ZARATHUSTRA

Museo Rosenbach has only released one album, this one. Because of the Years of Lead that Italy lived through (red and black terrorism), the cover inspired by Nietzsche and depicting the face of Mussolini resulted in great repulsions for this group, considered as fascist. In those years (1973) in Italy any difference in political views could degenerate into violence and the left movement to which prog music belonged did not accept Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra. It didn't help to specify that the cover was a provocation and that the concept album had existentialist lyrics, Museo Rosenbach was boycotted by the underground movement that had launched Pfm, Banco, and Area, and preferred to disband before producing their second. album. It was a real shame because this group of talents was really very gifted and could have churned out even more masterpieces.

Side A

1. Zarathustra: - a. The Last Man (3:57) Beginning in crescendo on an epic theme, the music stops and the singing of Stefano Galifi arrives in the distance who, shortly after, sings a second verse (existentialist symbolic text) at a higher volume, until the initial epic theme restarts with a grandeur effect due to the use of mellotron.

- b. The King Of Yesterday (3:12) After the bombastic epic theme, Pit Corradi's piano outlines a horror film theme that then dissolves into a pastoral, melancholy motif (we're listening to excellent music) with a crescendo of Farfisa. Galifi's voice can be heard again in the distance but towards the end of the movement the music explodes and the lyrics prepare the advent of the superman ("Love your land, in the womb of him God will form"). Last jazzy notes that bridge with a tempo change for the next movement.

- c. Beyond Good And Evil (4:09) Whose name refers to another work of Nietzsche ("The man alone, far from God, cannot build his own morality ... From the morality that You have created nothing will rise")

- d. Superman (1:22) On a jazz tempo Galifi sings "The superman is alive". His voice, slightly hoarse, is sung with a lot of power and anguish, at times like an opera singer, and at times with an almost shouted voice, with an uncommon impetus in prog (present for example in Roger Chapman of the Family).

- e. The Temple of the Hourglasses (8:02) After the slowdown following the previous piece, the new movement continues with a math rock march. Golzi's drums in evidence in this piece and the Rosenbachs are keen to show that they know how to juggle every element typical of prog. Towards 6 minutes the rhythm stops, the Hammond organ plays the intro emphatically which brings us back to the initial epic theme of the first movement.

Masterpiece. Suite rating 8.5 / 9

Side B

2. Men (4:01) Slow start with the organ, then hard-rock electric guitar riffs (Enzo Merogno) which creates a grandiose and epic atmosphere. Changes of pace, accelerations in the style of British prog, it seems to listen to an assault on horseback. Slowdowns, and finally the voice of Stefano Galifi, the "wolf", who in fact seems to howl at the moon. Pause, the music stops, voice and Farfisa remain on a delightful background which, however, inexplicably fade out suddenly. Truncated song, it seems unfinished. It's a pity. Rating 7+.

3. Of Nature (8:24) Start with a frenzied pace, very daring. Then, as often happens with Museo Rosenbach, the music stops, and Galifi's strangled, very bluesy singing arrives, which almost always expresses a sense of existential anguish. Great syncopated instrumental piece, with frenzied rhythm and tempo changes. There are perhaps too many tempo changes between percussion and vocals, too many stop and go. Around 4 minutes a jazzy rhythm arrives (great work by Golzi and Corradi) characterized by onomatopoeic sounds. "Dawn comes from the virgin thirst of his mantle", Galifi sings almost desperately in a blues ending marked by Merogno's guitar. Rating 8.5.

4. Of the Eternal Return (6:15) More reflective piece than the previous one, which Galifi tells the sunset of Zarathustra. Corradi's Hammond conducts the piece together with Golzi's drums. "I die without hoping that something will be born, something will change, the road that I will know leads where man stops and where eternal return reigns". Galifi alternates moments of resignation with moments of desperate anger. Instrumental finale. Rating 8+.

Total Time 39:22

We are facing an ambitious concept album, with extraordinarily committed and serious lyrics, which outline the path of Nietzsche's superman. A compact disc also musically, guided in particular by Corradi's keyboards and mellotron, by Golzi's drums and by the very expressive and ductile voice of Galifi who, together, sign a composition of epic melodic rock, which alternates reflection with anger and desperation, in an almost expressionist way. The quality of the second side is slightly lower than the first but without falls, the only mistake is the brevity of the first song. Maybe some solos are missing, the group prefers the team game.

Small masterpiece. Rating 9. Five Stars.