SYMPHONY N.1 - CUPID & PSYCHE

My first foray into Italian record shops was on a trip to the Veneto in 2005 when there were two stores in Venice and another a short train ride away in Treviso. In those days I was aided by Jerry Lucky's Progressive Rock Files (Collector's Guide Publishing, 2000) when I'd scour entries for remarks like "if you're a fan of PFM then you'll like this" and, following up a reference to Celeste that described them as "influenced by early King Crimson but their sound is very original. You'll hear elements of Genesis circa Trespass and even bits of PFM's Per un Amico. A very beautiful, symphonic pastoral result. Lots of Mellotron. One of the genre's highly rated bands" I began to seek out their 1976 release Principe di un giorno and looked for references to Celeste in the listings. One of these was Finisterre, described as "Symphonic progressive rock with long tracks containing restrained hints of bands like Celeste or Banco. They've chosen to create a moody and atmospheric sound that relies more on the classical style than neo-prog. Long passages of dissonant harmonies and jazzy chord voicings". It wasn't until I updated to Lucky's The Progressive Rock Handbook (Collector's Guide Publishing, 2008), that I heard of Höstsonaten and La Maschera di Cera and was able to fathom out the relationship between them. I began to collect La Maschera di Cera CDs in 2009 and Finisterre CDs some time later but it wasn't until 2014 that I bought my first Höstsonaten release, the 2012 CD and DVD of the live performance of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Unable to play the CD, bought at 2014's Prog Résiste festival where Fabio Zuffanti and the Z Band were playing, it was experiencing a live version of Rainsuite (from Winterthrough, 2008) at that gig that really turned me on to Höstsonaten, revealing a very symphonic progressive rock style that Zuffanti himself equated with The Enid. Zuffanti's projects are all essential listening for fans of the original progressivo Italiano movement and though I really enjoy Maschera di Cera's albums for their modern take on the original genre, remaining true to the spirit of the work of bands like PFM and Banco, the instrumental work by Höstsonaten comes closest to symphonic rock and the Enid comparison is well founded.

I pre-ordered a vinyl copy of Symphony N. 1 Cupid & Psyche and followed the story as it was released chapter by chapter, raising my expectations. When I finally got hold of the LP I was not disappointed. The music was conceived by Zuffanti but he stepped away from the limelight and his only instrumental credits are for bass pedals, 'treatments and devices', leaving Zuffanti collaborator Luca Scherani (La Coscienza di Zeno, La Curva di Lesmo) to handle the arrangements and orchestrations in addition to playing keyboards; guitar, bass and drums are provided by long-term Zuffanti associates Laura Marsano, Daniele Sollo and Paolo Tixi respectively. There are many precedents of full orchestration in progressive rock and progressivo Italiano has some very notable examples including the New Trolls' Concerto Grosso (1971, 1976, 2007) and Contaminazione by Il Rovescio della Medaglia (1973) but enhancing the symphonic scope of Höstsonaten seemed like a logical step, one true to the principles of progressive rock as it attempted to bridge the gap between high and popular culture. The melange of influences that inform their output, their RPI predecessors, jazz and Mediterranean folk are enhanced with inspiration from Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.

I've thought quite hard about other orchestrated prog albums and there aren't many that genuinely seamlessly blend the rock and the orchestral moments; the pieces by Keith Emerson with the Nice were predominantly divided into distinct sections, band then orchestra then band. There are times when Yes' Magnification (2001) works well but this mostly comes across as orchestra instead of keyboards and has hints of Tony Cox's arrangements on Time and a Word (1970). I find the most satisfying orchestrated pieces of progressive rock to be Camel's Music Inspired by the Snow Goose (1975) and, stretching the point a little, Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge (1974). In terms of orchestration in progressivo Italiano, Passio Secondum Mattheum by Latte e Miele (1972) works well, but I think that Höstsonaten have come up with one of the most balanced mixes of rock and orchestra that at times reminds me of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother (1970) and the eponymous 1972 release by Il Paese dei Balocchi. Laura Marsano provides some epic, melodic Gilmour-like guitar lines but it's the inclusion of classic prog keyboards, Moog, Mellotron, organ and piano which fit in so neatly with the strings and brass that bestow a sense of harmonious union between the classical and the rock instrumentation. Not surprisingly, there are refrains that hint of Höstsonaten's previous output and it goes without saying that the execution is consummate.

Another important link with the foundation of the genre is the appropriation of myth as subject matter (c.f. Genesis and The Fountain of Salmacis) with Zuffanti utilising the Apuleius story Metamorphoses. A translation by author, columnist and philosopher Pee Gee Daniel, providing a synopsis of the chapters that make up the ten tracks, is included in the gatefold sleeve.

La Maschera di Cera produced one of my all time favourite albums Lux Ade (2006) based on the Orpheus story, but that was an entirely rock affair; Höstsonaten ventured into composing for a theatrical performance with The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; Cupid & Psyche is a realisation of Zuffanti's dream to create a symphonic suite with group and orchestra that is also able to serve as the soundtrack for a ballet, in the manner of Stravinsky or Tchaikovsky. Beginning with an array of musical ideas suitable for the project and enlisting Luca Scherani to create a score for string, wind and brass instruments, the album easily succeeds in presenting a coherent piece of symphonic progressive rock which also fulfils the criterion of a ballet score; the piece was given its live premier on October 22nd 2016 at the Teatro Rina e Gilberto Govi, Genoa, with the ballet under the direction of choreographer Paola Grazzis.

A highly anticipated return four years after the previous studio record and a further confirmation of the robust state of health of the Italian prog scene, the amazing creativity of Fabio Zuffanti and Luca Scherani shines through in Höstsonaten's Cupid & Psyche. Four and a half stars