Dusk Reviews: Various

All written by Stefano Tucciarelli

Translation by Nathalie Sutter

 

BIRDY

Rome ñ Teatro della Cometa ñ from 6th April to 2nd May

1999

 

The idea to stage this subtle and fascinating story

made famous a few years ago by Alan Parker's film,

came from the Roman producer Carlo Benso. Using the

theatrical version of Naomi Wallace (also author of

the novel), he leads us inside a story which is

expressed in a totally un-rhetorical or moralistic

way.

 

Friendship and the freedom to dream are fundamental

needs to overcome the tragedy of war, even when the

dream seems impossible like Birdy's dream: to fly like

a bird.

 

The stage remake of the story remains faithful to the

original: a light-hearted and energetic first act in

which we discover a friendship between 2 dynamic

teenagers, who although have differing desires and

believe in different values, are closely bound.

The second act however is played on immobility and

drama in the setting of an asylum in which Birdy has

been locked up after the terrible experience of war.

This is where he will meet his friend again (who has

had his face disfigured by a grenade), called to try

to "force" him out of his mutism and hostility towards

the world.

 

The stage design is basic, but very effective. The use

of aluminium scaffolding which in the first act

perfectly manage to represent the open spaces in which

Al and Birdy play and grow up together, are

restructured, in the second act, into the bars which

make up the cell where Birdy and his friend will meet.

 

What gives great impact to the show is the use of

slides and the various light effects. Depending on

their intensity, they manage to highlight and to

emphasise the different emotive moods of the story

backed by a soundtrack taken from Parkerís film and

which all of you will remember as being Peterís first

real involvement in the film industry.

 

With a few years hindsight after its first publication

and listened to again in such a direct context,

Gabriel's soundtrack still amazes and fascinates by

its beauty, by the up-to-dateness of the music and for

its capacity to transmit strong and captivating

sensations.

 

As well as tracks by Armstrong and by Radiohead, we

notice that unfortunately not many of Gabriel's

musical sequences have been used for the show.

Also, because they have had to be adapted to the

various theatrical timings, some have been shortened,

doubled or simply superimposed on to sound effects

created ad hoc in order to increase their efficiency.

But donít expect in this sense a production such as

Passion from Momix in which the show was voluntarily

built on and around the whole sound track.

 

The spectator will inevitably compare the

interpretation (at times a little excessive) of the 2

great actors Edoardo Leo (Birdy) and Marco Bonini (Al)

to Nicholas Cage and Matthew Modine in Parker's film

If, as we hope, the show will manage to leave the

Roman scene so as to go on tour in other Italian

towns, we highly recommend you go to see it. The

assiduity and the intensity interpreted on stage

manage to deeply move the spectator and to lead him on

a voyage built on sensations which are particularly

profound and touching.

 

Stefano Tucciarelli

Translation by Nathalie Sutter

 

DIANNE REEVES

BRIDGES

BLUE NOTE RECORDS 7243 8 33060 2 2

 

Blue Note is a record label solely dedicated to jazz,

which had contracts back in 1939 with legendary names

such as Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins

and these last few years with artists of the calibre

of Herbie Hancock or US3.

 

However, Dianne Reeves is an artist who is not very

well known to the mainstream public. In fact, during

the course of her career, she has always tried to

avoid to be labelled musically, thanks to an innate

desire which pushed her to listen to and to explore

different musical territories amalgamating them in a

natural and inspired way. Her new album (the seventh

with Blue Note) reflects this choice perfectly.

A voyage towards some "classic" pop like Susanne by

Leonard Cohen, River by Joni Mitchell and in

particular "In Your Eyes" by Gabriel confronted with a

jazz sensibility and with a sense of distinct liberty

contribute to release a powerful energy and intense

vitality.

 

"I like the ways Peter writes"; "Not many writers of

pop songs manage to compose melodies that other

singers can interpret"; "I chose this track because

it always had the capacity to get to me in a very

direct way thanks to a text closely linked to a

quasi-spiritual beauty.

 

Whilst listening to this album, you can tell this

American artist really enjoyed blending "In Your Eyes"

to a magical jazz concoction made of controtempo

rhythm sections, changes in harmony and instrumental

improvisations. The result is so different and

original that at times is hardly recognisable if it

werenít for the original lyrics which are familiar to

us all.

 

This melody is voluntary performed on a slightly

different key, quite similar to recordings of standard

classic jazz and which so allows to highlight a

stunning vocal tone especially in the parts of free

interpretation.

 

Also the superb arrangement by Billy Childs is truly

eminent thanks to the perfect understanding between

the musicians for a totally acoustic version and by a

decisively "live" sound in which George Duke's perfect

performance on the piano stands out.

 

Dianne Reeves is a great professional who with this

new album we hope will be able to widen her notoriety

out of the exclusive and elitist confinements of jazz.

 

Stefano Tucciarelli

Translation by Nathalie Sutter

 

CITY OF ANGELS

WARNER BROS Z8-16320

 

We wish to mention the recent publication of the film

City of Angels on DVD in Italian.

 

Surely you know that this new format, apart from

offering an audio and video quality which is clearly

superior compared to normal videocassettes, has the

convenience and practicality of a compact disc with

the possibility of containing more audio, video and

also interactive information.

 

Inside the DVD, apart from a direct access to single

scenes of the film, it is possible to select video

clips especially dedicated to the actors and to the

cast comprising interviews and the corresponding

curriculum of the actors. There is also a part

dedicated to additional scenes with, for example, an

interview of the director Silberling, backstage shots,

explanations of how the special effects were created,

as well as interviews of Alanis Morrissette and of

Gabriel.

 

The extremely brief length of the latter interview,

which contains alternative close-ups and coverage of

the Secret World Tour, is however disappointing (not

more than one minute and 30 seconds).

Questions are obviously based around the track I

Grieve with Peter saying that he composed it after

having seen and enjoyed a short fragment of the film

during the making.

 

Wings of Desire (of which City of Angels can be

considered a remake) is one of Gabrielís favourite

films, although he doesnít share the idea of the angel

as being represented with the classic feathered wings.

According to Peter angels exist and are constantly

present by our sides, but they should be represented

as an ethereal presence without a real physical

identity.

 

If you still have not seen the film at the cinema or

in the classical VHS format, we suggest you try the

DVD experience. Otherwise, this advice is directed

particularly to Gabrielian collectors keen to have

this official interview which is not available on any

other format.

 

Stefano Tucciarelli

Translation by Nathalie Sutter

 

COAL CHAMBER

CHAMBER MUSIC

ROADRUNNER RR-8659

 

I think that Gabriel, at the beginning of his soloist

career, would never had imagined that so many of his

songs would have been interpreted by such a high

number of artists of different musical styles.

 

The rumours, a few months ago on various Internet

sites, that a heavy metal band like Coal Chamber, were

to remake Shock the Monkey (included in their second

album, Chamber Music, released on 7 September 1999)

were therefore not a surprise. As was the news that

Ozzy Osbourne (a myth for any heavy metal fan who

respects himself) was to participate as guest vocal.

However the strange revelations heard during

interviews on MTV, that, before every gig, Ozzy spent

time alone in his dressing room to acquire energy and

concentration by listening to the album So, in his

opinion one of the best projects of the 1980s,

definitely tickled my curiosity.

 

Therefore the only thing I could do was to try to find

a recording. In July, I received an Advanced Tape from

Roadrunner England without the final mix and 3 weeks

later a promotional CD with all the 16 tracks of the

album.

 

I admit that (except for very rare exceptions) I am

not a fan of heavy metal or hard rock, and Iím not

crazy about music which is so violently expressed,

especially if combined to a voice used in an even more

excessive way. When however the CD player, on track 8,

begins to pump all the imaginable watts into my ampli

and Shock The Monkey (instrumentally similar to the

original) explodes in full force, it just makes me

want to laugh. In fact, although the version was made

according to the most rigorous musical schemes of

heavy metal (immense walls of Marshall amplificators

bursting with the sound of an electric guitar, a

violent beat and a voice from hell), I just canít

manage to listen to it seriously.

 

In fact, the decision to make such a dark and obscure

version has transformed it involuntarily into

something totally different. The result is close to a

type of "kitsch" apotheosis, if not simply to call it

bad taste.

 

Itís just for this reason that I love this version!

Because it has managed to achieve the contrary effect!

 

When in the refrain, Mr. Osbourne blares out the last

vocal chord which seems to be stuck in his throat

screaming Shock The Monkey, the effect is

exhilarating! One which cannot be missed!

 

Stefano Tucciarelli

Translation by Nathalie Sutter

 

 

GREGORIAN

MASTERS OF CHANT

EDEL 0058892ERE

 

Cover versions dedicated to Gabriel will never cease

to surprise us! This album, of obscure origins as are

its creators, released by Edel, contains 12 extremely

well known tracks remade with exclusively Gregorian

voices in the style of Enigma.

 

What ever could have pushed these German musicians to

get involved in such a project will remain a mystery:

the idea to reinterpret tracks like Scarborough Fair,

Losing my Religion, The Sound of Silence and Don't

Give Up using a choral of Gregorian voices combined

with a very modern instrumental base can only be

categorised as extravagant.

 

One must emphasise that from the point of view of

production, the result is unexceptionable in the sense

that all has been studied in the most minute detail:

from the careful choice of the voices to the

electronic and acoustic sounds, up to the beat, all

managed by qualified musicians and programmers. The

final outcome however has the contrary effect. The

solemnity of the atmosphere and the quest of an almost

disturbing enchantment actually make it, after

listening to it a couple of minutes, amusing and even

becomes comical in tracks such as Vienna by Ultravox

or "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Percy Sledge.

Additionally, immediately after every cover version

there is what they call their Gregorian Variation,

lasting approximately one minute, which is in fact

nothing more than a free interpretation of the

previous cover version.

 

With regard to "Don't Give Up", the Germans have really

gone too far: they have combined the Gregorian voices

to a female voice voluntarily similar to Kate Bush.

All in all, the arrangement of the cover version is

very similar to the original with a faithful

reproduction of the rhythms and sounds and the result

is not so outrageous as could be expected before

actually listening to it.

 

With the Jubilee year approaching, Edel seems to

strongly believe in this project, seeing as it has

literally invaded Italian shops (and I think also

retail points throughout Europe) even advertising it

on private local TV stations. Sales will confirm

whether this record company's intuition was good or

bad.

 

Stefano Tucciarelli

Translated by Nathalie Sutter

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