Italian pianist Dardust to provide soundtrack for Milano Cortina Winter Olympics

Italian artist Dardust will provide the music that will feature as the official soundtrack of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, local organisers said on Monday.

The work, called “Italian Fantasia”, drew inspiration from the soundscapes of the city of Milan and the mountains that will host the Games from February 6-22.

Dardust - real name Dario Faini - is an Italian pianist, songwriter and producer whose music is seen as blurring the boundaries between contemporary and classical genres.

His work has featured in the NFL Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game, and he provided the music for the Olympic flag handover ceremony at the end of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Dardust co-wrote the song "Soldi" by Mahmood, which won Italy's Sanremo Music Festival in 2019 and came second in the Eurovision Song Contest.

He also worked on "La Noia" by Angelina Mango, the 2024 winner of Sanremo, a fixture in the Italian music calendar.

Dardust said he felt a huge responsibility in providing the musical theme for the Games.

"My goal was to leave a lasting emotion, a note that, 10 years from now, will bring to mind the start of a race, a victory, an applause," he said.

-Keith Weir/Reuters