you sing.

Your first hit was the song “Assaie” from the soundtrack of the 1983 movie “Mi manda Picone.” Was that a surprise for you?

“Mi manda Picone” was my first important film under the direction of Nanni Loy with the famous actor Giancarlo Giannini. This movie was my first opportunity to get my first David Di Donatello Award [dubbed the “Italian Oscar”]. I asked Pino Daniele to write a song exclusively for the film, and that song, “Assaie,” became a big success in Italy.

You then decided to go on with your career with your own region’s music, with Neapolitan songs. How did you make this decision?

I never planned to have a career in singing. One night, I accidentally found myself singing the song “Reginella,” which is a song that great Italian actress Anna Magnani loves very much, and that moment I discovered how much I loved the music from my own land, and I realized how I loved to sing. Then I decided to choose to sing the songs of my own land in my own way.

How would you describe Neapolitan songs?

Classical Neapolitan songs were all written by great poets and musicians and are for that reason all masterpieces. Their stories come from real history, and they are all unique stories with beautiful melodies and rhythms that melt your soul with a universal language. They are timeless.

Music critics say you also sing in the style of the Portuguese fado. What are the similarities between fado and Neapolitan songs?

Alfama is one of the oldest districts of Lisbon, and it is an old Neapolitan district. The way of singing there is very similar to the Neapolitan way of singing, but in fact no one imitates the other. Whenever a song needs a little bit of melancholy, [the singing style] in almost each and every Mediterranean city feels similar in its way of telling stories and feelings.

You combine acting with singing and dance in your stage shows. How do you define your live shows?

My stage show is like a theater performance that [focuses on] music, and it’s like music that turns into theater. I communicate my emotions through music, through words and my body. I am not a dancer, but my way of singing and my way of acting as an actress are highly physical. You can transmit your feelings of that moment in a better way using small bodily details.

You also add some classical music, and even tango, to your repertoire.

Neapolitan songs feel like tango when it comes to the structure of rhythm. Immigrants from the south of Italy somehow spread their seeds into different parts of the world. I guess there are historical connections between tango and Neapolitan songs. The way of singing and the lyrics of tango songs can easily feel Neapolitan.

You once shared the same stage with the legendary Ray Charles. How did it feel to be on the same stage with him?

It was a kind of gift from fate, like singing with Caetano Veloso or Dee Dee Bridgewater without any rehearsals. I repeat myself, but music is a universal language.

You also took part in a project in which Astor Piazzolla set poems by Borges to music. Can you tell us about this unique project?

A group of Argentinean musicians asked me to sing their music, and I did it with great pleasure and curiosity. I would love to be involved in more collaborations such as this because they help you communicate with other cultures. Also, Argentinean music is quite familiar to me because I started to sing Argentinean songs a long time ago and also know tango very well. It is very nice to make such connections between those styles. Going from Neapolitan to fado or to tango feels nice because the roots are common.

You are going to perform in İstanbul for the first time on Dec. 23. Do you have any impressions of İstanbul?

I have never been to İstanbul, but I know that it’s a beautiful city. It’s a pity that I will have very limited time on my first visit to İstanbul, but this will be a beginning; I will at least go on a quick tour and come back soon to feel the city more. I want to feel the history of the city.

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming projects?

After the 2010 fall season, I will take a break from acting for a while, and you are going to see me exclusively as a singer because music means freedom and I feel like I need some air for the moment.