AUTUMNSYMPHONY

This Sunday interesting longtime Italian progrock band Hostsonaten comes for the first time to the Netherlands as a live band. The project exists since 1996 (many Italian musicians played in the project) but only in the last two years Hostsonaten became a live band. The line-up features Luca Scherani (keyboards), Fabio Zuffanti (bass pedal, guitar and percussion), Paolo Tixi (drums), Marcella Arganese (guitar), Daniele Sollo (bass) and Joanne Roan (flute). In order to celebrate this memerable progrock fact for Holland, I would like to go back to their wonderful album Autumn Symphony from 2009, almost 10 years ago.

Inside the fold out cover I read: "Autumn Symphony is the second part of the 'Season Cycle Suite', a musical celebration of season's power in four parts, part one is Summereve, part two is this Autumn Symphony, part three is Winterthrough and part four is Springsong". So in the footsteps of famous fellow Italian composer Vivaldi, this excellent Italian progrock formation is inspired by the four seasons. We could enjoy their wonderful previous effort entitled Winterthrough, this time the focus in on the third season, the autumn.

Led by the musical brainchild and multi-instrumentalist Fabio Zuffanti (bass guitar, bass pedals, acoustic - and electric guitar, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Mellotron and Minimoog synthesizer) Hostsonaten delivers a beautiful, very elaborate instrumental album. The sound on the 9 compositions ranges from 24-carat symphonic rock to avant-garde oriented climates, you have to be up to a lot of variety and very interesting musical ideas. A dreamy atmosphere with a trumpet solo, then a hypnotizing beat and a flute solo in the first track Open Windows To Autumn. Then warm classical guitar and Grand piano, followed by a howling electric guitar, culminating in a bombastic part featuring Mellotron and Minimoog and in the end wonderful flute and Japanese koto in the long and alternating Leaves In The Well (Including Riverbank Prelude). From trumpet, bagpipe, Mellotron and a pumping bass in As The Night Gives Birth To The Morning to a Bolero-like build-up in the final composition Autumn's Last Breath / The Gates Of Winter (slow Grand piano runs as the basic element, then repetitive drums beats, violin, choir-Mellotron and trumpet, very compelling).

Remarkable is the more experimental side of Hostsonaten in the tracks Out Of Water and Nightswan I and the jazz climate in the first part of Trees In November (followed by a slow rhythm with moving electric guitar, bass pedals, majestic choir- Mellotron and trumpet, very special).

One of the highlights on this album is Nightswan II: first prog folk like Dutch Flairck, then awesome symphonic rock with bombastic Moog, choir-Mellotron and howling electric guitar, goose bumps.

Adventure, emotion, skills, variety, a wide range of instruments, you can't beg for more! And I hope a lot of progheads team up during Hostsonaten their first gig in Holland next Sunday in Nieuwekerk!

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