La Curva di Lesmo is a project
based in Genoa that was born on the initiative of keyboardist Stefano Agnini
(La Coscienza di Zeno) and bassist Fabio Zuffanti (Finisterre,
Höstsonaten, La Maschera di Cera). In 2015 they released on the
independent AMS label an excellent eponymous album with a line up
featuring many prestigious guests such as Beatrice Antolini (vocals),
Gabriele Guidi Colombi (from La Coscienza di Zeno - bass), Laura
Marsano (from La Maschera di Cera - acoustic and electric guitar),
Andrea Orlando (from La Coscienza di Zeno and Finisterre - drums),
Fabio Gremo (from Il Tempio delle Clessidre and Ianva - classical guitar),
Domenico Ingenito (from La Coscienza di Zeno - violin), Loris
Lombardo (percussion), Max Manfredi (vocals), Edmondo Romano (from
Eris Pluvia - flute), Claudio Roncone (vocals), Luca Scherani (from
La Coscienza di Zeno and Höstsonaten - accordion, strings
arrangements), Jenny Sorrenti (from Saint Just - vocals), Sylvia
Trabucco (from Höstsonaten - violin), Matteo Merli (vocals), Claudio
Milano (from Nickelodeon - vocals), Jutta Nienhaus Taylor (from
Analogy - narrative vocals) and Boris Valle (from Finisterre -
piano). The project's name and album cover pay homage to a comic book
character created by Guido Crepax, Valentina, while the music draws
inspiration from 1970s Italian prog, vintage electronic music and old
soundtracks. In any case, the two musicians’ highly personal
creative vein is clearly evident, making this album a must-have for
fans of their main reference groups, La Coscienza di Zeno and La
Maschera di Cera.
The album opens with “La posa dei morti” (The lying of the dead), a bittersweet piece perfectly interpreted by Beatrice Antolini presenting a dangerous and sensual, seductive and predatory female character. The description of the protagonist is confronted by the image of an undertaker walking with a coffin on his shoulders who takes a break along the path, momentarily easing the heavy burden of the laying of the dead. When the protagonist reappears on the scene, she is preceded by the clatter of her stiletto heels echoing down the corridor. A widow to be burned alive, meditating on the pyre...
“L’isola
delle lacrime” (Tears Island) is a long and complex piece that
takes us aboard a ship sailing from Italy to America, telling a story
of desperation and hope. The voices of Max Manfredi and Jenny
Sorrenti masterfully portray the feelings of a young woman and her
brother, who seek redemption and a better life by embarking for the
New World, leaving behind a present of marginalisation and poverty.
She is beautiful and seductive, but she is forced to prostitute
herself in the port’s bars where she is the object of desire of
many men that she finds disgusting. She can no longer bear a present
without dignity and is losing faith and hope. Her brother convinces
her to undertake the journey, but difficulties aboard the ship
abound, and they will not be lacking in America as well...
The
excellent suite “Ho rischiato di vivere” (I risked living) that
closes the album is divided into five parts for more than twenty-six
intense minutes. The haunting music and heartfelt vocal performances
of Claudio Milano and Matteo Merli evoke ghostly atmospheres and
nightmares. The suite opens with the description of a man frightened
by the reality around him and who prefers to take refuge in a state
of unconsciousness filled with nightmares. In the first part, “Ho
rischiato di vivere, Parte I,” the music and lyrics drag you like a
vortex into the exploration of altered states generating monsters,
where you can hear the footsteps and breathing of men who perhaps
never existed or are long dead, reaching out to grab you. The second
part, subtitled “Ritratto di donna in nero” (Portrait of woman in
black), opens with the narrative voice (in German) of Jutta Nienhaus
and evokes the figure of a young pianist of twenty, nine of whom had
been dedicated to studying her instrument. The girl died suddenly,
and the protagonist is left with only memories of her, which fade
into the fog of Milan’s canals. The third part, "Memoriale,"
celebrates the memory of the girl, who for the protagonist
represented life. The fourth part, "Gargoyle," describes a
statue observing the city life from above, a metaphor for the
protagonist himself. Detached from the daily grind, like a silent,
resonant stone, he wastes away in anticipation of his
transmigrations, burning slowly in his hell of jasper and wind, just
as ordinary mortals burn in their hell of flesh and blood. The final
part, "Ho rischiato di vivere, parte II," describes the
protagonist's disillusionment and his reflections on life, a cycle
that repeats itself endlessly. You set out in search of something and
inevitably end up back where you started. A brief reprise of the
album's first track concludes the suite, a truly accomplished and
engaging work...
Overall,
an excellent album that should not be missing from the collection of
any Italianprog lover.
You
can listen to the complete album HERE
La Curva di Lesmo - La Curva di Lesmo (2015). Other opinions:
Michael
“Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: “Full of intricate, daring
instrumental arrangements with rich and lively vocal performances,
Italian prog doesn't come more confidently grandiose and proudly
pompous than this, and it's a thrilling, essential purchase for RPI
fans. `La Curva di Lesmo' is not only one of the strongest Italian
progressive works of 2015, but it may even prove to become something
of a modern classic...” (Read the complete review HERE).
More
info:
No comments:
Post a Comment