Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Orme, Le
Label: Love Music
Released: 2011
Duration: 41:12
Rating: 4/5
Le Orme belong to the handful of elite bands that played a key role in shaping the Italian progressive rock scene. Of the whole legion of kindred bands, only two other Italian prog outfits met with similar international acclaim in the seventies: Premiata Forneria Marconi (the only ones who also made it big in the Anglo-Saxon world) and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. Despite plenty of ups and downs over the years, Le Orme are still a pretty active band in the studio and on the stage today, as their excellent new studio effort »La Via Della Seta« (2011) proves: a concept album about the journeys of the famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo along the ‘Silk Road’ toward the Middle and Far East, all the way to the Chinese empire.
On every single »La Via Della Seta« track, Le Orme prove that they remain among the very few in their genre who still, in the new millennium, keep up a high level of artistry and a knack for crafting grand arrangements, complex rhythmic nuances and epic melodies, even though their lineup has changed a lot over the years and is barely recognizable today.
Of the lineup that recorded their cult debut »Ad gloriam« (1969), only drummer Michi Dei Rossi, the band’s unofficial chief, is still around. On their latest album »La Via Della Seta«, Dei Rossi is joined by longtime keyboard wizard Michele Bon, who replaced the legendary Tony Pagliuca in 1996, bassist and singer Fabio Trentini, and three guest musicians: seasoned vocalist Jimmy Spitaleri, young guitar gem William Dotto and extra keyboardist Federico Gava.
Spitaleri, a longtime singer with another cult Italian symphonic prog band, Metamorfosi, has thus landed in the lead vocalist spot once held in Le Orme by guitarist Aldo Tagliapietra. Spitaleri is an outstanding singer with a completely individual, operatic approach, which means he boasts an enviable, admirable vocal range. He and Dotto appear on »La Via Della Seta« as guests, though they became an integral part of the later live shows, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they eventually became full members.
Interestingly, on »La Via Della Seta« only one composition (the title track) runs longer than six minutes, but that takes nothing away from the successful realization of this rather ambitious concept project. The opening instrumentals, »L’alba di Eurasia« and »Il romanzo di Alessandro«, make it clear right away that Le Orme aren’t messing around. Both instrumentals are a wonderfully successful mix of subtlety and tight instrumental interplay, with bravura improvisations on electric guitar and Hammond organ, while the epic character of the individual arrangements and the superb rhythmic flow never let up. The individual lyrics don’t just describe Polo’s travel achievements, but also their aftermath and their huge significance for future contact between the ‘West’ and the ‘East’.
On »Verso sud«, dominated by fragile piano arrangements, Spitaleri’s vocals shine for the first time on the album, and with their exceptional emotional depth and storytelling fire they are generally one of the main strengths of »La Via Della Seta«. On the instrumental »Mondi che si cercano« you can revel in Bon’s piano artistry. Another of the album’s best moments is the epic treat »Incontro dei popoli«, with its grand symphonic arrangements and pastoral flute touches, and Spitaleri deserves special praise once again for an unbelievably passionate vocal performance that earns every compliment going. On »Prima melodia« epic guitar passages shine, blending harmoniously with branching keyboard textures, while the peak of this splendid song is its grand, almost awakening chorus.
»La Via Della Seta« is an excellent album that meets all the high artistic standards of this legendary Italian symphonic prog-rock band, which means it was made more or less the way most longtime Le Orme fans wanted it. Marco Polo’s journeys come alive in a vivid, fluid way across all twelve compositions, which was the main goal of this concept project. Admittedly, with it Le Orme haven’t created a new masterpiece on par with their finest achievements, led by »Uomo di pezza« (1972) and »Felona e Sorona« (1973), but it’s still a very good record that, in terms of quality, outshines many newer releases from their musical peers.
Line-up
Michi Dei Rossi – drums, percussion
Michele Bon – keyboards, backing vocals
Fabio Trentini – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric sitar, backing vocals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Jimmy Spitaleri – vocals
William Dotto – electric guitar
Federico Gava – keyboards
Production
Le Orme
Track list
1. L’alba di Eurasia (2:03)
2. Il romanzo di Alessandro (2:56)
3. Verso Sud (3:14)
4. Mondi che si cercano (3:16)
5. Verso Sud (Ripresa) (1:21)
6. Una donna (1:38)
7. 29457, l’asteroide di Marco Polo (1:08)
8. Serinde (4:25)
9. Incontro dei popoli (4:55)
10. La prima melodia (5:339
11. Xi’an – Venezia – Roma (4:36)
12. La via della seta (6:05)
