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Le Orme - Felona E Sorona CD (album) cover

FELONA E SORONA

Le Orme

 

Rock Progressivo Italiano

4.26 | 1062 ratings

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Andrea Cortese
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars "No changes outside of time, two planets exist side by side. Neither aware of the other though they are intertwined like branches of a tree." (Peter Hammill's English adaptation).

From the beginning to the end, from the form to the content, this 1973 album is really impressive! Great inventive concept about the Opposites' Theory! Le Orme imagine two planets (spheric form), Felona and Sorona, which are each the contrary of the other! The figurative representation is really catching and fascinating, quasi-ethereal with all those keyboards and mellotronic effects.also theatrical in the music's progression structure of drums and bass' parts! Many are the explanations listener often tells on this ambitious work! I think that intellectual reconstructions can be divided in two categories: philosophic one and sentimental one. In the second, always rejected as too simple, could be included all the opinions of whom think that the album is about man and woman relationship and uncommunicability! The first one theory could be divided in two further parts: reality's OBJECTIVE vision (metaphysical theory); reality's SUBJECTIVE vision (existentialist or psychological theory). These last two are not really excluding each other! The OBJECTIVE reconstruction has references with the ancient greek philosophers Parmenides and Heracletos. Parmenides was born in then greek southern Italy (in 515 B.C.) and was founder of a medicals-priests dynasty, submitted to the Apollos' cult! He thought Truth and To Be were, metaphysically, of a SPHERIC SHAPE! What's out of that SPHERE? The question is a non-sense question, for Parmenides, because saying there's Nothing, would be thinking at it as it's something!!! Heracletos was born in Ephesos (now Turkey) and teached that reality, in all its apparent motionless state and equilibrium, it's only the result of hardest and neverending conflict between the opposites!! Ying and Yang theory is the Far East's version!

Sospesi Nell'Incredibile (eng. "Suspended In The Incredible" - Peter Hammill's adaptation: "In Between") is an impressive 8,40 mns long track with many shifting moods and classical influence. The lyrics introduce the listeners to that outer space worlds: ".two planets in harmony, of opposition. The supposition is that when one is serene, then the other is sad. What of the Man in between ? He smiles on one and it's life is happy. His back is turned on the other and a shadow is cast..." (from the Peter Hammill adaptation).

Felona (the first planet) is played in bells' starting happy sound and in nice acoustic guitar: ".the house - spheres are so mobile powered by the wind, they move without discomfort to the families within. Moving as the wind blows over hill and vale, bouncing through the countryside like elastic whales! And finally when evening comes and the winds die down, the spheres are left as villages and new neighbours are found... the wind creates communities tomorrow they'll be gone, but the people just make holiday and join in happy songs." (Peter Hammill's adaptation).

La Solitudine Di Chi Protegge Il Mondo (Solitude Of Whom Protects The World - Peter Hammill changed the title in: "The Maker". Like the previous is a 2 mns short one, but with a soft played piano and sad vocals by Aldo Tagliapietra. The lyrics show good imagination from the band: ".it's serenity.Good makes forget who is at the origin, from whom derives. Solitude is a shadow revealing itself to all who feels himself unuseful!...".

L'Equilibrio (Equilibrium; Peter Hammill changed the title in "Web Of Time") is one of the best tracks, with stunning contribution from all the members! Thanks for piano and synth, Mr. Pagliuca! ".each one takes care of itself."; ".the soap balls disappeared. The land was scarred, no longer spherical. The houses became hard like the hearts of the men who walk the streets in despair..." (Peter Hammill's adaptation).

Sorona is one of my favourite songs.soft sad sound with the horrible description of the second unlucky planet: ".in this grey land there's place for nothing but dark marshes.rare trees by now with all the weight of Anguish.there's place for nothing but lava's rivers.bright reflections are changed into viscid scales.".

Attesa Inerte (Inert Waiting) has beautiful bass guitar from Aldo Tagliapietra (Cutstone, in eglish!): ". faces that neverending Trouble changes into masks, voices that ancient Silence makes without any noise, meet theirselves to say hello to the darkness!"

Ritratto Di Un Mattino (A Morning's Portrait) is another gem here! Warm instrumental passages, nice orchestral movements: "happiness you'll not find in yourselves, but in all the love you'll give to everybody else.".

All'Infuori del Tempo (Outside Time): another wonderful acoustic based song with also good keyboards and angelic voice! ".but when Sorona's exulting, Felona's start its slow decline. Inexorable Night comes and Equilibrium soon finishes.".

Ritorno Al Nulla (Return To Nought) maybe the best track of the album, within the opener! Very strong, with a great chorus from all keyboards' such sounds! What an impressive conclusion to this album! ".Two perfect worlds for a moment exist. Sorona of happiness, Felona of bliss. If there is an ending, it surely comes here. Sorona in happiness, Felona in fear...But endings are circular and life is the line, it goes on for ever, no change outside time !" (Peter Hammill's adaption).

Felona and Sorona.don't kow exactly what they represent, probably we'll never know it ('till the moment we'll ask it to Aldo), but together in this album are the main characters of such a sublime music, such a deep concept prog album!!! The five stars are the natural consequence!!

Andrea Cortese | 5/5 |

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