Rêverie
began life in Milan in 1996 on the initiative of composer and
guitarist Valerio Vado with the aim of performing an original
“ethnic-progressive” music inspired by European and Mediterranean
culture, a mix of traditional Italian Renaissance and Baroque music
with up to date sounds. After three interesting demos and a good live
activity, in 2008 Rêverie finally released a self-produced debut
album titled “Shakespeare, la donna, il sogno” with a line
up featuring Valerio Vado (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals), Fanny
Fortunati (vocals, percussion), Fulvia Borini (flute, mandolin),
Alberto Sozzi (clarinet, keyboards, banjo, flute), Daniele Defranchis
(guitars) and Mariella Mancuso (cello).
 |
| Reverie 2007 |
Most
of the pieces on “Shakespeare, la donna, il sogno” (Shakespeare,
the woman, the dream) come from the soundtrack for a theatre play of
the same name written by Stefania Amato, Fanny Fortunati, Valerio
Vado and Mariangela Zabatino. The play is set in Elsinore, in
Denmark, where a company of musicians perform music from the
Renaissance. At a given moment one of the musicians, by accident,
evokes the spirit of Yorick, a joker at the ancient court of
Elsinore, who comes to life again and tries to bring back to life
also a “dark lady” lost in his memory. To do so he tries to
remember his beloved woman through the verses of Shakespeare... Well,
the soundtrack for this play features some English traditional tunes
from the XVI-XVII centuries revised and arranged by the band and some
original tracks in the same style. The overall sound is prevalently
acoustic and if you like bands and artists such as Amazing Blondel or
the Italian minstrel Angelo Branduardi I'm sure you'll like this
album as well!
The
short instrumental opener “Willson's Wilde” sets the atmosphere
followed by “Sonetto 18” and “Sonetto 8”. The English lyrics,
as you can guess, are taken from Shakespeare's sonnets and interpreted by Fanny Fortunati's delicate vocals... “Music to hear,
why hear'st thou music sadly? Sweets with sweets war not, joy
delights in joy...”. Another nice short instrumental, “A Toy”,
leads to two more sonnets, “Sonetto 47” and “Sonetto 147”,
then the instrumental “Passamezzo antico” introduces the last two
tracks taken from the play, “O Mistress Mine”
and “Sonetto 130”.
The album features two more tracks not related
with the play, “Plurestantay memoroj” and "Kiam alvenos la
fino”, sung in Esperanto and credited as bonus tracks. The
atmosphere of the last two tracks is different from that of the
previous ones and they sound a bit like fillers here, even if they do
not waste the final result.
****
In
2011 Rêverie released on the independent label Downbridge Publishing
their best work so far, “Revado”, with a line up featuring
Valerio Vado (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals), Fanny Fortunati
(vocals, percussion), Fulvia Borini (flute, mandolin), Alberto Sozzi
(clarinet, keyboards, didjeridoo), Daniele Defranchis (guitars, bass)
and Laura Balbinot (cello). The overall sound here is richer than on
the previous work and the result of the recording sessions is a well
balanced mix of influences ranging from classical music to prog,
from folk to Kosmische music. “Revado” was released as a double
album with a first disc sung in Esperanto and a second disc featuring
the Italian version of the same pieces. The lyrics in Esperanto were
written by Andrea Fontana and in my opinion the band managed to
explore the sound of this particular language in a very effective
way. The Italian version of the same pieces allows an interesting
comparison with the sound of the Italian language while in the
booklet you can find also a translation of all the lyrics from
Esperanto into English checked by the London Esperanto Club.
 |
| Reverie 2011 |
The
opener “La tradezerta komercisto / Il mercante del deserto”
(Trader across the desert) takes you on a long journey through hot,
exotic landscapes following the tracks of timeless merchants and
travellers... “All around, a world of waves / The winding caravan
creeps along the dune-edge / Wind burning on my face / No rocks here
/ But in the heart appears a stony will to live / Burnished by the
sand...”. The music is evocative and full of warm colours, ethnic
and classical instruments embroider flying carpets of notes as the
soaring vocals lead the way. When you finally reach an oasis you can
get lost in your dreams under a shady palm while time begins to slip
from your hands as if it was sand in an hourglass.
The
ethereal “Kiam alvenos la fino / Quando verrà la fine” ( When
the end comes) is melodic and dreamy. This piece was included in the
previous album and here you can find it in a new, improved version.
The lyrics depict Death not as the end of your life but as the
beginning of a something new, still unknown... “When the End comes,
it will be sweet like breath of wind on summer morning / The dear
faces of my loved ones will slip away like fading dreams / And I
shall be alone...”.
“Arkana
belulino / La belle dame sans merci” (Arcane beauty) is darker and
features electric guitar solo passages, lively percussion patterns,
mellotron touches and a mysterious atmosphere. The lyrics depict a
strange love story between a man and a beautiful dancer, a dangerous
woman with a magic smile... “You have entered my life on the waves
of mystery / And now I remember no more whether ever I knew your
hidden origin...”. Once the man is under the spell of the woman he
has no escape, the beautiful creature is biding her time, ready to
strike... “Now you kiss my neck with unhesitating force / See, a
stage exit / A life cut short by bites...”.
“Plurmiljaraj
knaboj / Ragazzi millenari” (Boys across millennia) has a strong
Mediterranean flavour and tells the story of two boys, Ishmael and
Isaac, two brothers separated by a wall that prevent them from
understand each other. It's a metaphorical way to depict the never
ending conflict between Israel and Palestine... “Our brotherhood is
shattered thanks to despair / I so wish that he would call me... But
these calls cannot be, because of the wall...”.
“Danco
de l' maro / Danza del mare” (Dance of the sea) begins softly, with
the sound of the waves in the background and beautiful vocals soaring
from the sea... “From a dark wave of the sea / Suddenly flickers
like a tinkling bell / The light of the free spirit with taste as
bitter as sea...”. Then the rhythm takes off and you can set your
thoughts free while dancing with the sea. This piece reminds me every
now and again of Angelo Branduardi and blends in some way Renaissance
classical music with touches of Latin folklore.
“Plurestantaj
momoroj / Via dei ricordi” (Lasting memories) is a new version of
another track included in the previous album. An electric guitar
solo, sound effects and an uneasy mood lead to melodic vocals that
revive the memories of an old journey, precious pictures that can
still fill your soul with warmth and make you hear the sound of the
wind and an echo of forgotten voices... “Would the impressions
leave some room where newly hope could grow? / Within the lasting
memories, is there clue to the way ahead?...”.
“Koto
kay lumo / Fango e luce” (Mud and light) is melancholic and dark.
The music alternates acoustic and electric passages while the lyrics
deal with the mysteries of our brain and some philosophical issues
such as free will and knowledge. Maybe freedom is just a dream and
the forces of Mother Nature are stronger than our will... “Even if
I could foretell the workings of the brain by some mighty computer /
Would that really mean that every choice of mine is just
self-delusion?...”.
“Pluvas
rosmareno / Piove rosmarino” (Rosemary rain) is a dreamy, melodic
love song where ancient myths and visions seem almost coming to life
in a surreal, ethereal atmosphere and the borders between dream and
reality are blurred... “No longer can frontiers mark difference
between two mingled seas / Which through love and through divinity
have become an Ocean...”.
The
long, complex “Silkovojo / Via della seta” (Silk road) is a suite
divided into three parts. It describes in music and words a dreamy
journey along the Silk Road, from Europe to the ancient city of
Kashgar, in Western China... “Weighed down with dreams, I crossed
the sea / And now I wander quietly among the dunes in a still
atmosphere / This is my reality / Only such dreams light up life /
Like lamps lighting us from within / To guide our wandering on the
Earth...”. An excellent track!
The
instrumental “Oceano / Oceano” (Ocean) concludes the album. It's
an experimental, “cosmic” piece written and performed by Alberto
Sozzi featuring about six minutes of sound effects and evocative
clarinet lines. It adds more colours to a very interesting album
that, according to the band, should be considered as a tribute to the
eternal need of looking for new horizons.
More
info:
No comments:
Post a Comment