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RIGONI & SCHOENHERZ

Crossover Prog • Austria


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Rigoni & Schoenherz biography
Before Richard Schöenherz (born 1947) became known for working in bands such as Dawn and Einstein, he and Manuel Rigoni created the concept album 'Victor'. It is viewed by many as a lost classic of progressive rock, as it balances between orchestrated and sophisticated rock in a unique manner. As well as Richard providing keyboards and lead vocals, and Manuel providing drums and percussion, they combined Kurt Hauenstein (Supermax), Harry Stojka, Achim Buchstab, Johan Daansers and Peter Wolf along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Academy Chamber Choir.

'Victor' is a symphonic tour de force about the power of youth and a plea for deference to authority, war and cruelty. It is centred around a young man and his upbringing in a circus and his thoughts and rebellion, of sorts, against the adult conception of life and what one is supposed to with it. Partly recorded and mixed in the legendary Abbey Road Studios, 'Victor' is still a timeless work that is worth exploring.

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3.36 | 18 ratings
Victor
1975

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RIGONI & SCHOENHERZ Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Victor by RIGONI & SCHOENHERZ album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.36 | 18 ratings

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Victor
Rigoni & Schoenherz Crossover Prog

Review by branchranch

2 stars This is a most unusual recording. It seems to be a collaboration between a rock musician and a orchestral composer. Originally a 2-LP set of four side long tracks telling the story of Victor, and his relationship with his father as he grows up in a low-rent traveling circus. He yearns to leave the circus and live his own life, which he eventually does.

The lyrics are surprisingly intelligent and well-composed, particularly the time in the circus. (The latter end of the story becomes rather unfocused and rambling. I'm not sure what is going on in Victor's life. Is he traveling with Indians or hallucinating?)

The music, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

The closest I can come to describing it is a poorly executed "Days of Future Passed".

It alternates between orchestral passages and rock songs. Unlike "Days of Future Passed", one seems to have no relationship to the other. Worse still, there are no memorable melodies or "hooks" that a listener can latch onto. It almost seems like the composers went their separate ways, then patched together their compositions at the end. The orchestral sections are executed quite well, although they could easily be spliced into the background soundtrack of a TV show. Very banal. The rock music is even worse. In the attempt to match the excellent lyrics, the composer has forgotten to include melody.

This could have been a superb recording. The lyrics are excellent, and the idea even better. But they should have borrowed more from "Days of Future Passed". Create a few nice melodic songs around the lyrics, and then have the orchestral parts echo and build upon the melody.

Disappointing x2, which is how many stars I will give this recording.

 Victor by RIGONI & SCHOENHERZ album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.36 | 18 ratings

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Victor
Rigoni & Schoenherz Crossover Prog

Review by Jeff Carney

1 stars Unfocused, meandering and over-arranged with a story line that I suspect would make itself comfortable on an episode of "Barney & Friends," Rigoni & Schoenherz issued this double album for Bacillus/Bellaphon in 1975. Frankly, I'm surprised it left the cutting room floor. That somebody bothered to write out a score for the Royal Philharmonic for this mess just about boggles the mind. It wants to be a brilliant pop album and has its moments, but it's almost like some abandoned Moody Blues project from eight years prior. It's so dated. At times, it is just so completely uninspired. I can only assume the idea was a double long player to appease the Les Humphries Singers crowd, but this absolutely had no business dragging on for four sides.

To be honest, I find it really hard to even become engaged in the music enough to truly do it justice in a review. It's like some 70s TV movie soundtrack which has no end and is almost completely anonymous. Suffice it to say when I spun this again today for the first time in a while, I was curious as to how bad it would be scored here. That it somehow has managed a 4.95 (admittedly on only 3 ratings prior to mine) came as a complete surprise. All I can say is that I don't hear it. The playing is fine, but the parts aren't good enough, and while I won't say the parts sound illogically constructed, it lacks almost any excitement and isn't dynamic enough for an effort of this magnitude. Very competent playing with parts that just sort of go on and on from one to the next but with rarely a hint of passion.

I doubt you could pull enough truly worthwhile material from this to manage a single. Not a single LP. A single! And yet this is a double album worth of this stuff. Only for the most completest European rock collectors in my view.

 Victor by RIGONI & SCHOENHERZ album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.36 | 18 ratings

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Victor
Rigoni & Schoenherz Crossover Prog

Review by GruvanDahlman
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Sometimes it just so happens that you stumble cross an album that you simply know must be good. An album you feel from the get go, although you know nothing about it. Most albums I acquire are known to me in one way or another. This stunning album wasn't and by the looks of it I am not alone in my ignorance. I seems to be rather forgotten, squatting in the dark corners of prog.

When I first laid eyes on the album I was struck and fascinated by the cover. Such a beautiful one. I had just finished Reading "1984" (again) and by some strange coincidence the cover seemed to recall the world which Orwell depicted in words. This was obviously just a feeling of mine, emanating from my most vivid imagination. Anyway... When I saw this wonderful piece of cover art I knew and I felt deep down in the very fibres of my soul (if there are any) that this is an album of overwhelming quaities and depth. I knew it. I felt it. And you know what, that deep sense of wonder was true. I had struck gold. I truly had

The album is centered around Victor, a young boy growing up at a circus that's seen better days. The father wants Victor to abide to his fate and become a clown, while Victor himself wants something else out of life. It may all sound a bit thin for a story but it really isn't. It is on the contrary quite intriguing, especially if you consider the true subject of the album, the pursuit of happiness and the meaning of life. What is it all about? Should one bow down to the wants and needs of ones elders or do we owe it to ourselves to find our own way? It is all a question of progress, I suppose. If all of us always did what our elders want, where would we be? Would we still be cooped up in lowly holes in the ground, raiding the surrouning countryside for carcasses dressed only in the suit of our own hide? I may be rambling and you wondering where is all this leading? It will end here and instead I will focus on the music. So, wthout further ado I thank you for your patience and will move on.

The first thing one can say about the music is that it is very powerful yet delicate. Divided into four suites, each one almost 20 minutes long, the album might seem tough to swallow. I come to think of the excesses of Yes and "Tales of topographic oceans" but the music on Rigoni & Schonherz album is far more accessible, though not necessarily lacking in complexity. Each suite has a variety of styles and genres, ranging from (almost) old school rock'n'roll via hard rock and outright classical movements of the finest sort. It has been proven that the merging of classical and rock is a tricky one, as shown by Jon Lord's "Gemini suite" but it can certainly be extremely rewarding when exected correctly, as by Focus on "Hamburger concerto". The classical sections of "Victor" is apart from being fantastic pieces in their own right, also very fitting in the context of the album. Acting as dramatic interludes or bridges between the different stges of the story it is reminiscent of how soundtracks work in movies, setting the mood and reinforces the storyline. The rock side of things are very engaging aswell, apart from some small entries of basic rock'n'roll which I do not approve of but those are few and ruins nothing of the album, seen as a whole.

There are an abundance of keyboards on "Victor", which suits me perfectly. Everything from piano and organ to other electrically powered keyboards is used to perfection, suiting the context very well. The presence of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra puts further greatness to an already fantastic muscial landscape.

I hear echoes of Rick Wakeman, circa 1974-1976, and his most pompous and overblown exercises. (And that is meant in the most positive and loving way possible.) The quire and classical elements only adds to this notion. Still, "Victor" certainly is an entity of it's own It is as pompous and overblown as anything you could imagine but in the best of ways. After all, that is an integral part of prog and so it should be.

While all four suites are exquiste and really enjoyable, I do find the second and third one to be the best. The thirds holds my favorite part, "Victor's sng to his faher" with a great and memorable melody line. Very dramatic and powerful indeed.

I have already stated that the album is accessible and that still stands but it must be said this album is also highly complex in it's execution and delivery. The balance between the very competent classical sections and the rock ones are so fantasically performed and is really an accomplishment. I stood and keeps standing in awe when listening to this album. It is a thorough album, never loosing neither focus nor the ability to enthrall. It is a very spellbinding album of great drama and depth that I really adore. Truly adore.

My initial feeling for this album has proven to be accurate. This is really a record to discover and I think that anyone with an interest in (vintage) prog would do well to hear.How such a remarkable body of work has remained so anonymous I'll never know but that's the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose. There are so many albums out there needing to be discovered. Hopefully this review will remedy that, at least as far as this album is concerned. The overall rating for me has to be a five star one. I cannot really be content in giving it four stars. I would regret it, I think.

An outstanding one-off album from the very deep of the progressive ocean.

Thanks to kev rowland for the artist addition.

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