FUTURO ANTICO VII - IL CARNEVALE ROMANO

This is currently the last album of the Futuro Antico series. As the predecessors is mainly a collection of songs from the 15th and 16th Centuries played by the Ensemble Scintille Di Musica, directed by Francesca Torelli to whom Branduardi lends the vocals and his name.

Using Branduardi's name is not just a commercial operation. Forget bad episodes like Nick Mason lending his name to Carla Bley or Mike Oldfield doing the same with Pekka Pohjola. This is effectively the musical environment where Angelo Branduardi is from and it's the late medieval mood of his first songs which has made him famous even to the mainstream public.

What is very good in this album are the instrumentals. Not because of any Angelo's fault. His voice sounds very appropriate and the lyrics are not in Roman dialect so his "northern" accent is not a problem as it was on the previous release. It's only that the songs are not as good as the instrumentals.

The album's highlight is "Corrente". It's a slow melancholic instrumental of the kind that Mr Blackmore seems loving so much. The other instrumentals are mainly music for popular celebrations and dances. In general the slower tracks are those with more "feelings" inside. The "Ciaccona" is another example.

Few quotes about the lyrics: "Il Tedesco" (The German) is just an hymn to wine, something like "Thanks God for Wine, I drink, you drink we all are happy..." Not exactly those words but this is the sense. "Pan De Miglio" is a sexual double sense based on "hot bread". "Scaramella" is a Roman mask, like Arlequin in Venice or Punch in Naples. Then "Sentomi La Formicula" (I Feel An Ant) is another sexual joke about an ant walking from a leg to above. The two most interesting lyrics are the last two: "Son Fortuna Onnipotente" is about (good) Fate. The director Francesca Torelli sings with her good soprano voice on this one. Finally "Buon Maestre Rubechine" is a lesson of music which ends telling how to tune the strings of the lute.

A special mention for the closer "IL Trionfo Di Bacco E Arianna" which has a modern arrangement and is a very great song which mentions "Lorenzo De' Medici" with the chorus "Chi Vuol Esser Lieto Sia...". A song which would deserve to stay in a Branduardi's greatest hits.

A collection of ancient music, then. Forget things like "progressive" and "rock" but consider that this is probably where our music is from. Non essential but good enough if you have some time and curiosity to spend on it.