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Rating: Thirty-eight years separate us from the tragic night when Luigi Tenco lost his life, yet his music and words are alive today, not only in the memories of those who knew him. Many songs from his repertoire have indeed entered the collective musical memory and belong a little to everyone. Perhaps because pieces like "Mi sono innamorato di te", "Un giorno dopo l'altro", "Vedrai vedrai" are still capable of instantly captivating anyone who listens to them due to their apparent simplicity and clear sincerity. In other words, I believe that Luigi Tenco’s poetic and musical world is more relevant today than ever, also because it is built around profound and universal themes such as love, nostalgia, anger, and showcases the coexistence of natural contradictions or the understandable bitterness of a man who viewed the world with special eyes.
In recent years several musicians have approached his music, many from the jazz world: Tiziana Ghiglioni dedicated an entire album to him, while Stefano Bollani, Danilo Rea, and Enrico Rava have transformed his songs into real standards, an opportunity that, in the opinion of the writer, has not yet been adequately exploited. Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi and singer Ada Montellanico had already performed his music in a jazz key; today, however, they add a new and significant chapter to this journey with these "Storie di Tenco". A unique project that is of great interest, especially because it presents four unpublished texts by the singer-songwriter, carefully kept for decades by the Tenco family. The texts were entrusted to the two musicians who composed original music. In particular, Ada Montellanico composed the music for "Danza di una ninfa sotto la luna" and "Da quando", while "Mia cara amica" and "O me" were entrusted to Enrico Pieranunzi. This is, therefore, a courageous, difficult, and risky operation, but essentially successful, because the two approached Tenco's words with great respect, caution, and sensitivity, allowing us to appreciate his poetic talents once again.
It is thus possible to recognize Tenco's soul in the words of "Danza di una ninfa sotto la luna", which from a fairy-tale beginning plunges to earth in unanswered "whys", or rediscover his romanticism, now melancholic in "Da quando" ("Da quando / ho perso il tuo sorriso / ho perso anche il mio"), now disenchanted in "Mia cara amica" ("Mia cara amica mi sono accorto / che ti ho voluto soltanto bene / ma per poter restare assieme / bisognerebbe fingere di amarti"). The music naturally connects with the words, giving great breadth to the contents expressed in the lyrics through the vocal interpretation. Ada Montellanico is indeed able to deftly emphasize the right passages, avoiding the trap of relentlessly repeating the singer-songwriter's style. In other words, she makes Tenco's poetry and music her own in an original way. Enrico Pieranunzi, on the other hand, gently elaborates these melodies with his refined and highly personal piano touch, which aligns with that of Bill Evans. Accompanied by great musicians like Paul McCandless on woodwinds, Luca Bulgarelli on double bass, Bebo Ferra on guitar, Michele Rabbia on drums, and Piero Salvatori on cello, plus the strings of the Arkè String Quartet, Ada Montellanico and Enrico Pieranunzi completed this work by interpreting some of the singer-songwriter's most beautiful songs, starting from the touching uncertainty of "Mi sono innamorato di te", to the emotion of "Ho capito che ti amo" and up to the impressionism of "In qualche parte del mondo".
In the end, it results in an album that probably doesn’t offer jolts and surprises, yet manages to always be extremely refined and at times very charming, capable of leaving, however, a breath of bitterness. Indeed, when someone leaves us too soon, we often wonder what more they could have given us. This album answers only partially to this query, but it is enough to increase the regret of an absence.
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