Today’s song is a rare version of ‘Come Back to Sorento’. Sometimes known as ‘Torna a Surriento’, this is a Neapolitan song composed in 1902 by Italian musician Ernesto De Curtis to words by his brother, the poet and painter Giambattista De Curtis. The song was copyrighted officially in 1905 and has become one of the most popular songs of this traditional genre, which include others such as ‘O Solo Mio’, ‘Funicula’ and ‘Santa Lucia’. This version I sing you today was composed by Claude Aveling in 1911.
'Torna a Surriento' has been sung by performers as diverse as: Frank Sinatra: Beniamino Gigli: Elvis Presley: Dean Martin: Jerry Vale: Enrico Caruso: Jose Carreras: Placido Domingo: Luciano Pavatotti : Meat Loaf: Mario Lanza: Paul Anka and Alfie Boe, among many others. This song peaked at Number 17 on the ‘Billboard Top 200’.
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In 2017, Sheila and I had a month's holiday travelling through Europe by car, as having no immune system with my terminal blood cancer makes all flying in aircraft ‘off bounds’ to me now due to the recycled air factor, along with crowds in trains and on other public transport means. The last time I flew on a holiday to Crete, I was laid up in bed violently sick for half of my holiday.
My favourite European country (apart from my motherland, Ireland) has been Italy, ever since Sheila and I spent our first holiday there in Sorrento together in 2011. We also returned in 2017, as do all couples who have been smitten by Sorrento. Recently, Sheila discovered a rare version of this song written in 1911 by Claude Aveling. Sheila even discovered a rare recording of this version by the Irish singer Josef Locke.
I dedicate today’s song to the Italian friend whose home we stayed a few days at whist visiting Rome in 2017, Giusy Lazzaretti. Giusy and her husband were most generous to us during our brief stay at their house in Rome and couldn’t go far enough out of their way to help us. We met them as guests in their house and left their home as friends, with an open invitation to return free of charge anytime.
We were extremely happy when Giusy came to stay for two weeks in 2018. She loved Howarth and its beautiful surrounding scenery and its quietness. She spent a lot of her time walking up and down Main Street, around the entire area and across the moors. Giusy also helped us during her stay, humping hundreds of heavy paving slabs up to our allotment from my car at the roadside, as we were in the process of extensive improvements to it.
Just like the song invites the listener to 'return to Sorrento', Giusy, when are you going to ‘return to Haworth’ to stay with us again? Make it soon our friend. Bill and Sheila x
Love and peace Bill xxx