Artist: Hostsonaten
Label: Self-released
Release: 2008
Rating: 4.1/5
Hostsonaten is a project that took shape under the baton of Fabio Zuffanti, bassist in Finisterre, one of the best newer Italian symphonic bands out there right now. Winterthrough is Zuffanti’s fourth album under the Hostsonaten banner, and it feels like he just keeps getting better. This time he conjures up an idyllic, and also somewhat less pretty, picture of winter.
Finisterre have been inactive for quite a while (no album since 2004), so we can safely say that Hostsonaten is now Zuffanti’s main project. Back in 2002 he wowed us with the romantic epic Springsong, and now he returns to the seasons with his ode to winter, which can be just as tender as spring but can also turn rougher.
Hostsonaten, who took their name from the Ingmar Bergman film starring Ingrid Bergman, are on one hand a pretty typical Italian band, but I mean that in a good way, in the sense of 70s Italian symphonic rock. The music is extremely melancholic, romantic, flowing and melodic. It has that real Italian feel that gives you goosebumps. True, the style is cemented in the 70s and a fair few musical tricks are lifted from old acquaintances like Genesis, Celeste and maybe PFM too, but when it comes to the compositions I’ve got nothing to pin on Zuffanti. He managed to create a work that takes you on a magical journey through all the beauty and hardship of winter. The only thing I’d gripe about is one section that is just too blatant a copy. They borrowed Hackett’s guitar riff from Banks’s solo in Cinema Show. But fine, let’s leave it, the overall impression is good.
Hostsonaten rely on fairly obvious tricks that we’ve already heard from all the big symphonic bands. There are lots of vintage keyboards. The gentle passages with piano and mellotron stand out especially, and they often bring Celeste to mind. There’s a good amount of organ and synths, which may occasionally shatter the album’s romantic mood, but mostly they work as a nice bit of spice. Unlike on the previous album, this time there’s no shortage of heavier parts either, with the guitar getting to breathe a lot more freely. There are still plenty of obvious moves on the twelve-string and acoustic guitars (even the electric sometimes sounds very Hackett-like), but I can say with confidence that the album is more varied in this respect. There’s also no shortage of classic bass parts and bass pedals. I find the addition of woodwinds a nice touch, giving the album a more unique character.
I’d say Hostsonaten carry on the fine Italian tradition of Mediterranean symphonic music with a melancholic touch. You can hear the influence of PFM and Celeste, and of course there’s a big Genesis influence too. The music is arranged in a fairly complex way, but the focus is mainly on melody and aesthetics. Zuffanti managed to conjure up a wintry atmosphere, putting together tricky arrangements with stylistically polished music. Winterthrough is an album that fans of new symphonic music need to hear, since in terms of musicality it beats every single album by The Flower Kings and Spock’s Beard.
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Hostsonaten is a project headed by Fabio Zuffanti, the bass player for one of the best newer Italian symphonic bands at the moment, Finisterre. Winterthrough is Zuffanti’s fourth album with the name Hostsonaten and it seems he keeps improving. This time, he paints an idyllic and also a not so perfect picture of winter.
It’s been a long time since Finisterre have done anything (they haven’t released an album since 2004), so we can clearly assume that Hostsonaten might now be Zuffanti’s main project. Zuffanti was already impressive with the 2002 romantic epic Springsong and now he returns with his ode to winter, which is just as gentle as spring, but can also be harsher in some moments.
Hostsonaten, who got the name from an Ingmar Bergman movie (starring Ingrid Bergman), are a pretty typical Italian band, but I mean this in a positive sense, in the sense of Italian symphonic rock from the 70s. The music is extremely melancholic, romantic, fluid and melodic. They have that great Italian feeling for music which sends shivers down your spine. It’s true that the sound is pretty much cemented in the 70s and that many tricks are taken from bands like Genesis, Celeste and perhaps even PFM, but I have nothing but positive words for Zuffanti in terms of compositional quality. He created a work which takes you on a magical journey through all the beauty and hardships of winter. I only have a problem with one part which is too much of a carbon copy of Hackett’s guitar riff during Banks’s solo on Cinema Show. But enough about that, the general impression is good.
Hostsonaten use fairly obvious tricks. We’ve heard it all before in all the big symphonic bands. There are plenty of vintage keyboards. The gentle segments with the piano and mellotron are particularly noticeable here. They often remind the listener of Celeste. There’s also a great deal of organ and synthesizer here, which sometimes breaks up the romantic mood of the album, but it mostly serves to spice up the music. Unlike some previous efforts, there are a few heavier parts here as well, where the guitar has a chance to breathe a bit more freely. There are still plenty of obvious tricks on the twelve-string and acoustic guitar taken from Hackett (even the electric sometimes reminds of Hackett), but I can say with certainty that the album is much more versatile in its guitar segments than ever before. There are also many classic bass and bass pedal parts. I feel that the addition of the woodwinds is a good touch, which gives the album a unique character.
I can say that Hostsonaten continue the beautiful Italian tradition of Mediterranean symphonic music with a melancholic flavour. There’s a clear influence of bands like PFM and Celeste, and naturally also of Genesis. The music is arranged in a fairly complex way, but the emphasis is still on the melodic and aesthetic value. Zuffanti created the right winter atmosphere, he managed to put together complex arrangements with music that’s highly stylistically perfected. Winterthrough is an album that people who like new symphonic music must hear because it beats anything bands like The Flower Kings and Spock’s Beard have done in terms of musicality.
Lineup
Fabio Zuffanti – bass, bass pedals, guitars, keyboards
Alessandro Corvaglia – mellotron, moog
Maurizio Di tollo – drums, percussion
Edmondo Romano – saxophone, flute, bagpipes
Roberto Vigo – keyboards
Matteo Nahum – guitars
Production
Fabio Zuffanti
Tracklist
1. Entering The Halls Od Winter
2. Red Sky
3. White Earth
4. Snowstorm
5. Over The Plain
6. The Crystal Light
7. Outside
8. Ruins
9. Through Winter’s Air
10. Rainsuite:
i. Prelude
ii. New year’s theme
iii. Winter’s end
iv. Celebration / To the open fields…
