Far off, in the supernal realms, the souls of Nino Rota and Robert Schumann collided. (Irving Berlin and Astor Piazzolla delivered glancing blows, too.) Tiny bursts of incandescence showered down upon our dim and feckless earth and brought forth Elegia, the new CD by Paolo Conte.
Children, you can take your Comte Ory and your Want Two, your Pepito-in-bondage and your unbound Prometheus, your raunchiest Bach and your most sizzling Mozart, dip them in Michel Chaudun chocolate and serve them alongside fresh white peaches from Provence, and still they might give less joy than Elegia.
là voglio arrendermi
in braccio a una musica
che chiuda il discorso
dell'urbanità,
forte e petòmane
scritta dal diavolo
in spregio solenne
dell'umanità…
If you are unfamiliar with Conte's work, I commend to you Barry Singer's fine 2001 article. Be warned that Conte's old smoker's voice crumbles and oozes like Roquefort.
My (short) review of Elegia appears in the 28 April edition of Time Out New York.
vf-- Thanks for the follow-up. I was able yesterday to catch your pithy TONY review, and purchase a stupendously-expensive copy of 'Elegia' at Tower in Cambridge, MA.
His voice is much more worn, isn't it? Not quite Chet Baker in extremis, but getting there. Endearing, as you note... I like the intimate arrangements and less slickly-produced ambiance of the album. It's all of a piece-- closer to the bone. Very impressive.
A suggestion: try playing it back-to-back with Enrico Rava, 'Easy Living' (ECM).
Oh, and very nice blog, as even this Yale-ed. Red Sox fan can see. Anyone who loves the likes of Conte and (the great) Jordi Savall-- and Scelsi, too-- wow, terrific taste. (Muti, I don't know. Hmm... What's Italian for kapellmeister?)
I'll be back often. Best wishes. And I'm very sorry about the Yankee meltdown. Can Matsui pitch?
Posted by: Tom | 03 May 2005 at 20:09
It's shorter and more expensive than "Rveries" and "Best of" (alas), and similar to "Rveries" in the sparkling quality of the arrangements and more pensive cast of the material. I've been revisiting "Best of," and the maestro's voice has really aged since then All the more reason to love him madly!
Posted by: vilaine fille | 03 May 2005 at 08:46
Thanks for the heads-up re the new album-- his first in 7 years, I've read... How does it compare to the 'Best of' and 'Reveries' CDs?
Posted by: Tom | 02 May 2005 at 20:11
was just listening to the maestro this afternoon. chips, chips, chips. will go off in search of elegia right now.
Posted by: M. C- | 27 April 2005 at 06:38