VERMICELLI ORCHESTRA

I found this album by chance while doing academic research on the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Since I am a prog fan and a researcher on Stoicism, the fact that a musical act included on this site devoted a record to Marcus Aurelius intrigued me. I looked online for some more information about Vermicelli Orchestra and this specific album, but found nothing more than what is written here. So, I will just give my first impressions on "Marcus Aurelius" by Vermicelli Orchestra. The record is mellow and relaxing, and the orchestration never creates a bombastic sound, and you never lose track of the melody. It has a folk gusto, indeed, but I am unsure whether it is fair to label it as 'prog folk': I felt the record was very safe, very ambient, and there was not much going on in terms of complexity. After all, it does exactly what you would expect from the soundtrack to a historical documentary: set a quiet and welcoming atmosphere. I would recommend listening to it while studying or reading, but even in such situations "Marcus Aurelius" by Vermicelli Orchestra would not be my first choice.