Goblin

Finally the second DVD from the magical prog festival in Veruno, Italy 2011. In these two lenghty DVD's you can follow Italian bands Il Tempo Delle Clessidre, Arti & Mestieri (guested by former King Crimsoners Mel Collins and David Cross), New Goblin, Alex Carpani Band and Maxophone. Sweden is represented by Agents Of Mercy, and Germany by RPWL.

Antonìn Dvořák - Symphony no.9 Op.95 "From the New World" - N. Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical | FLAC + Cue | 1 CD, covers | 264 MB RS
Teldec 2000

This is Nikolaus Harnoncourt's best Dvorak so far, and one of the great recordings of the "New World" Symphony. Comparing it to the recent Abbado/Berlin recording on Deutsche Grammophon is instructive. Where Abbado is leaden, boring, and totally lacking in imagination and vitality, Harnoncourt offers bright colors, sprung rhythms, and an orchestra that plays with total commitment, on the edge of its collective seat. Listen to the thrust Harnoncourt gives the opening of the finale, to the gorgeous woodwind playing in a largo that is really slow yet never motionless or slack, or to the toe-tapping lilt he injects into the Scherzo's dance rhythms! Harnoncourt's care for detail uncovers fresh sounds everywhere, from the incredibly clear string figurations in large stretches of the first movement, to the single swish of cymbals in the finale and the gorgeous fade-away of the final chord.
The performance of The Water Goblin is no less gripping. Again, Harnoncourt takes great care with the percussion parts–the best in this department since Kubelik–clearly relishing the music's narrative aspects. When the Water Goblin thumps (via the bass drum) on the door of his (unwilling) wife's house, demanding her return, you can feel the room shake. He infuses the lyrical themes representing the girl and her mother with great passion and nostalgia, while the Goblin's tunes radiate malice and spite thanks to some magnificent wind playing. Harnoncourt and the orchestra sound as though they're having the time of their lives, like great narrators relishing a good ghost story over a campfire at night. Glorious sonics too, deep and rich. If you love Dvorák, you've just got to hear this.

David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Cani Arrabbiati is the name of project fronted by Musea and Colossus. Its purpose is to pay tribute to Italian film soundtracks based on the essay movies of the Sixties and Seventies, embracing different styles such as Giallo, horror, police, Spaghetti Westerns, etc. The music has been revisited in a Progressive rock vein, using the rules of the genre, with vintage sounds and inspiration on the forefront.

Etna were a band from Sicily who began with the name Flea In The Honey before shortening to Flea, then finally changing to Etna. They released an album under each moniker and each is a very different animal. The first was influenced by British hard rock and not very original nor beloved by progressive music fans. The second album as the band Flea was a huge jump in quality and moved firmly into RPI territory while still paying homage to hard guitar rock. Its long jamming suite is quite a monster treat for guitar lovers. Their third release as Etna was a complete change in style and prove the musicians capable artistic chameleons able to go in two different yet believable directions…