28 February 2022
Let’s find out more about the two finalist songs in the contest to determine the anthem for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
On February 2, on the stage of the 72nd Sanremo Festival, the two finalist songs for the contest were presented to choose the official anthem of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Two exceptional artists performed the songs: Malika Ayane, who gave voice to Un po’ più in là (A Little Bit Further), and Arisa, who sang Fino All’Alba (Until Dawn). But who wrote the lyrics and music for these two songs?
The invitation to write the anthem for Milano Cortina 2026 went out to civil and military bands, choirs, and conservatories all over Italy, inspiring them to come up with original pieces inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic values. The initiative’s artistic direction, led by Maestro Peppe Vessicchio, chose the two finalist pieces from the numerous proposals.
Fino all'Alba is the song written by the young artists in the musical group "La Cittadina" (The Town) from San Pietro Martire di Seveso, in the province of Monza and Brianza. This musical group was started 141 years ago in 1881 by a group of young people who were passionate about music. It was funded by grain and fodder sales and with the help of the entire community. The band’s first headquarters was a stable, chosen because it was large enough and could shelter the musicians from the cold.
Since its foundation, the work of “La Cittadina” has been based on belief in the social and cultural value of music, particularly the working-class musical expression represented by the band understood as the “school of life.”
These are the lyrics of the song composed by “La Cittadina" (translated):
FINO ALL’ALBA (UNTIL THE DAWN)
He was a kid like us
Who had a dream up his sleeve
He wanted to be a hero
With no costume or cloak
He dreamt of touching the clouds
And flying with eagles
But all he could do was run
And keep on dreaming
It's us, only us
There's no flag that can limit us
Don't turn around, keep on going
Until the dawn
Speed
and the wind that is blowing
Don't turn around, keep on going
Until the dawn
Until the dawn
And the sky was clear
As if painted in pastels
And that kid was a hero
But with no mask and cloak
He came down hard like lightning
Among the mountains with the eagles
He had an irrepressible heart
And eyes full of emotion
CHORUS
If you only look, there is a world of superheroes
Kids from all over the world around us
In their eyes, time stops today
In their dream, there everything makes sense
CHORUS
Un po’ più in là is the song conceived and composed by the CPM Music Institute of Milan, which was founded and is currently led by Franco Mussida. It is recognised by MIUR as an Institute of Higher Education in Art, Music, and Choral Dance. Since 1984, the year it was founded, the CPM Music Institute has been dedicated to training young people who want to work in the field of contemporary popular music and jazz. Thanks to its teachers and facilities encouraging excellence, it offers a multidisciplinary didactic model exclusively for professions related to music, from sound technicians to producers.
Here are the lyrics of the song Un po’ più in là, written by students from the CPM Music Institute of Milan:
UN PO’ PIU’ IN LÀ (A LITTLE BIT FURTHER)
Leaving is never enough,
it is only when you arrive that you find out who you are.
You can fall at any moment...
stopping is easy.
Aiming higher,
winning against another,
is not out of your reach!
Embrace that dream, light that gleam
knowing deep down that you can do it.
You just need to push a little further
push a little further
just push yourself a little further
push a little further
The destination never changes
it's the sum of what you do
in every moment of the magical game that you have decided to play
where all that counts is pushing your limit a little bit further.
A little bit further
A little bit further
Bit by bit further
A little bit further
