SONGS FROM THE MAGIC WOOD

In 1974 some members of Reale Accademia di Musica worked along with other musicians as a backing band for an album of singer songwriter Adriano Monteduro. The line up featured Adriano Monteduro (acoustic guitar), Henryk “Enrique” Topel Cabanes (vocals), Federico Troiani (piano, keyboards), Roberto Senzasono (drums, percussion), Franco Coletta (electric and acoustic guitar, vocals), Enzo De Luca (vocals, acoustic guitar), Dino Cappa (bass), Tony Mimms (vocals), Michela Grandi (vocals) and Roberto Rosati (timbaillas). What resulted from the recording sessions was a nice collection of songs with soft rock arrangements, very different from the symphonic style of the Reale Accademia di Musica eponymous album. Nonetheless, the album was entitled Adriano Monteduro e Reale Accademia di Musica and co-credited to the band. It’s a concept album where all the songs follow a common thread ad tell of a psychedelic dream, in some way captured by the colourful art work by Fausto Di Landro...

 

The opener “Buongiorno nel bosco (Il canto del sole)” (Good morning in the wood – The song of the sun) is a folksy ballad based on an acoustic guitar arpeggio. The lyrics and music conjure up the image of an enchanted wood at dawn: under the faint light you can see a hollow tree, three dark pandas, a sleepy red deer and a gnome who is carving lilac marionettes. Then the gnome starts to dance happily because he knows this is a holy day to celebrate on the banks of the river, under a magic oak tree. It’s the wood of fantasy and other gnomes row merrily on their small pirogues to reach the place of the ceremony... Next comes “La favola del guardiano del bosco” (The tale of the guardian of the wood) that tells in music and words of the birth of the magic wood. Once upon a time an illuminated man came from a far violent place, he lifted his arms up to the sky and turned himself into the wood creating a paradise and setting everything in peace and harmony with a miracle of love...

“Mezzogiorno” (Midday) paints in notes and words a peculiar hippy style tableau with people running barefoot on the grass under a blue sky. The sun is shining, the bees are busily flying from flower to flower and your thoughts can follow the music and singing of wind and creeks... Then “Le figlie dell'erba (Festa magica)” (The daughters of the grass – Magic party) marks the arrival of some beautiful girls carrying baskets full of fruits and magical mushrooms. The dance is going to start, a band of old dwarves is going to play and everyone will be happy... Well, just a metaphor of the pop festivals of the early seventies!

 

The reflective “Viaggio libero” (Free trip) describes a trip through the magic wood where you can breathe freedom and happiness under the moonlight while the following “Le montagne nel tramonto” (The mountains in the sundown) reminds you that you are just living in a dream. The mountains at dusk are like shadows of faceless knights asleep and you fear that tonight they will ride away... Ghosts are hidden in real life all day long and you are aware that when the new day will rise the dream will fade out and reality will take over again... 

 

The dreamy “Preludio a...” (Prelude to...) is a beautiful instrumental track that leads to “Una canzone” (A song), an acoustic piece about the healing, anti-depressive power of songs, friendship and love. When you feel that illusions, happiness and dreams are going to melt into a bleak daily life, just try to sing along some piano chords or a strummed guitar pattern (with a little help from a pinch of magic grass) to have a new go! Then “Suoni di umanità” (Sounds of humanity) ends the album suggesting that this was a fairy tale that could come true. Fantasies of a timeless world without cities while you are surrounded by the sounds of civilization... Why not?

On the whole, I enjoyed the album although I fear that many prog fans could find it a bit disappointing.

 

Adriano Monteduro e Reale Accademia di Musica (1974). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: The album is only recommended to Italian collectors, fans of exceptional album art, and fans of Italian soft pop-rock music. It is good but it is definitely not what prog heads are looking for. Of course if you're like me you'll buy it anyway hoping against hope for more RADM. You'll get just a hint of a taste of their previous glorious album. For me personally, I think it's just charming enough to be a keeper... (You can read the complete review HERE)