EXEGI MONUMENTUM AERE PERENNIUS

EXEGI MONVMENTVM AERE PERENNIVS meaning "I raised a monument more lasting than bronze" is the third album by Vincenzo Ricca's The Rome Pro(g)ject. Having enjoyed the previous two discs, I was eager to get my hands on this brand new release, and I ordered it straight from Vincenzo himself. More than living up to expectations, this album in fact surpassed them. This third instalment takes the best from Rome Pro(g)ject I and II and presents us with a truly convincing work. After a very large number of listens over the past few weeks I can attest that it is indeed a lasting monument of Symphonic Prog. The moment it stops running, I just want to start it over again!

The music of The Rome Pro(g)ject is entirely instrumental, not even narration is included this time which I feel is a boost as I found it distracting on previous releases. The album features ten tracks, all but two of which are written by Ricca who is a great composer and a superb keyboard player.

Like the name implies, the project is based in Italy, but it is in fact an international collaboration featuring contributions from several well-known British musicians. Steve Hackett makes a return appearance on the twelve and a half minute Exegi Monvmentvm which also features John Hackett on flute. Another long-time Hackett collaborator in Nick Magnus contributes the two piano pieces that bookend the album.

Other returning participants are David Jackson and David Cross who contribute winds and electric violin respectively to several tracks. The presence of these giants readily invites comparisons to the classic bands in which they made their names, and in the cases of Genesis and King Crimson the comparisons are indeed relevant. When it comes King Crimson, it is more so the early, symphonic era of In The Court Of The Crimson King that is relevant and less so the later albums that David Cross originally helped create. An exception might be the track 476 A.C. which is dedicated to John Wetton. No similarities with Van der Graaf Generator can be detected, with Jacksons contributions on sax and flutes also bringing to mind early King Crimson as well as occasionally Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson.

As a keyboard player, Ricca is clearly influenced by the likes of Tony Banks, Rick Wakeman, and Keith Emerson. The second part of the multi-part suite Aere Perennius is dedicated to Emerson, who like Wetton passed away last year. On these tracks, Emerson's influence can be felt.

Mentioning all of these great names might make some think that this is nothing but an exercise of rehearsing the classics, but that would definitely be a big mistake. EXEGI MONVMENTVM AERE PERENNIVS is not a "retro" release, but a timeless piece of excellent music!

Very highly recommended!

I would even say more, it is just the instigator of a musical triptych of which EXEGI MONVMENTVM AERE PERENNIVS is none other than the youngest! This musician also has a peculiarity of his own, that of having surrounded himself with world names from groups such as STEVE HACKETT BAND, VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or KING CRIMSON and Franck CARDUCCI (himself) who has worked in Genesis universes! Well, this third album is built around a central theme on ROME and its aura until its downfall, but the music is and remains cheerful until the last notes, "because nothing really dies"! Before talking to you a little more about music, a question more or less haunted me ... and maybe you too after listening: how and why such musicians came to lend a hand to this work? Obviously you won't get the solution from me, because I'm just going to tell you about the soul of this CD!

First, an intro piece on the piano, just to warm your ears with "EXEGI MONUMENTUM" the flagship piece of more than 12 minutes with a S. HACKETT at its best, juggling between Genesisian and Hackettian solo; finally setting the scene, and a sound specific to the said composer oscillating on sounds already known, of course, but clearly personalized. The following pieces are more themes based on a guest artist, highlighting here and there a sax? reminiscent of KING CRIMSON, a violin and hop we dive towards VAN DER GRAAF, a flute and hop a bit of S HACKETT at its beginnings , a little further a Floydian guitar, yes, yes, look I heard of course, then a Hackettian and Carduccan guitar! We can even imagine the theme of a J. BOND on the 3rd track, a sign that we are indeed in a concept piece of progressive music! We feel the fluid flights of the guitars, the languid notes at times, the notes pushed to their extreme as in the heyday of the 70's. You even hear a tune or two from "Selling England", to say the least.

So yes, each piece taken separately will not have the same scope, the same grip, the same charisma as if you listen to everything at once, but remember the sequel "The Cinema Show - Aisle of Plenty" almost inseparable it was awhile ago, and you will, I hope, understand a little bit how I felt listening to it. The end of the album with a few diffuse notes from Bach's prelude, just in our collective unconscious, allows us to find air, the air of 2018. The following three titles (extras) are in my opinion dispensable and bring nothing again except the voice of Francesco palabrating on ROME, the violin of which you know (also reminding me of that of the group SOLSTICE and its jazzy flights) and the playful, almost edgy guitar of Sir Steve!

To summarize a little this album which could only be a disc (33, CD or K7!) Instrumental, turns out to be a souvenir catalog for the old proggeux of which I am, but very young of age (of course!) And neo proggeux in search of emotion at the beginning of the year.