tc Works

Ensemble Ars Italica - Musica del XV secolo in Italia - Music From 15th Century Italy (1991) {Tactus TC 40012201 rec 1988}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 286 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 136 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 48 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1988, 1991 Tactus | TC 40012201
Classical / Renaissance / Early Music / Ars Nova

This CD, although its not recommended for a first approach to Ars Nova music, is a fine example of the sound clarity of the compositions of this era. The excellent performance of the works is adding to the general result which is of a very high level. Strongly recommended for the admirers of this kind of music!!

Soft Works is a supergroup consisting exclusively of ex-members of Soft Machine. Indeed, a remarkable line-up! British jazz-rock pioneers Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper and John Marshall deliver their most impressive performances to date. The collective and individual talents of these legendary players blend to create a heady mix of fusion, progressive rock, and jazz. They have reunited on this trippy recording that is among the most easily explored jazz adventures of this year…

Maurizio Guernieri’s compositions are a part of an ongoing exploration of instrumental chambermusic, in this case focused chiefly on string instruments. The pieces can be divided into two main groups. The first one is Elementa (“elements” in Latin), meditations on the relationship between man and nature, and on the elements of nature, which, being often mismanaged by man, contribute to their own flourishing or decadence. Nature, which has always been called “mother”, turns out to be an “evil stepmother” when she returns to man what he has given her in an extreme attempt to re-establish a balance that has been lost. The second group consists of other pieces that are meditations on man and his inner life. As in the previous cd, Bicinium (tc 940091), the pieces can be listened to in a single musical succession, as if the disc were, to use a term of the past, a “concept album”.

A repertoire of absolute rarity is the one presented in this discographic work, given the peculiarity represented by the organic (horn and piano) that in the history of music cannot boast large quantities of original compositions. The programme presented here by Nilo Caracristi and Giancarlo Guarino (v. TC 882480) covers various centuries and changing styles: the music, the performers and the listeners are involved in a constant transformation that is proposed, experienced and perceived on several levels. This musical journey begins with Gustavo Rossari’s Fantasia on motifs by Verdi, passes through the Italian twentieth century with the brilliant Sonata by Giorgio Ferrari, proceeds with Aleksandr Skrjabin’s wonderful, romantic Romanza, an early work of his, plunges into the contemporary age with the nostalgia and rhythmic vigour of Fabián Pérez Tedesco’s Fantasia and with the soft swing of Donato Semeraro’s Ballad and Salsa, and ends with the thrilling main theme of the soundtrack of The Godfather 2, by Nino Rota, presented in a further, final metamorphosis that this time directly involves the musicians, surprising the listeners with an unexpected effect.