ADAGIO by ANTONIO PAOLO PIZZIMENTI

A new recording by ANTONIO PAOLO PIZZIMENTI merits an attentive listen on account of the weight and variety of sonic ideas it offers the listener. Adagio is the third of Pizzimenti’s albums to be released on Felmay, following Atlante (2001) and Chimera (2003), both of which were originally conceived for theatre, receiving considerable acclaim from critics both nationally and internationally.

As on those occasions ANTONIO PAOLO PIZZIMENTI performs the multiple role of composer-performer-sound engineer, immersing himself in both the creative act of music making and the technical - instrumental processes (and difficulties) that permit its diffusion.
Adagio is a multimedia project, conceived along three lines, one musical the others visual and literary in inspiration, though unlike the compositions for theatre, here the music’s function is not simply that of accompanying another form of expression. Indeed integral to the disc is a video track (created with Simone de’ Rosa) of a short story by Biagio Bagini author of numerous children’s books and texts for radio, illustrated by a little girl’s drawings.
What unfolds on these three intersecting lines is therefore an actual story and the sense of emotion it produces is immediate and palpable, however refined the form maybe. With admirable mastery ANTONIO PAOLO PIZZIMENTI combines his predilection for melody with rhythms gathered from the four corners of the globe and echoes of a compositional classicism that avoids sliding into mannerism. On these fourteen tracks, marked by the recurring presence of Simona Barbero’s seductive and highly evocative voice of, PIZZIMENTI’s assured and highly original arrangements ensure the different stylistic influences are perfectly melded, captivating the listener from the very first note.

ANTONIO PAOLO PIZZIMENTI has worked as a sound engineer for Eugenio Finardi, Aida Cooper, Elio e le Storie Tese, Garbo, The Memphis Horns, Mimmo Locasciulli, Greg Cohen (Tom Waits Band), Gino Paoli, Donatella Rettore, Marco Carena among others, in addition to taking part in numerous Italian and world tours (The Manhattan Transfer, Gilberto Gill, Miriam Makeba, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, ecc.). As a musician he has played on records by Roberto Vecchioni, Aeroplani Italiani, Rudy Marra, Banda Osiris, Tony e i Volumi (his official group). Apart from commissions for radio, TV and advertising, he is the author of several highly regarded works for theatre, including shows by Teatro Settimo, Banda Osiris, Teatro Kismet, the French group ZUR, Marco Paolini and Lucilla Giagnoni.