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Bruno Farinelli | Emiliano Fantuzzi © fotoatf@gmail.com |
Giambattista Giorgi © Andre Brusa |
Emiliano Fantuzzi is a great guitar player. Would you please introduce him? Was he the one who played the excellent solo on As Light Returns? "Emiliano Fantuzzi played the guitar parts in my cover of Starless that I had included in Microcosm. I was impressed by his skills, and I decided to entrust the guitar parts on this album to him. He is a great musician and a great producer. He was able to give a personal and convincing touch in all his parts and, as you have noticed, he played an extraordinary solo in As Light Returns." However, in my opinion the two musicians who really made the difference are Alessio Alberghini on soprano sax and mezzo-soprano Valentina Vanini. Their musical input is extraordinary, and they gave me goosebumps several times. "Alessio Alberghini has been collaborated with me during live shows since 2022. I did all the Microcosm live concerts with him. He is very prepared, and he has a personal style. Valentina Vanini is an extraordinary mezzo-soprano singer and in addition to being exceptionally good at classical music, she is very curious and open to collaborations in the field of modern music." |
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Valentina Vanini | Alessio Alberghini | Alex Carpani |
What was the reason for using a saxophone and female vocals. Where did you find these talented people? "Why did I turn to a saxophonist and an opera singer? Because that is what the music required. The symphonic character of almost the entire album and the lyrical and cinematic moments were perfect for them." Your vocal parts are very strong on the new album. Have you considered using a different lead singer for this musical concept like you did in the past? "I've been singing all the parts for three albums now, even the backing vocals. Since I write both the music and the lyrics, it's natural for me to sing as well." On Mystical I heard some amazing church organ parts. Did you use a real church organ or was it a sample? "I used sampled sounds. It would have been too complicated and expensive to go and record that part in a church. I think the result is satisfying anyway which is demonstrated by the fact that you asked me if I played a real church organ or not..." On the album you use a virtual orchestra and virtual guitars. Can you explain what this means? "I wrote all the parts for the string section consisting of first and second violins, violas, cellos, double basses and the brass parts. I used today's modern sounds, which allow me to obtain a remarkable result similar to that of an orchestra. It's not a real orchestra, though, and that is why it's called virtual. That also applies for the guitars. We also used some of the guitar parts that I wrote in the definitive version of the album in addition to those played by Emiliano. This sometimes happens when the sound of a certain section of the song sounds better if you combine the real guitar with the virtual one. It doesn't happen that often, mind you, but in some cases it works. These are sampled sounds that I modified and shaped until I achieved the desired sound."
"With Gigi Cavalli Cochi I have another project called Aerostation, and we think that we don't need to mix things up too much, so as not to create confusion. Furthermore, as I told you before, I have been collaborating with Bruno Farinelli for several years now and I get along very well with him. Indeed, Gigi is a very good graphic designer with a lot of experience. It's not the first time that he created the graphics for one of my albums. He also did it for So Close, So Far and for Microcosm. This time again, he did an excellent job." Paul Whitehead, who is known for his artwork for Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator and Le Orme, designed the cover art for some of your earlier albums. Have you considered collaborating with him again? "Paul did the cover of my first two albums: Waterline and The Sanctuary. I don't know if we will collaborate again. Many years have passed, and we lost touch a bit. Anyway, you never know in life, so who knows." Are you planning to play the entire album with a real band live on stage someday? "Yes, the intention is to play the album live. We are working on it, but it will still take some time. I hope to be able to play it both in Italy and abroad, as I have done with all my previous albums. I would like to play it with the musicians who worked on the album. That would be fantastic!" What comes next? Touring? And can you surpass The Good Man with future albums because you set the bar remarkably high with this excellent album? "Each album always gives you the incentive to try to surpass yourself. The Good Man is certainly a successful album that both critics and the public like. I don't know what the next album will be like, but since I've never repeated myself and always tried to do new and different things, it's likely to be quite different from this one." Thanks for answering all my questions! "Thank you for your appreciation for this album and for your interesting and stimulating questions." Website myspace review album 'Sanctuary' (2010) review album '4 Destinies' (2014) review album 'So Close So Far' (2016) review album 'L'orizzonte Degli Eventi' (2021) review album 'Microcosm' (2022) review album 'The Good Man' (2024) |
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