Mario Cottarelli - Una Strana Commedia (2011)

"Mario Cottarelli is one of my favorite RPI artists releasing albums in the current era. Born in Cremona in the 50s he was there for the classic era although he didn't get to release his work until decades later. A talented multi-instrumentalist and composer, "Una Strana Commedia" is his second album of original material. It's a wonderful album that builds on the instrumental strength of the first and heads in a more engaging direction, packing every minute with great melodies, interesting sounds, and superb play.

The five tracks here range from 6-12 minutes in length and are immaculately constructed pieces of sophisticated, rewarding keyboard-heavy symphonic rock. Cottarelli is a first-class keyboardist and a great prog songwriter. In some ways he reminds me of Beppe Crovella in terms of his talents, and perhaps Crovella's Secret Cinema might be a reference point. But Cottarelli is a more interesting musician and the dense layers of tightly-wound, reasonably complex prog rock remind me even more of a slightly lighter Deluge Grander. Like Grander, the first plays of Commedia leave you somewhat sonically overwhelmed. There is so much going on, so many criss-crossing ideas and counterpoints that initial plays are exhausting. Like Grander, it took several plays to really warm to, and then suddenly the intricacy of Mario's construction comes alive and you really appreciate all the cool parts he has packed these tracks with. It's an album that demands active listening and when I sit and concentrate I'm just amazed. Big epic tracks, Cottarelli is such an enthusiastic composer, he's like a kid in a candy store who has so many flavors to sample. If you don't give the album your undivided attention you will miss things.

Mario's keyboards are rich, vibrant, energetic; his textures are full of color and imagination. The songs are a light-hearted and upbeat symphonic which pulses along with the frequent addition of his warm vocals, dancing flutes, strings, choir vocal parts, and occasional guitar parts. Sometimes the programmed drumming sequences have a colder feel than I like, and I'll take a great drummer with a live sound any day of the week. But I get past that pretty quickly and "Una Strana Commedia" will be one of my favorite albums in a very fruitful 2011 for Italian prog. "Bianca scia" is probably my favorite track with the deep spacey organ section, the frantic piano, repeating flute motif and odd wordless vocalizations. But there's a musical romp here that will please just about every symphonic RPI fan taste. It's one of the few albums where I actually regret not being able to understand the lyrics. Usually I don't care about lyrics, I'm a music guy. But here, the album cover (also my favorite of the year) makes me really want to know the lyrical themes. It feels like a warm pondering at the absurdity of life with an appreciation for the preciousness of it. I can only guess. Listen often, this refined gem just gets better with each play. 4-plus stars, solid as hell.

Mario, a million thanks to you for this wonderful work, I love it."

(C) ProgArchives.com

1. Una strana commedia (10:24)
2. L'occhio del ciclone (6:39)
3. Corto circuito (6:26)
4. Bianca scia (9:25)
5. L'orgoglio di Arlecchino (12:26)

Mario Cottarelli / all instruments and vocals



Buy it:

www.crotalo.com
iTunes
Amazon
Napster
eMusic Store

Hergest Ridge versión ZX Spectrum 128k

Totalmente realizado por mí mismo. Disco totalmente adaptado para un ordenador ZX Spectrum 128k a partir del original de Mike Oldfield y realizado sin ningún motivo lúdico, solamente para demostrar las posibilidades de este clásico ordenador de los 80 como si se hubiera hecho entonces. Grabado directamente del mismo programa con el emulador Spectaculator y remezclado con efecto reverb con el Nero Wave Editor para una mejor y agradable escucha.

En la actualización hecha recientemente de esta entrada, los audios (no descargables) se pueden escuchar desde Deezer.

All made by myself. Fully adapted to ZX Spectrum 128k from the original album by Mike Oldfield, with no profit purpose, just to show the posibilities of this classic 80's computer as if it could have been made in the past. Directly recorded from the original program with Spectaculator emulator to WAV and then reverbed with Nero Wave Editor for a best and peaceful listening.

Rock progresivo-sinfónico del épico con varios artistas

Con este post me voy a referir casi exclusivamente a los lanzamientos del sello francés Musea Records, especialista en rock sinfónico-progresivo, realizados a partir de mediados de la presente década, dentro del nuevo milenio. Todos ellos están basados en obras literarias, cinematográficas y épicas de la historia de la humanidad, como "La Odisea" de Homero o "Los Siete Samurai" de Akira Kurosawa.

El punto en común con todos ellos está en la presencia de varios grupos del panorama musical actual, dentro del género del rock sinfónico-progresivo, que han aunado sus fuerzas para involucrarse en estos proyectos aportando cada uno de ellos uno o varios temas a cada concepto en concreto, en varios casos con suites de largo desarrollo y larga duración. Pero este tipo de álbumes conceptuales no son una novedad, si bien habremos de referirnos a recopilatorios oficiosos de las compañías discográficas bajo una denominación en concreto por la época o por el oportunismo o colaboración en alguna campaña de promoción de cierto nivel sobre algún tipo de licencia, si exceptuamos algunas bandas sonoras cinematográficas como las de "Zabriskie Point" o "When The Wind Blows", en detrimento de la novedad que representa este tipo de lanzamientos al que vengo a referirme, pues se han realizado pensando en la creatividad de los artistas para plasmar algunos episodios de una obra en cuestión en clave musical. Pero ha habido excepciones a lo largo de la historia: "The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds", editado en 1967 y publicado por el sello Elektra Records entra dentro de este catálogo de discos conceptuales.

El resultado de ese esfuerzo colosal tanto de la compañía discográfica como de los grupos involucrados está presente en estos discos, de una calidad indiscutible. Como quiera que podría hacer un breve comentario de cada uno de ellos, me limitaré simplemente a citarlos y enlazarlos hasta Spotify (todos ellos están disponibles para su escucha) donde se pueden escuchar y comprar en su caso.

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Kalevala — A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic (2003)

Tracklist:

CD 1

1. Haikara — The Creation / The Sowing
2. Overhead — Wainamoinen And Youkahainen / The Fate of Aino
3. Simon Says — Som Floden Flyter (As the River Runs)
4. Sinkadus — Trubadurens Kval (The Minstrel's Cry)
5. Moongarden — Maiden Of The Bow
6. Il Castello Di Atlante — Ilmarinen Forges The Sampo
7. Magenta — Lemminkainen's Lament
8. Submarine Silence — Three Battles
9. Metaphor — Raking The Bones
10. Clearlight — The Boat Builder / Searching For The Lost Word

CD 2

1. Orchard — 3
2. Greenwall — The Wedding
3. Revelation — Uninvited Guest
4. Scarlet Thread — Pimeästä Pohjolasta
5. Mad Crayon — Il Suono Dei Ricordi (The Sound Of Memories)
6. Museo Rosenbach — Fiore Di Vendetta (The Flower Of Revenge)
7. Leviathan — Filo Di Lama (Edge of a Blade)
8. Malibran — Strani Colori (Strange Colors)
9. Sophya Baccini — Malvagio Per Le Stelle (Mean Because Of The Stars)
10. Elegant Simplicity — Ilmarinen's Bride Of Gold

CD 3

1. Qadesh — Ilmarinen's Fruitless Wooing
2. Cantina Sociale — Kantele
3. Grand Stand — Stormen (Tempest)
4. Germinale — La Battaglia Per Il Sampo (The Battle For The Sampo)
5. Aardvark — Uusi Kantele (New Kantele)
6. Thønk — Kapittu 45/46 (Chapter 45/46)
7. Groovector — Tuletta (Fireless)
8. Whobodies — Pine
9. Randone & Tempore — Runo 49
10. Cafeïne — Way Is Open

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The Spaghetti Epic - Six Modern Prog Bands For Six Seventies Prog Suites (2004)

Tracklist:

CD1 64:38

1. Haikara - The West (20:02)
2. Randone - Jill (21:48)
3. Tillion - Cheyenne (21:48)

CD2 70:17

1. La Voce Del Vento - Harmonica (21:56)
2. Taproban - Morton (23:22)
3. Trion - Frank (24:59)

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Odyssey - The Greatest Tale Music (2005)

Tracklist:

CD1 (73:29)

1. Nathan Mahl - Chapter I: Of Longings, Suitors, Deities And Quests... (24:07)
2. Nexus - Chapter II: El Regreso-The Return (27:50)
3. Glass Hammer - Chapter III: At The Court Of Alkinoos (21:32)

CD2 (79:23)

4. XII Alfonso - Chapter IV: From Ismarus To The Land Of Death (I. Ismarus, Land Of The Cicones / II. Seventeen Days Of Open Sea / III. The Land Of The Lotus Eaters / IV. The Land Of The Cyclops / V. The Island Of Aeolus & The Land Of Laestrygonians / VI. Circe's Island / VII. The Land Of Death) (26:01)
5. Simon Says - Chapter V: Minds Of Mortal Men - Meander Tales (25:40)
6. CAP - Chapter VI: Sulle Ali Del Sogno - Odissea: Libri XIV, XV, XVI (28:15)

CD3 (68:07)

7. Tempano - Chapter VII: (I. Hecatombe / II. Book XVII - Odysseus Arrives At The Palace / III. Book XVIII - The Suitors Torment Odysseus / IV. Book XIX - The Beggar Meets Penelope / V. Parnasus) (24:14)
8. Minimum Vital - Chapter VIII: Etranger En Sa Demeure (22:22)
9. Aether - Chapter IX (21:31)

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The Colossus of Rhodes - The Seventh Progressive Rock Wonder (2005)

CD1 (77:01)

1. Leviathan - Un Pensiero e Sempre Libero (26:34)
2. Greenwall - The Secret Passage (27:13)
3. Sinkadus - God Of Silence (23:14)

CD2 (79:25)

1. Mad Crayon - Come Vento Tornero (25:05)
2. Velvet Desperados - Lords And Knights (24:51)
3. Revelation - A New Dawn (29:26)

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The Seven Samurai (2009)

Tracklist:

1. Cap - Alla Corte Degli Eroi: 1550, Periodo Sengoku (I. Shimada Kambei / II. Kikuchiyo: Il Volo / III. Crepusculo - Parte Uno / IV. Il Vecchio Mulino / V. Katayama Gorobei: Le Sete Spade / VI. Fa Che Io Sia: Il Dono)
2. Tempano - The Farmers: (I. Farewell To The Season / II. The Lone Samurai / III. Despair, Shout! / IV. The Blind Crow)
3. Taproban - The Bandits (I. First Ride / II. Eagle’s Peak Pyre / III. The Flaming Lady/ IV. Last Ride)

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The Spaghetti Epic 2 - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (2007)

Tracklist:

1. Randone - The Good
2. La Voce Del Vento - The Bad
3. Tilion - The Ugly

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Treasure Island (2007)

Tracklist:

1. Velvet Desperados - Gentlemen Of Fortune
2. Floating State - The Shore And The Breathing Night
3. Nexus - La Aventura En El Mar - The Sea Adventure

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Giallo! One Suite For The Murderer (2008)

Tracklist:

1. Alfio Costa: Frammento Rosso (Intro) (1:08)
2. Dark Session: Visions of Helga (26:08)
3. Leviathan: Vecchi Giochi (21:00)
4. Floating State: Suite dall'inconscio dell'Assassino (25:08)
5. Alfio Costa: Mirrors (Outro) (1:33)

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The Spaghetti Epic 3 - The Great Silence (2008)

Tracklist:

1. Little Tragedies: The Voice of Silence (19:30)
2. Yesterdays: Suite Pauline (20:00)
3. N.O.T.: Epilogo (23:28)

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The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe - A SyNphonic Collection (2010)

Tracklist:

CD 1

1. Marco La Muscio - Intro
2. Senogul - The Black cat
3. La Théorie des Cordes - A descent into the Maelström
4. Oracle - Tall Tale Heart
5. N.O.T. - The Sphinx
6. Dunwich - The Oblong Box
7. Guy Leblanc - The Oval Portrait
8. Jinetes Negros - The Masque of the Red Death

CD 2

1. Jukka Kulju - The Purloined Letter
2. Anima Morte - The Premature Burial
3. Blank Manuscript - The Gold Bug
4. Areknames - Hop Frog
5. Little Tragedies - The Man of the Crowd
6. Armalite - The Murder of the Rue Morgue
7. Chansonoir - Ligeia
8. Magnetic Sound Machine - The cask of Amontillado
9. Daal - The Fall of the House of Usher

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Colossus Project: The Empire And The Rebellion (2008)

Tracklist:

1. Astral Prelude 6:16
2. Droids 9:07
3. The Dark Lord of the Sith 7:59
4. Meeting the Force 7:15
5. Two Suns 4:10
6. When I Was a Jedi 7:58
7. The Millennium Quartet 1:19
8. The Millennium Falcon 8:48
9. My Tears for Alderaan 3:55
10. The Rebellion Suite 19:21
11. May the Force Be With You 1:33

Músicos:

Roberto Aiolfi (Tillion): Rickenbacker 4001 bass, Fender Jazz bass, Fender fretless bass, Godine acoustic bass, Esp Jazz five strings bass and acoustic guitars

Alfio Costa (Tillion, Prowlers): Hammond organ, Minimoog synthesizer, Fender-Rhodes piano, Grand Piano, Mellotron M400Sm, Honhner Clavinet, Harpsychord, Modular Moog Synthesizer, Korg MS-10 synthesizer and Pipe organ

Hamadi Trabelsi: Lead & backing vocals

Giovanni Vezzoli (Prowlers): Drums and percussions

Paolo P. Brabilla: Acoustic and electric guitars, Moogerfoogers

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Dante's Divine Comedy Part I — Dante's Inferno (2008)

Tracklist:

CD 1

1. Nuova Era — Lasciate Ogni Speranza , Voi Ch'entrate
2. Yesterdays — Isteni Szinjatek
3. Little Tragedies — Canto III
4. Lady Lake — From the Quiet to the Air that trembles
5. Greenwall — Come Corpo Morto cade
6. Nemo — Inferno (Six Pieds sous Terre)
7. Nexus — El Cuarto Circulo (The Fourth Circle)
8. Atlantis 1001 — Back to Earth
9. Flamborough Head — Daughters of Night
10. Colossus Project — Inferno Canto

CD 2

1. Court — Anastasius Epitaph
2. Willowglass — The Crossing
3. Wicked Mind — Blood from the Trees
4. Brightey Brison — Capaneus
5. Matthijs Herder — Brunetto
6. Garamond — Canto XVI
7. Ars Nova — Demon's Forest
8. Il Castello di Atlante — Malebolge
9. Groovector — Ainiaan erhe

CD 3

1. Cap — La Danza dei Contrari
2. Ozone Player — Inferno XXI
3. Sinkadus — Stuck in Hell
4. Viima — XXIII
5. Nota bene — La Profezia
6. Entrance — Serpientes
7. Advent — Canto XXVI
8. Contrappunto Project — Guido da Montefeltro

CD 4

1. Armalite — Scisma
2. Corte Aulica — Dissolvenza
3. Raimundo Rodolfo — Falsedad y Castigo
4. De Rossi & Bordini — Pozzo dei Giganti
5. Tempano- The IX Circle — Traitors
6. Nathan Mahl — The Comfort of Tears
7. Simon Says — Become a Boy

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Dante's Divine Comedy Part II — Dante's Purgatorio (2009)

Tracklist:

CD 1

1. Simon Says — Intro
2. Nemo — Entre deux rives
3. KBridge — Canto II
4. Ozone Player — Canto 3
5. Raimundo Rodulfo — Ascenso Tortuoso
6. Ten Midnight — X for V
7. SoulenginE — Polheim
8. Willowglass — The Valley of Kings
9. Atlantis1001 — Maelstrom

CD 2

1. Contrappunto Project — Canto IX
2. Sophya Baccini — Canto X
3. Nexus — Canto XI
4. Nuova Era — Canto XII
5. Survival — Canto XIII
6. Little Tragedies — Canto XIV
7. Armalite — Canto XV
8. Phideaux — Canto XVI
9. Tommy Eriksson — Canto XVII

CD 3

1. Entrance — Luna — Canto XVIII
2. Maxwell's Demon — Avarice Atoned — Canto XIX
3. Rak — The Verse Continues — Canto XX
4. Colossus Project — Canto XXI
5. Matthijs Herder — Honey & Locusts — Canto XXII
6. Mad Crayon — Is This the Price for Redemption — Canto XXIII
7. Tabula Smaragdina — A Varasz fa alatt — Canto XXIV
8. Blank Manuskript — Purgatorio Canto XXV
9. Lady Lake — Som de la Scalina

CD 4

1. Groovector — Tie autuuteen — Canto XXVII
2. Mist Season — Matelda's Song — Canto XVIII
3. Flamborough Head — By the Bank of the River — Canto XXIX
4. Yesterdays — Feluton — Canto XXX
5. B612 — Canto XXXI
6. Equilibrio Vital — Juicio Finel — Canto XXXII
7. Jinetes Negros — Purgatorio XXXIII — Canto XXXIII
8. Simon Says — Outro

Bonus Tracks:

9. Pasini & Ragozza — Purgatorio

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Dante's Divine Comedy Part III — Paradiso (2010)

Tracklist:

CD1

1. Marco Lo Muscio - Intro The celestial Way / Towards the Paradise
2. Little Tragedies - Canto 1
3. Nuova Era - Canto 2
4. Greenwall - Quel Mare al Qual Tutto si Move
5. Mathijs Herder - Longing
6. Nexus- El Secundo Reino
7. Brighteye Brison - Under Ornens Vingur
8. The Redzen - Alexa in the Cage
9. Tommy Eriksson - Falling into Bliss

CD2

1. Posto Blocco 19 - L'Ultima Acqua
2. Oracle - Kings of the Future Past
3. Faveravola - Del Francescano Sole
4. Armalite - Il Cerchio, la Luce e la Virtu
5. Groovector - Houkutja Kuninkaat
6. Roz Vitalis - Canto XIV
7. De Rossi & Bordini - Dentro la Cerchia Antica
8. Echoes - Nel Cerchio di Luce
9. Jaime Rosas - Cruz del Sur

CD3

1. Kbridge - Canto XVIII
2. Simon Says - The Needle's Eye
3. Colossus Project - In the Eye of the Eagle
4. Ozone Player - Canto 21
5. Jinetes Negros - A li occhi belli
6. Blank Manuscript - Living Star
7. Nemo - Sans Voix
8. Daal - Static Stars
9. Matthijs Herder - Sacratus

CD4

1. Mist Seasons - Defending Hands
2. Kotebel - Canto XXVIII
3. Tabula Smaragdina - Angyal
4. Raimundo Rodulfo - El Sol de Sus Ojos
5. Flamborough Head - Labyrinth of Light
6. Lady Lake - Miserere Mei
7. Yesterdays - 33
8. Marco Lo Muscio - Outro / Towards the Stars
9. Atlantis001 - Conclave Deorum (bonus track)

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