Milva - Geheimnisse

Introduction

Milva (Maria Ilva Biolcati, 1939-2021) was an Italian singer and actress, whose remarkable voice was discovered in 1959 at a song contest at the age of 20. Throughout the 1960s she became a popular singer in Italy, releasing hundreds of singles and participating at the San Remo festival. Soon the songs of Milva found success outside of Italy, particularly in Japan, France and Germany. For her albums she regulary worked with acclaimed composers such as Ennio Morricone, Francis Lai, Mikis Theodorakis, Franco Battiato and.... Vangelis.

In 1980 Milva and Vangelis worked together for the first time on her album released as “Ich Hab’ Keine Angst” (with German lyrics), and as “Moi, Je n’ai Pas Peur” (with French lyrics) in 1981. The collaboration was a success, as in Milva recalled in 1986: “I met him (Vangelis) five years ago in London. The idea came from my German producer Klaus Ebert. So I chose music that he already had in the drawer. And with that first album "Ich Hab’ Keine Angst" I won a platinum record in Germany, where sales exceeded 500,000 copies. This new album was born last spring. I went to London for a month, Vangelis and I were meeting in his studio when we wanted to. This time, you can really say that he composed for me. Apart from his old 'Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall' of Aphrodite's Child, all the songs were born there, from our ‘improvisations’." Their second collaboration resulted in Milva’s latest album “Geheimnisse” (with German lyrics), also released as “Tra Due Sogni” (with Italian lyrics) in September 1986.

Both albums contain 10 songs, but each has one song that is not featured on the other (see below tracklist). All tracks are composed by Vangelis, except for ‘Die Letzte Carmen’ / ‘L’Ultima Carmen’ which is a cover of a composition by Georges Bizet from his classic opera. The song ‘Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall’ is a cover from the 1970 song by Aphrodite’s Child, originally sung by Demis Roussos. More interestingly the track 'In Sogno' on Tra Due Sogni is a new version of 'Da Oben Ist Sein Zimmer', a song already included on their first cooperative album "Ich Hab' Keine Angst" (1981).

Vangelis is credited as arranger of three songs: ‘Canto A Lloret’ / ‘Du Gibst Mir Mehr’, ‘Cuori Di Passagio’/ ‘Wuenche’ and ‘L’Ultima Carmen’ / ‘Die Letzte Carmen’, and based on the arrangement it is clear that Vangelis also plays synths on these songs.

To promote the album in Germany two singles were released: ‘Du Gibst Mir Mehr’ b/w ‘Etwas Mehr’ and ‘Du Hast Es Gut’ b/w ‘Der Morgen Danach’. Interesting for collectors is that two different versions exist of the ‘Du Gibst Mir Mehr’ 7” single, where one with 4:20 minute length is not only a shorter edit but also includes a different arrangement and mix compared to the album version! In France the Italian version of the album was supported with the release of both a 7” single and a rare 12” maxi single of ‘Canto A Lloret’. The same song was also released on a 7” single in Spain b/w ‘Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall’.

Milva must have liked Vangelis work, as in 1983 she covered more of his songs, i.e. 'I'll Find My Way Home' by Jon and Vangelis as 'Mehr Glück Als Verstand' on her German album “Unverkennbar”, and as 'Forse Chissa' on her Italian album “Identikit”. The last album also includes 'Dicono Di Me', an Italian cover of 'To The Unknown Man'. Some of the songs on "Ich Hab' Keine Angst" Milva also sang during her many live performances. A good example is the double LP live album "Das Konzert", which includes 'Ich Hab' Keine Angst', 'Kensst Du Das Auch', 'Er', Du Hast Es Gut', and 'Da Oben Ist Sein Zimmer'.

Throughout her career Milva became a famous singer in Italy and internationally, and she received several honors and awards in Italy, France and Germany. Milva continued singing until her retirement in 2011, and sadly passed away aged 81 on the 23rd of April 2021 in her home in Milan.

Tracklist and credits

Geheimnisse	Tra Due Sogni	song
Du Gibst Mir Mehr¹ Wuensche¹ Etwas Mehr Arie Die Letzte Carmen¹,² Ich Weiss, Was Ich Will Wie Wolken Dreizehn Tueren Deine Frau - Venedig Im Winter	Canto A Lloret¹ Cuori Di Passagio¹ Un Pomeriggio E 1/2 Desiderato Sogno L'Ultima Carmen¹,² A Tradimento Blue Notte Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall Un Altro Maggio In Sogno -	Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Thursday Morning The Painter Spanish Dream Carmen Silence In The Dark Search For The Truth Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall Other Side Of The Universe Finale Shady Blue