Baco di Silenzio is the project of Italian musician and poet, Salvatore Scuderi, and this is the second work of his I have been privileged to have been sent – you can read my review of Aquile e Cieli by clicking on the button below.
La Caratura delle Penisole is now available, and you can order a copy of this at https://bacodisilenzio.bandcamp.com/album/la-caratura-delle-penisole and there is a lovely passage on that page giving the listener the story behind the album, words and music used as a canvas to spark our imagination.
On my radio show last Saturday, I played Nelle Mani un Dipinto, a well-received piece of music from those listening. What about the rest? Let’s discuss.
Mare Sugli Occhi (Sea On Eyes) opens the album, and the piano from Emanuele Filippi is delicate, the bassline rich from Roberto Pace, and the whole piece is raised by classic organ, that tradition of RPI running deep in this piece, the violins bringing a pensiveness, as he gazes at the sea, the acoustic guitar and rich flute adding to this, a thoughtful piece of music. It is embedded below to bring you a sense of what to expect in the whole work.
Cosmopolite (Cosmopolitan) has a chorus speaking of cosmopolitan obsessions, the riverbanks revealing the steps towards the path he wants to take. There is a bluegrass tinge in the guitars on this at the start, an interesting contrast to the previous track, before this settles into a more traditional progressive timbre, and Maurizio Antonini shines on percussion in this narrative track. Once again, though, what stands out here is the work on the blazing organs by Abramo Riti, who is at the heart of the musical side of this project.
Lighea is an aromatic Sicilian wine with the seductive voice of the sea, like a breeze at sunset in Sicily, and you drink looking over the coastline, and some of the words written by Scuderi are beautiful (do run them through a translation programme – it is lovely poetry which, of course, sounds so much richer in its original language), the sense of the island as a living, breathing free force. The voice soars, the acoustic guitar especially thumps out an incredible noise when it does, and a lonely bass melody finishes off a track which is simple in terms of instrumentation but contains a nice degree of progressive complexity within it, and it is a highlight of the year to me, embedded below.
Cuori Umani (Human Hearts) references a sea of human hearts, aliens in the guise of humans looking at the lands without knowing the sea. This track is just shy of the epic length, and the drama inherent in the opening passage is tangible, guitar, piano, bass and drums playing off each other, musicianship at the highest level. The cello & violin when they enter provides for a sense of mourning, some gorgeous orchestration against the backdrop of voice and lonely bass guitar, a quite beautiful passage of music before, at the seven minute mark, we get an explosion of noise, somewhat dystopian guitar riffs emerging, the drum patterns impressive, the mood swinging between a sea of tranquillity and harsher confines before the Hammond and acoustic guitar join the voice in the place where everything ends, and everything begins.
Tutti Siamo Giulia (We are All Giulia), woman, mother, child, a short examination of life with piano and organ accompanying the voice examining memories, packing a huge amount in its short duration, the pace quite frantic, the soundscape created by the orchestration soaring.
Luce di Maggio (May Light) speaks of souls flying like eagles, dancing in the heart. This is another shorter piece, and the piano accompanying the fragile voice is gorgeous, acoustic guitar sparing in a pretty piece of music.
The sparkle of Pioggia Senza Voce (Voiceless Rain) is described by a duet between piano and a melodious bassline. Antonini provides a masterclass in drums leading a musical direction, and the collective provide here a very strong art rock piece, guitars riffing up and down the scale, bass foundation, effects quite nightmarish, which then moves into the most moving closing passage.
Ovunque Amare La Vita (Loving Life Everywhere) is a short piece, a duet again between piano and voice, pitch perfect in portraying the poetical:
and you
know that time
is the only harmony
I can offer you
like a song between my fingers
clothing the dream of a life
of loving
Marionette (Puppets) references the violence inherent within us, the hypocrisies of nobles which led to humanitarian disasters, innocents in the hands of the puppet-masters, and musically continues the interplay between piano and voice, only this time more urgent, the piano belting out the inequities of the words.
Nelle Mani un Dipinto (A Painting in Hand), born of pain. I have embedded this track below, and you will, as I did, love the atmospheric flute played by Davide Bonomo, someone clearly used to providing music in an orchestral setting, the keyboards are central here, but the guitar riffs provided by Machado are very strong in the heaviest piece on the album, with the close calming down into a mellotron festa.
Oltre Lo Specchio (Beyond the Mirror) takes us into the future and the depths of our minds, the letters of eternity shining on. It is in excess of thirteen minutes, and, in my opinion all else leads us to this point, the centrepiece of an ambitious work, and it prog rocks from the off, Pace on the bass providing such a sublime melody, Bonomo dancing with the flute, Rosati giving us a beautiful guitar line reminiscent of Hackett at his sublime pomp, and, as ever, Riti so expressive on the piano. This track is a candidate for “epic of 2026” at my annual awards, a track which, in the finest of epic traditions, keeps giving up more of its secrets with each listen, the ability to move from quietly expressive to all out rock born of the Italian classics, huge in scope and ambition, and worth the entrance price alone, the voice at the close screaming out the prospect of eternal life beyond the stars. Superb.
Attimi Eterni (Eternal Moments) closes the album, the CD digipack suitably portraying the beauty of the island of Sicily, where everything is, the air that breathes the breath in the heart, piano and voice letting us gently down into that night.
La Caratura delle Penisole is another winner from one of the finest modern exponents of Italian progressive rock. It grows on the listener, until after a few listens, you appreciate the richness and depth of the storytelling and musical vision realising the concept.