UNA VITA UNA BALENA BIANCA E ALTRE COSE

A true lost classic of such beauty

Stefano Testa's 1977 album is the epitome of the lost RPI gem. On almost no ones radar at prog sites (except Italianprog.com, of course-good work Augusto), this is the kind of artist you find by digging deep through the Mellow catalog of reissues. There is almost no information available about Stefano Testa and I would urge anyone who knows him to put him in touch with me, so I can arrange a proper Bio. The only available information says he is from Cuneo province and began his career in the acoustic trio "Portici." More to follow soon, I hope.

Testa's acoustic opus brought several artists to mind: Enzo Capuano, Era di Acquario, Genfuoco, Cerchio d' Oro, L'Estate di San Martino, Reale Accademia di Musica, Blocco Mentale, and Errata Corrige. And I can safely say that this album is as good or better than any of those. How this title has flown completely below the radar of RPI fans is beyond me. We have everything here that the fan of softer symphonic/folk prog will enjoy. You have a 16 minute epic to lead off the album, featuring great composition and arrangements. Lovely flutes usher in harmonic sprites as gorgeous acoustic guitars are backed by a warm and spirited rhythm section: good organic bass and 70s drum sound are prominent but relaxed, that nice mix they managed to achieve back then. Piano and Moog are featured throughout the album although it is really led by the acoustic guitars more than the keyboards, both Testa and Portici are superb players. The mood of the music is romantic and earthy, zesty but never harsh, upbeat but only occasionally rocking. There are lots of gentle acoustic sections. The vocals are fantastic and full of life, though Testa is not a classic world-class vocalist, he just knows what to do with the ability he has. There are also plenty of backing female vocals. The third track "La Ballata Di Achab" is a humorous and lively folk track that sounds quite a lot like Alamaailman Vasarat. Side two is full of shorter tracks which are less proggy but contain some of the most beautiful melodies you've ever heard, breathtaking stuff. This is not music for adrenalin junkies to be sure, this is music for people who love beautiful melody and it will thrill them. Every writing instinct Testa has here seems to have been the right one.

While I have told Mellow this is a title they should retain, an obscure album like this could go out of print at any time. If you love RPI my advice is that you not wait. Grab one of the finer soft-prog titles of the late 70s while you still have the chance. This is easily going to knock somebody out of my "top 25 lesser-known gems" list. As much as it pains me to give a 5 star rating, I can't find a legitimate reason for a deduction here. This was a home run at a time when prog was not hitting a lot of them. I believe any fan of acoustic prog like Anthony Phillips would love this, even those who have difficulty accepting non-English vocals.

Sometimes the cover says more than we think!

For me, the cover is perfect. A simple engraving, essentially monochrome, so unassuming at first glance. But then the simple lines draw you in, until you see that the thickly muscled monster (Polyphemus?) is holding a pig over its head. Then you open the cover and see a ship in the distance, apparently the target of the impending pig toss. The moment is beautifully captured, suspended in time, inviting the viewer to look beyond the simple form and experience the depths lying behind it.

So it is with the beautiful, pastoral, folk-infused music of Stefano Testa. This album richly rewards those who repeatedly and patiently listen. There are depths to be discovered, complexities not immediately noted. Testa's pleasant Italian voice is complemented by layers of acoustic guitar, bass, drums, flute, and even occasionally accordion or strings. The 16 minute "Una Vita" is for me the best of the album, but there's no weakness here; just song after song with beautiful melodies and sonic textures brilliantly crafted.

Enjoy this RPI masterpiece of the late 1970's while you can. What a treasure!

In our sometimes narrow pursuit to uncover lost prog gems of the 1970s in our subgenre of choice, we have a tendency to bypass outstanding music that is only loosely associated with the style due more to co-existence than co-mingling. Those of a certain age from the Anglo world are aware of the impact of troubadours like CAT STEVENS on the prog movement and vice versa, but such examples abound from the four corners of the earth.

Mellow Records has dusted off a jangly and tingly chestnut in STEFANO TESTA's initial and only release, a simultaneously polished and rough cut gem. Most here would be primarily taken with the 16-minute suite "Una Vida", which is compelling enough on musical grounds. It's a concatenation of slow, mid tempo and peppy motifs backed mostly with acoustic guitar, with sparse keyboards and occasional flutes and feminine backing vocals. Testa distinguishes himself with elegant, simple, and well composed melodies and arrangements, but references abound, largely beyond my ken in the mother ship of international music, but I suspect our Italian comrades could shed the most light on the subject. May I mention FRANCIS CABREL, FRANCO BATTIATO and JETHRO TULL. My favourite portion is the last 6 minutes, with strings, powerfully gentle voice and acoustic guitar delights.

Still, the album attains a second, perhaps higher peak with the "Moby Dick" track, peppering a bit of the "Saucy Sailor" bawdy British style with Middle Eastern flavours and old fashioned showmanship but transcending all of these. The accordion work is especially notable. Not traditionally progressive and questionably rock, this is arguably the most progressive cut here. "Notturno" and "Difficile Chiamarti Amore" epitomizes two sides of 1970s soft rock, emphasizing song structure and atmosphere in a way that sounds both old fashioned and timeless. Another perhaps obscure reference, especially for the former, would be the work of LOUIS CAPART.

If you like mellow and harmonious RPI or prog folk with minimal psychedelic encumbrances then visit Mellow Records while you can, and I think you'll agree that Stefano has and will continue to stand the Testa of time.

My Esteemed friend and PA colleague finnforest suggested in no uncertain terms that this unknown RPI pearl deserves my unheralded attention. So I went out and purchased it for a pittance (good timing, finn!)mainly because I am a sucker for mellow pastoral prog , especially from Italy, a language which I speak and understand. Loathe am I to disappoint him but after an initial cursory audition that failed to rouse any kind of opinion; I gave this one some breathing room and slated it for a special night. Well I got a new car today so I feel exhilarated. The opening 16 minute epic "Una Vita" is an outright gem (how could I have missed this, I may need to de-wax my ears!), a gentle little romp that offers up various moods from clearly vaporous to outright rifling like machine gun, fantastic bass throttling the impassionate vocals from lead singer Stefano Testa (who handles piano and rhythm guitar) and some suave female backing vocals. Certainly this style lies clearly in Italian folk canzoni (songs) , combined with rich neo-classical orchestrations, leaning heavily (like some tower in Pisa!) on massive vocal/lyrical content , always keeping things interesting. The tone can even get experimental at times but always reverting to their melancholia drenched folk songs in dreamy contexts. Some symphonic moods and a forlorn flute put this one to rest. A superb piece of music, well deserving of applause, though perhaps not everyone's cup of espresso! "Risveglio" is a short hypnotic piece that allows the gentle flute to tremble in overt fragility. Testa croons plaintively as the strings sweep in the background, sweet sadness meandering with impunity. The ragged piano exhaustively leaves the scene. "La Ballata di Achab" is more cabaret with simple vocal theatrics laced with accordion, recalling the Moby Dick novel's finest ironies. This style of music has a tendency of leaving me mildly amused but not contented, so I skip this one. "Notturno" starts off with a breezy acoustic guitar playing with a swirling flute and immediately inviting in the pastoral vocals, another story, another drama. A short Italian love song "Difficile Chiamarti Amore" is lovely though not prog by any stretch and the next one has an almost country feel before resolving to propel itself forward (yeah that's progressive!), bass and drums shuffling nicely. The finale keeps this short , gorgeaous and simple. So I will too, superb opener and ender that makes this a multi star "generale". Grazie finn ! 4 white whales

Finnforest (Jim Russell) should be proud for having a lot to do with bringing Stefano Testa back into the public eye. I'm certainly proud of him, especially after reading the excellent interview (a must read) on this site. Lots of great information in that interview which sheds some light on the man and this album.This record happens to be a concept album about this author who's about to commit suicide in this hotel room.The music looks at four moments in the writers life that he looks back upon before he dies.This is an all acoustic affair with the guitar being the most prominant instrument.The vocals are very good and in Italian.

"Una Vita" is the over 16 minute long opening track. Soft flute to begin and the mood brightens when the acoustic guitar joins in. Vocals a minute in. The sound gets fuller and the tempo picks up after 2 minutes. Some Anderson-like flute after 6 minutes and the vocals get more passionate. Female vocal melodies after 7 1/2 minutes then we get a calm. It turns pastoral after 10 minutes. Just a beautiful section. Another calm follows until the acoustic guitar and drums change that. Great section here with vocals. Some organ before 14 1./2 minutes before it ends as it began with solo flute.

"Risveglio" features piano and vocal melodies before flute takes over. Vocals and piano follow. Strings before 2 minutes and the vocals are great. "La Ballata Di Achab" is more uptempo with a good beat. Expressive vocals too. It settles with strings before 1 1/2 minutes (moving passage) then picks up again as contrasts continue. "Notturno" simply sounds gorgeous with the acoustic guitar, flute and vocals. An emotional track. "Difficile Chiamarti Amore" has some more backing female vocals, acoustic guitar, bass and vocals. Why is this so moving ? "Il Dio Sulla Ferrovia"is more of the same with vocals and acoustic guitar. Bass and drums join in.The tempo picks up 3 minutes in with flute. "Ninna Nanna" features acoustic guitar, soft vocals and other sounds. Cool track.

I may bump this rating up in time. This is a special album.

Stefano Testa is a "cantautore", a singer-songwriter who in 1977 released a beautiful debut album with strong prog influences. During the recording session he played piano and guitar and was helped in studio by the experienced arranger Franco Chiaravalle and by musicians like Marco Coppi (flute), Alberto Monpellio (moog), Cosimo Fabiano (bass), Ottavio Corbellini (drums) and the guitar trio Portici. "Una vita, una balena bianca e altre cose" (A life, a white whale and other things) features poetical lyrics and excellent instrumental parts with flute and acoustic guitar in the forefront. The result is a well crafted and balanced work, a perfect example of "prog cantautorale", a mix of "canzone d'autore" and Italian progressive rock. Unfortunately in 1977 it was not commercially successful and Stefano Testa left the music business for a long time. This album was luckily re-discovered later and re-released in 1994 by the independent label Mellow Records that took it out from oblivion.

The opener "Una vita" (A life) is a long and complex suite inspired by the life of the Italian poet and novelist Cesare Pavese (1908 ? 1950) and by his works. Cesare Pavese committed suicide on August 27th 1950 in a hotel room in Torino, the Albergo Roma. His thoughts and reflections before dying are the starting point for this piece... "Albergo Roma in Torino / The summer is almost gone / In a deaf room, tomorrow they will find nothing but words / Of a whole life there's nothing else left / But you remember now...". Then souvenirs from the childhood that Cesare Pavese spent in a village in the hills near Cuneo emerge while music flows setting a bucolic atmosphere. Lyrics depict a boy walking in the countryside and discovering every day something new... "Life was something else / Made of plants, of sky / Of wind and of nothing...". The atmosphere suddenly changes and music almost stops for a while on organ chords while lyrics depict the strangeness of a foreigner sky and the impact of the urban landscape on the young Cesare Paves who went to live in Torino, a big industrial city... Then the mood changes and music becomes nervous... "The city taught me infinite fears / A crowd, a street made me tremble... ". The city and its busy rhythm, a numb city dressed in black, anesthetized by Mussolini's slogans and empty promises, where Pavese's political passion is growing... "I looked for the comrades working in the factories without a smile / I loved them because I felt the life was on their side... They used to shout that it wasn't because of destiny if the world was suffering... It was men's fault". Nonetheless during the civil war Cesare Pavese didn't join the anti- fascists partisans, he didn't fight and sought refuge in the hills. Later remorse haunted him for his lack of courage... Music slackens and becomes dramatic to describe a man alive but alone. Romances with the wrong women, remorse, depression lead him to commit suicide... "You wake up one morning and the summer is gone / The colour of the world has changed / The mountain doesn't touch the sky anymore... There's nothing more bitter than the dawn of a day where nothing is going to happen / There's nothing more bitter than uselessness...".

"Risveglio" is a melancholic and sad track describing an awful morning. Time passes by fast and steady and sometimes the regret for the wasted hours can be overwhelming... "How awful is the morning / when you find your dreams hanging on the ceiling / Like sinners that have confessed their capital vice / And you find the laid snake of boredom / Sleepy beside you in the bed...".

"La ballata di Achab (Moby Dick)" is a beautiful ballad featuring allegoric lyrics about a desperate quest for knowledge. It was inspired by Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick"... "I felt to be like a merchant dealing with fish / For sure not a hero playing with death... But when they shouted: ? There's a white whale! / I stood still, looking over the prow... I had to know what was that monster / I had to know, I wished to tame it... That whale was the sea / That whale was me as well / That whale did not exist / That whale was God...". The atmosphere of this track reminds me of Francesco De Gregori's "Bufalo Bill"...

"Notturno" is a bitter-sweet track featuring delicate acoustic guitars patterns and a swirling flute. Music and lyrics depict echoes of notes fading in the shadows, paper ships sailing towards imaginary seas, words breaking through from unread books, a painter missing a colour to finish his first tableau... Well, night is the right time for dreams and illusions that time carries away!

"Difficile chiamarti amore" (It's hard to call you love) is another beautiful acoustic track, more a song about love than a love song indeed, full of sharp reflections about love, time, family and work... "In a time that makes us wishing everything / Finally your God has become the partner who helps you in your business... How it's hard to call you love, my dear angel...".

"Il Dio sulla ferrovia" (The God on the railway) is a track in two parts that was inspired by a Jorge Luis Borges tale. On the first part nocturnal acoustic atmospheres prevail... "Tonight I was walking along the railway... Staring at the void, listening to nothing but silence... Tonight I was walking along the railway / And a high-pitched hiss from a secret God / Lead my steps to a tiny point of marvellous light / Of eternal matter...". The light unchains a stream of visions and on the second part of the track rhythm takes off while twirling flute and guitar notes embroider colourful threads all around apocalyptical lyrics... "I saw the dawn and the night... I saw endless deserts... I saw the red sun of the end on the clear walls of Hiroshima / I saw a black rose... I saw ruins, books, mountains and people, lands and silences / I saw an old blind man singing... / I saw my father dying on a Saturday... And my death coming on a farther Monday...". An excellent track that every now and again could remind of "Ho visto anche degli zingari felici", by Claudi Lolli, another famous Italian "cantautore".

The last track "Ninna nanna" (Lullaby) is a lullaby for a dead child... "Ninna nanna, ninna nanna / Silence is talking about you... Ninna, nanna, ninna, nanna / This night is only for you / And my heart on your heart will stay / Until light will come...". Beautiful female vocals and flute give a sense of infinite pity to this sad song...

Stefano Testa would have deserved more credit and success... Anyway, never say never! After a long hiatus he's working on a new album and I'm looking forward to listen to it...

Stefano Testa's conceptual work about 'a life, a white whale and other things' is a wonderfully warm, yet sad and intimate creation. The album's cornerstone is the 16- minute 'Una Vita', a song that's loosely based on the life and works of Cesare Pavese. One of Italy's foremost writers of the 20th Century, Pavese died from an overdose of barbiturates in the hotel Albergo Roma and this multi-part song tells in flashback of the events that resulted in his suicide in 1950. The writer's dark themes of obsession, social isolation and betrayal are beautifully portrayed in Testa's broadly melancholic style of music.

Pavese advocated simple language and Testa matches the writer with the same laconic spirit of non-electric music, pure and stripped of unnecessary clutter. Shadowy flute bookends 'Una Vita' but the first acoustic guitars quickly chime in and we're off on an epic journey that continues with Pavese's days as a schoolboy in Turin where he developed a love of the rolling hills of the Langhe countryside. This area featured prominently in his work and perhaps provided him with the solitariness he at times desired. From its bucolic beginnings the song develops with agitated flute and strings that suggest turmoil. When he was older Pavese moved in political circles and in 1934 he was imprisoned for suspected anti-fascist activity. He returned to Turin in 1936 but took refuge in the hills during the bitter struggles between the partisans and German troops. Depression, a failed love affair, and political disenchantment finally led him to his suicide and an eerie dreamlike section in the music reflects this mood. Pavese wasn't a writer who sheepishly followed trends and by the same token Testa didn't swim with the prevailing tide when he released an album of acoustic-based progressive music in 1977. The second track 'Risveglio' (Awakening) seems to be thematically entwined with 'Una Vita' largely thanks to its matching flute part. Perhaps it represents an awakening of Pavese in the spiritual world.

Pavese said he hated the sea, which he often alluded to it as a place of danger in his work, and in 1932 he translated 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville. The typical protagonist in Pavese's works was a loner and the pithy ballad 'La Ballata di Achab (Moby Dick)' draws a comparison between Ahab and Ulysses/Odysseus. The sea represents the fateful region of both adventures but whereas Odysseus is sent abroad by the gods and has his thoughts firmly fixed on his homecoming, Ahab pursues the white whale of his own volition and thinks only of revenge. The white whale is the embodiment of Ahab's rage; death comes upon Ahab from the sea and his obsession and self-annihilation can perhaps be seen as presaging Pavese's own fate. Testa employs a concertina to add a nautical flavour to this song and the same instrument also features on 'Una Vita', thus reinforcing the sense of solitude on that track. In Melville's novel Moby Dick represents God, nature, fate and the ocean, all elements that are beyond Ahab's control. This song is structured around alternating sections that seem to represent the different protagonists, with jaunty parts for the high spirits of the crew as they set out on their adventure and dramatic passages of soaring strings and female vocals for the divine white whale.

The meaning behind the beautiful album painting (by Mauro Milano) seems to remain a mystery even to Stefano Testa but I personally think Todd has nailed this one. In his review he makes the connection with Polyphemus who captures Odysseus and his men and eats two of them every night until they escape. The blinded Cyclops then hurls rocks after their boat as they sail away, except that the album painting draws on the spiritual kinship of Odysseus and Ahab with a pig being hurled at a boat that looks more like the Pequod.

The remainder of the album is an assortment of brief songs that are of no less quality than 'Una Vida', just much shorter. One of the highlights among these is the heart-rending lullaby 'Ninna Nanna'. The way that the female vocals mimic the flute solo just has to be one of the saddest sounds in the universe. Although a morbid preoccupation with death seems to pervade the album Testa has somehow managed to create an enchanting and uplifting work, there's something deeply spiritual about the entire thing. Melville's epic tome about the King of Fishes can be heavy going at times but there's no such danger with this beautiful opus. One final word, be sure to read Jim's highly insightful interview with Stefano Testa in the PA forum for more background on the album.

Οriginally coming from Rome, but living in the village of Porretta Terme since he was 10, Stefano Testa's early influences included all the legendary names of US and British Psych/Pop and the most famous Italian singer/songwriters.In the 70's he broadens his music listenings with Classic Italian Prog acts and many British bands like Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant, showing a love for concept albums.His first serious project was the Portici Trio around mid-70's and in 1976 Fabrizio Quiriti, director of an art gallery in Cuneo, presents him to Giampiero Simontacchi, owner of the Disco Piu label.Testa completes his work on ''Una vita, una balena bianca e altre cose'', the basic theme of which dealt with the last moments of writer's Cesare Pavese life.The album was released in 1977 in about 2000 copies with Testa on guitar, piano and vocals, Portici on lead guitar, Marco Coppi on flute, Alberto Monpellio on Moog synthesizer, Cosimo Fabiano on bass and Ottavio Corbellini on drums.

The centerpiece of the album is the 16-min. ''Una vita'', a pastoral Prog Rock experience, somewhere between I GIGANTI, CELESTE and Xian soft Prog acts such as LA SORGENTE, with a poetic atmosphere due to Testa's melacholic voice and lyrics and a folky approach due to the constant use of acoustic textures.While a Singer/Songwriter style is evident throughout the track, the music goes far beyond the simplistic structures of Pop with lots of orchestral lines surrounded by intense synth and light organ parts and occasional flute flavors in a piece trying to find its balance between vocal and instrumental moments.The rest of the album is pretty nice as well with harmonic and sensitive moments in the forefront, albeit less imaginative.Half of the remaining tracks recall the works of FABRIZIO DE ANDRE, who had been a idol for Testa, blendind Orchestral Music with vocal Pop.The other half is again an atmospheric experience of Italian Pop with psychedelic and Folk colors around, highlighted by the sensational flute work of Marco Coppi, having the acoustic guitars as the driving force.The less pronounced keyboard vibes somewhat reduce the proggy feeling and the minor symphonic touches of the opening opus, but there is still some discreet synth parts to be found in these cuts with ''Il Dio sulla ferrovia'' having a striking vocal melody and the richer sound among them.

No wonder, the album went unnoticed in a period, when Art Rock was declining and reasonably enough a second work proposed by Testa under the title ''Decadenza e morte di Andrea il Traditore" was found too expensive by Simontacchi to be recorded.Testa was only occasionally breaking into music recordings for decades, basically running a cinema in his village, but in 2012 he returned with a more conventional second album, ''Il silenzio del mondo''.

Even the Mellow Records reissue in the 90's was not enough was not enough to bting Testa's work on the surface and his contribution to Prog/Art Rock was only praised in late-00's.Emotional, vocal-heavy Soft/Folk Rock with progressive touches, very melodic and warmly recommended.

I'm guseeing that its the presence of the Portici acoustic guitar, flute, Moog, and rock combo that make this a proggy record, though it's mostly balladeering man-with-acoustic guitar to me. Or it's the presence of a 16-minute "epic." Probably the latter.

1. "Una vita" (16:09) a decent epic--complete with compelling story and music to match-reminds me of a HARRY CHAPIN-style song. Very interesting use of Moog and flute and final five minutes.(25.5/30)

2. "Risveglio" (3:35) piano and choir opening before silence and solo pensive flute open this before piano and voice enter just after the one minute mark. A serious ballad with a very pleasant vocal delivery and simple piano-based accompaniment. (9/10)

3. "La ballata di Achab (Moby Dick)" (5:22) piano and accordion open this one before brisk Jacques Brel-like vocal delivery begins. The chorus is just as grandiose and melodramatic as one of M. Brel's. This would probably be better if I understood Italian but it just sounds like theatric cabaret to me. (7.5/10)

4. "Notturno" (4:00) acoustic guitars with some flute while Stefano sings a very pretty song. Again, I wish I understood Italian. More similarities to Jacques Brel. (9/10)

5. "Difficile chiamarti amore" (2:50) sounds like "Bojangles" or a Jim Croce song. (8/10)

6. "Il Dio sulla ferrovia" (5:04) a nice combination of acoustic and electric instruments woven together to make this one. It's pretty. Stefano definitely has a pleasing voice for telling stories. (8.75/10)

7. "Ninna nanna" (2:41) like a little bed-time dittie for a child or elderly grandparent. (8.5/10)

Total Time: 39:44

A four star album; a nice entry as a folk balladeer experimenting with some of the stylistic and sonic offerings of the progressive rock movement.