Giusto Pio

Biography
Giusto Pio studied the violin as well as composition in Venice. For thirty years, he was a violinist in the RAI Symphony Orchestra in Milan. In 1978, Pio met avant-garde composer and singer Franco Battiato, whom he taught to play the violin. Later, he started composing songs for him, as well as arranging and co-producing his albums. The collaboration with Battiato, which also involved being a member of the band accompanying him on stage, lasted until 1994. Franco Battiato and Giusto Pio composed the song ‘Per Elisa’, which was sung by Alice and won the 1981 Sanremo Festival. Pio also wrote material for Giuni Russo and produced an album for another pop singer, Milva. Since the 1990s, Pio has focused on composing, exploring the possibilities of modern classical music.

Giusto Pio co-composed, arranged, and conducted the 1984 Italian entry, ‘I treni di Tozeur’, sung by Alice & Franco Battiato. During the Eurovision week, he had to improvise, as the organizers rejected the supporting backing track which the Italian delegation wanted to use, including parts of the operatic string arrangement; in the end, all elements had to be removed from the track, with the exception of the keyboards. The Italian song came fifth, but, nevertheless, climbed the charts in several European countries.

In due course, a more extensive biography of Giusto Pio will be published on this website

Website(s):

digilander.libero.it/giustopio