Vor kurzem erreichte unser Pressebüro eine Interviewanfrage von einer freien Journalistin, die angibt, für deutschsprachige Frauenzeitschriften in Deutschland, der Schweiz und Österreich zu schreiben. Der Hintergrund dieser Anfrage ist für mich äußerst belastet. Vor etwa 15 Jahren hatte ich derselben Journalistin in gutem Glauben und damals noch recht unerfahren ein ausführliches Interview gegeben. Die damalige Zusammenarbeit entwickelte sich zu einem folgenschweren Problem:

An jene Fans, die in ihrer Arroganz glauben, dass Caterina Valente ohne ihre unautorisierten Bemühungen vergessen wäre: Eure Anmaßung ist eine Beleidigung ihres Vermächtnisses und ein tiefgreifendes Missverständnis der Künstlerin selbst. Ihr handelt unter der falschen und selbstverherrlichenden Vorstellung, die illegale Verbreitung von Audio- und Videomaterial sei ein nobler Dienst, der sie angeblich als "nie endende Ikone" erhalte. Ihr habt euch selbst zu den Architekten ihrer Erinnerung ernannt, ohne jemals einen Moment inne zu halten, um ihre eigenen Wünsche zu bedenken.

Rita Moreno is a true force of nature—a dazzlingly original and multitalented legend of international show business. Her status as one of the elite EGOT winners is not only deserved but a testament to her unparalleled artistry.My personal admiration soared upon seeing her iconic scene in The Ritz. When her character defiantly shouts, "Caterina Valente was a plastic Puerto Rican!" I was left in stitches.

Tourists to the United States would have to reveal their social media activity from the last five years, under new Trump administration plans. The mandatory new disclosures would apply to the 42 countries whose nationals are currently permitted to enter the US without a visa, including longtime US allies Britain, France, Australia, Germany and Japan. In a notice published…

While many re-issue labels, including major entities like Warner Germany and EMI, have handled the catalog of the legendary Caterina Valente, it was the British label **Dutton/Vocalion** that set the definitive standard. They distinguished themselves through an unwavering commitment to legal integrity, acquiring full licenses directly from the master owners, and through a dedication to quality that surpassed even the original rights holders and esteemed specialty labels like Bear Family.

*Au ja, großartig.* Offenbar herrscht auf Facebook gerade ein *riesiges Trara* wegen unserer Aussage zu illegalen Veröffentlichungen aus dem Caterina-Valente-Archiv. Man hat uns tatsächlich *höchst subtil* wissen lassen, dass dort einige *liebevoll formulierte* Kommentare gepostet wurden. Aber, wie man so schön sagt: *„Wenn man Hater hat, macht man etwas richtig“* – was natürlich bedeutet, dass Kritik und Negativität ein klares Zeichen dafür sind, dass man auf dem richtigen Weg ist, Normen herausfordert und einfach *zu wundervoll* für diese Welt ist.

Bear Family Records has a long history with the catalog of Caterina Valente. Their work began in the 1980s with successful vinyl reissues of her 1950s recordings. Throughout the 1990s, they released numerous CD boxes and singles, all properly licensed from the master rights holders. Caterina Valente's direct involvement in these projects was limited. She contributed only to the box set…

Oh, *perfect*. A free afternoon. I was just thinking, “How can I best spend my time? Perhaps composing a symphony? Philanthropy? No—I know! I’ll descend into the digital sewers and wallow in the same clickbait sludge that makes me lament the downfall of civilization.” Yes, it’s truly inspiring: all those profound, deeply researched YouTube documentaries about… what I ate for breakfast in 1997, and how it connects to Cher’s third cousin’s hairdresser.

click to play the video Oh, *perfect*. A free afternoon. I was just thinking, “How can I best spend my time? Perhaps composing a symphony? Philanthropy? No—I know! I’ll descend into the digital sewers and wallow in the same clickbait sludge that makes me lament the downfall of civilization.” Yes, it’s truly inspiring: all those profound, deeply researched YouTube documentaries about… what I ate for breakfast in 1997, and how it connects to Cher’s third cousin’s hairdresser.

I posted something yesterday. It wasn't a rant. It wasn't an opinion. It was a simple, unvarnished, inconvenient **truth**. I slept on it. And when I woke up, the realization hit me like a bucket of ice water in a burning house. **Nobody. Gives. A. Shit.** Not a single, solitary damn. I was a fool. An absolute relic. Standing in the digital town square holding up a raw diamond, only to realize everyone else is happily trading in polished rhinestones and painted dog shit.

So here we are in Switzerland and Italy, and I find myself thinking about my mother, who had the incredible privilege of performing in concert with the composer and genius, Michel Legrand. In the shadow of that legacy, I feel a deep, almost daunting, pull to share a song. It’s a song first brought to sublime life by none other than Barbra Streisand, with lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman.

So here we are in Switzerland and Italy, and I find myself thinking about my mother, who had the incredible privilege of performing in concert with the composer and genius, Michel Legrand. In the shadow of that legacy, I feel a deep, almost daunting, pull to share a song. It’s a song first brought to sublime life by none other than Barbra Streisand, with lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Ah, yes. Let me take you back. Sundance, the tail end of the ‘80s. I met a lovely German musicals producer—who, it turned out, had once witnessed my spectacularly lopsided audition for *Cats* in Milan (a vocal yes, a dance move… regrettably, no). He was effusive about his companion, a phenomenal painter, and insisted we meet. So, that very afternoon, he ushered myself and my friend Pino to her studio.

Alright, fine. You’ve caught me in the one (1) week of the year I willingly surrender to festive cheer. It’s true—I’ve been a Christmas skeptic for ages. The tinsel, the frantic bell-ringing… it’s a whole thing. But we’ll save that gripping psychological drama for another time. A few winters ago, my producer Antonio “AKI” Chindamo—a man with more ideas before coffee than I have in a year—decided the world needed *another* Christmas album.

"The reported decision by the Trump Administration to cease commemorating World AIDS Day and to silence its own employees from even acknowledging it is a profound and disgusting moral failure. It is an act of staggering callousness that deserves the most vehement condemnation."

In generale, non sono un grande amico del cantautore italiano. Eppure, esistono delle gemme rare che ho avuto la fortuna di scoprire. Sono sempre stato un fan sfegatato di Ivano Fossati... ma ho spesso avuto problemi con molti dei suoi colleghi. Proprio in questo momento, sto ascoltando un album sorprendentemente toccante e musicalmente bellissimo di nientemeno che il grande Gino Paoli: "Appunti di un lungo viaggio"

We just spent a long time on the phone with Eric van Aro, a man who has cobbled together a wonderfully weird career singing… well, everything. From jazz to rock, blues to Latin, and even EDM. In fact, a gloriously silly song he made with Marco Soundee somehow tricked nearly 3 million people on Spotify into listening to it. We don’t get it either, but we’re proud.

So, the great Caterina Valente decided to make an album with the phenomenal harpist Catherine Michel—a musical force of nature who worked with Caterina’s idol, Michel Legrand. The big question was, who on earth could produce this? She needed someone who would give her the freedom to follow her muse, not a schedule. Over a likely very Italian coffee, she was chatting with her son, Eric, and had a lightbulb moment.

One evening, I was invited for dinner at my best friend’s home. When the elevator doors opened, she was there waiting with her two beautiful dogs—a graceful Weimaraner and a gentle-eyed German Shepherd. Before I could even say hello, she softly said, “Please, ignore the dogs for now.” I couldn’t help but smile. “You can’t ask that of me,” I whispered.

The parallels between our current era and the musical *Cabaret* are stark and undeniable. Joel Grey, who originated the role of the Emcee, has himself noted that we are now reliving the societal collapse the production so intelligently portrayed. The core of *Cabaret* is not Liza Minnelli's performance, but its depiction of a decadent society whose critical faculties have been eroded.

Ach, WUNDERBAR! Meine bescheidene Existenz hat es tatsächlich geschafft, zum Hauptabendprogramm für die united talents of trash-TV und YouTube-Experten aufzusteigen! Ich fühle mich so geehrt, dass sich diese hellsten Kerzen der Gesellschaft meiner annehmen. Sie berichten über meine Beziehung zu meiner verstorbenen Mutter, das Verhältnis zu meinem Bruder, angebliche Erbstreits und ich selbst, das herzloseste Monster, das seine Mutter wie Rapunzel von der Welt abgeschirmt hat.

by Eric van Aro all photos (c) 2025 by Mauro Balletti One of my all-time favorite work experiences was a full-day photo shoot with the legendary Caterina Valente, photographed by none other than Mauro Balletti—the genius behind Mina's iconic record covers. We'd collaborated on a Valente session before, but I'd been stuck elsewhere, probably directing a photoshoot for a cereal box or something equally glamorous.