Aldo Tagliapietra
Nella pietra e nel vento

In 2009, unfortunately, there was a definitive split between Aldo Tagliapietra and Michi Dei Rossi, while Tony Pagliuca had left a long time ago; specifically, his last participation on an Orme album was in 1990 with the mediocre "Orme," where he only contributed one track: "25 Maggio 1931." Left as the sole member of the historical core, the drummer, assisted by young and talented musicians, as well as the seasoned Michele Bon, takes on the responsibility of carrying forward the name of the renowned group. Thus, in 2011, Le Orme, led by Dei Rossi, release the interesting concept album "La Via della Seta"; the significant task of stepping into the role of vocalist, without making fans miss too much the irreplaceable and inimitable Aldo Tagliapietra, is entrusted to Jimmy Spitalieri, the historic voice of Metamorfosi. The result is indeed good, but the real problem will arise during concerts when Spitalieri will have to tackle Orme's historical repertoire. His powerful and unique vocal character is not particularly suited to singing pieces composed and meant for the solemn voice of Aldo, unique and unmistakable. In the same year, Aldo Tagliapietra releases the interesting double album "Unplugged," where he reinterprets some of the most representative tracks of Le Orme and his solo discography in an acoustic version. But it is only in 2012 with "Nella Pietra e nel Vento" that he gives birth to the first album of original material in his solo career, following his last discographic effort "Il Viaggio," which dates back to 2008. Compared to the previous album, the difference that immediately stands out is the dismissal of the sitar, an instrument that played a predominant role in "Il Viaggio," entirely performed with Indian instruments and inspired by, unsurprisingly, the journey the artist embarked on in 1998 in India. "Nella Pietra e nel Vento" is characterized by shorter and more immediate tracks compared to the past; the contained music is less intricate, the songs are simpler and more melodic compared to recent offerings. Regarding the lyrics, the album ties back to the themes addressed both by his former group, particularly the period starting from "Il Fiume," the first work in a trilogy centered on the relationship between man and nature, faith, and Eastern mysticism, as well as in his previous album "Il Viaggio," diverging from it, however, as already mentioned, in terms of sound. The beautiful album cover is a work by Paul Whitehead, titled "The Stonecutter," inspired by Tagliapietra, and it faintly resembles the Genesis album "Nursery Crime." Whitehead, in addition to collaborating with artists such as Van Der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill, and Genesis, had worked on Orme's covers since the time of "Smogmagica," as well as the artworks "Elementi" and "L'Infinito." Aldo Tagliapietra, in this album, collaborates with young and highly skilled musicians: Aligi Pasqualetto on Keyboards, Piano, and Minimoog; Andrea De Nardi on Hammond Organ; Matteo Ballarin on guitars; Manuel Smaniotto on drums. "Nella Pietra e nel Vento" is a very autobiographical work, for example, "Il Santo" talks about the artist's encounter with the Dalai Lama. The whole work is permeated by the artist's life philosophy, who, for many years, has embraced a lifestyle devoted to Eastern mysticism. The inclusion of two keyboardists, with the use of the Hammond Organ and Minimoog, results in sounds strongly reminiscent of 70s progressive rock, even though the structure of the songs is much leaner. Even the album's duration echoes the 70s, about 45 minutes of excellent music (a significantly shorter timing compared to albums typically released recently). Musically, the stylistic hallmark of this album vaguely recalls "Storia o Leggenda," an album in which Le Orme attempted to update their sound, offering tracks less prog than in the past, more inclined towards a classy singer-songwriter pop. Just to clear up any confusion, this is my first review; I don’t have any background in music studies, so I might have used technically inappropriate or even incorrect terms, but since this album, which is very dear to me, hadn't been reviewed yet, I thought, or rather, attempted to review it myself, in some way.