Izvajalec: Hostsonaten
Založba: Samozaložba
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.1/5
Hostsonaten je projekt, ki je nastal pod taktirko Fabia Zuffantija, basista pri eni najboljših novejših italijanskih simfoničnih zasedb v tem trenutku, Finisterre. Winterthrough je Zuffantijev četrti album, ki ga je izdal s Hostsonaten in zdi se kot da se vseskozi izboljšuje. Tokrat nam pričara idilično in tudi nekoliko manj lepo sliko zime.
Finisterre so že kar nekaj časa neaktivni (albuma niso izdali že od leta 2004), zato lahko mirne vesti rečemo, da gre zdaj pri Hostsonaten za Zuffantijev primarni projekt. Zuffanti je tako leta 2002 že navdušil z romantičnim epom Springsong, zdaj pa se k letnim časom vrača s svojo odo zimi, ki zna biti prav tako nežna kot pomlad, po drugi strani pa zna biti tudi bolj groba.
Hostsonaten, ki so ime dobili po filmu Ingmarja Bergmana in kjer igra Ingrid Bergman, so po eni strani precej tipičen italijanski bend, vendar to mislim v pozitivnem smislu, v smislu italijanskega smifoničnega rocka iz sedemdesetih. Glasba je izjemno melanholična, romantična, tekoča in melodična. Imajo tisti pravi italijanski občutek, da ti dvignejo kocine na telesu. Res je, da je slog zacementiran v sedemdesetih in da je precej glasbenih trikov pobranih od starih znancev Genesis, Celeste in morda tudi PFM, vendar v smislu kompozicij nimam Zuffantiju prav nič za očitati. Znal je ustvari delo, ki te popelje na magično potovanje skozi vse lepote in tegobe zime. Obregnil bi se edino ob eden del, ki je vendarle preveč očitna kopija. Sposodili so si Hackettov kitarski riff iz Banksove solaže pri Cinema Show. A dobro, pustimo to, vsesplošen vtis je dober.
Hostsonaten se poslužujejo z dokaj očitnimi triki, ki smo jih že slišali pri vseh velikih simfoničnih skupinah. Veliko je klasičnih klaviatur. Še posebej očitni so nežni predeli s klavirjem in mellotronom, ki dostikrat spominjajo na Celeste. Kar dosti je orgel in sintetizatorjev, ki morda včasih razbijejo romantiko albuma, vendar pa v glavnem služijo kot dobra popestritev. Za razliko od prejšnjega albuma pa tokrat ne manjka tudi nekoliko trših delov, saj lahko kitara zadiha precej bolj svobodno. Še vedno je veliko očitnih ukan na dvanajststrunskih in akustičnih kitarah (tudi električna je včasih zelo Hackettovska), vendar pa lahko z gotovostjo trdim, da je ta album v tem pogledu bolj razgiban. Prav tako ne manjka klasičnih bas delov in bas pedalov. Posrečen se mi zdi dodatek pihal, ki vendarle dajo albumu nek bolj edinstven karakter.
Za Hostsonaten lahko trdm, da nadaljujejo lepo italijansko tradicijo mediteranske simfonične glasbe z melanholičnim vplivom. Pozna se vpliv PFM in Celeste, seveda pa je tudi velik vpliv Genesis. Glasba je urejena dokaj kompleksno, vendar pa je poudarek predvsem na melodičnosti in estetiki. Zuffantiju je uspelo pričarati zimsko vzdušje, znal je sestaviti težavne aranžmaje s sila stilsko dovršeno glasbo. Winterthrough je album, ki ga ljubitelji nove simfonične glasbe morajo slišati, saj v smislu muzikaličnosti poje prav vse albume Flower Kingsov in Spock’s Beard.
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Hostsonaten is a project headed by Fabio Zuffanti, the bass player for one of the best newer Italian symphonic bands at the moment, Finisterre. Winterthrough is Zuffanti’s fourth album with the name Hostsonaten and it seems he keeps improving. This time, he paints an idyllic and also a not so perfect picture of winter.
It’s been a long time since Finisterre have done anything (they haven’t released an album since 2004), so we can clearly assume that Hostsonaten might now be Zuffanti’s main project. Zuffanti was already impressive with the 2002 romantic epic Springsong and now he returns with his ode to winter, which is just as gentle as spring, but can also be harsher in some moments.
Hostsonaten, who got the name from an Ingmar Bergman movie (starring Ingrid Bergman), are a pretty typical Italian band, but I mean this in a positive sense, in the sense of Italian symphonic rock from the 70s. The music is extremely melancholic, romantic, fluid and melodic. They have that great Italian feeling for music which sends shivers down your spine. It’s true that the sound is pretty much cemented in the 70s and that many tricks are taken from bands like Genesis, Celeste and perhaps even PFM, but I have nothing but positive words for Zuffanti in terms of compositional quality. He created a work which takes you on a magical journey through all the beauty and hardships of winter. I only have a problem with one part which is too much of a carbon copy of Hackett’s guitar riff during Banks’s solo on Cinema Show. But enough about that, the general impression is good.
Hostsonaten use fairly obvious tricks. We’ve heard it all before in all the big symphonic bands. There are plenty of vintage keyboards. The gentle segments with the piano and mellotron are particularly noticeable here. They often remind the listener of Celeste. There’s also a great deal of organ and synthesizer here, which sometimes breaks up the romantic mood of the album, but it mostly serves to spice up the music. Unlike some previous efforts, there are a few heavier parts here as well, where the guitar has a chance to breathe a bit more freely. There are still plenty of obvious tricks on the twelve-string and acoustic guitar taken from Hackett (even the electric sometimes reminds of Hackett), but I can say with certainty that the album is much more versatile in its guitar segments than ever before. There are also many classic bass and bass pedal parts. I feel that the addition of the woodwinds is a good touch, which gives the album a unique character.
I can say that Hostsonaten continue the beautiful Italian tradition of Mediterranean symphonic music with a melancholic flavour. There’s a clear influence of bands like PFM and Celeste, and naturally also of Genesis. The music is arranged in a fairly complex way, but the emphasis is still on the melodic and aesthetic value. Zuffanti created the right winter atmosphere, he managed to put together complex arrangements with music that’s highly stylistically perfected. Winterthrough is an album that people who like new symphonic music must hear because it beats anything bands like The Flower Kings and Spock’s Beard have done in terms of musicality.
Zasedba
Fabio Zuffanti – bas, bas pedala, kitare, klaviature
Alessandro Corvaglia – mellotron, moog
Maurizio Di tollo – bobni, tolkala
Edmondo Romano – saksofon, flavta, dude
Roberto Vigo – klaviature
Matteo Nahum – kitare
Produkcija
Fabio Zuffanti
Seznam skladb
1. Entering The Halls Od Winter
2. Red Sky
3. White Earth
4. Snowstorm
5. Over The Plain
6. The Crystal Light
7. Outside
8. Ruins
9. Through Winter’s Air
10. Rainsuite:
i. Prelude
ii. New year’s theme
iii. Winter’s end
iv. Celebration / To the open fields…
