Vasco Rossi LE Canzoni D'amore DI Vasco Rossi

The lament became a current and important feature of Italian Baroque monody, with its rhetorical and therefore dramatic connotations, generally set over a four-note descending bass line. The best known, though not the earliest, of these laments is probably Monteverdi's Lamento d'Arianna, a later version of which, with a sacred Latin text, was included in the composer's Selva morale e spirituale, published in Venice in 1641. In 1607 Monteverdi had provided the music for a favola in musica performed at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua, where the composer was maestro di cappella. Orfeo, with a libretto by Alessandro striggio, has a literary source in the Metamorphoses of Ovid. The success of Orfeo led to the creation of a new dramatic work, a tragedy in musica, in 1608, a deliberate attempt, as the pastoral Orfeo was not, to create a work that would in some way revive ancient Greek tragedy.

Luigi Rossi (ca. 1597 - 20 February 1653) was an Italian Baroque composer. Rossi was born in Torremaggiore, a small town near Foggia, in the ancient kingdom of Naples and at an early age he went to Naples. There he studied music with the Franco-Flemish composer Jean de Macque who was organist of the Santa Casa dell’Annunziata and maestro di cappella to the Spanish viceroy. Rossi later entered the service of the Caetanis, dukes of Traetta.

Excellent early-70's Italian progressive trio (still around today) with classical stylings, featuring keyboards to the fore and a unique dreamy/powerful style. Le Orme was one of the three major Italian groups, the other two being PFM and Banco. This band is usually considered as the Italian Emerson, Lake & Palmer and even Banco del Mutuo Soccorso by the Italian singing. Its music is based upon organ developments and soli reminding Seventies groups which works are essentially built upon keyboards parts.
The band's truly classic period begins with their third next releases. "Uomo Di Pezza" (1972) is one of Le Orme's definitive Italian progressive rock albums…

Le Orme have created so many great prog albums that they all should be talked about more than they are. "Uomo Di Pezza" is on of their finest moments ever in the studio and offers some brilliant moments. "Uomo.." is full of PFM-like orchestral interludes with the unmistakable sound of Aldo Tagliapietra and company. Like so many other Le Orme albums this one ends far too earyl and only clicks in around 35 mins. "Uomo Di Pezza" is a very complete album and should definitely appeal to fans of the classic early 70?s Italian prog scene. The quiet moments on this release are quite magical and very spiritual in many ways fitting nicely the concept behind this progressive rock masterpiece.

Mario Schifano was a leading Italian pop artist, and a friend of The Rolling Stones and other prominent 1960s countercultural figures. Inspired by Andy Warhol's association with The Velvet Underground, in 1967 he decided to sponsor a band. The album that resulted combines a lengthy improvisation with five shorter, psychedelic-influenced tracks, and is a landmark in the development of Italian rock. Pressed in tiny quantities, it was released in November 1967 (with artwork designed by Schifano), and original copies have sold for thousands of Euros, making this long-awaited CD reissue especially welcome. Includes background notes.