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Rating: “Lo bailado y lo comido, nadie te los quita”, the Argentinians console themselves.
What you have enjoyed, in other words, nobody can take away from you.
It is well known that the body can enjoy pleasure. That the spirit is also capable of it, this concert has proven. A black piano, framed by black drapes, dominates the black stage. An enormous piano, that fills with music for an entire hour that little Art Nouveau gem in the heart of Rome, the Teatro Flaiano. For an hour, the music of “Chi mi darà le ali” took form and dwelled among us.
Leaving aside the perfection of the CD, it translated into powerful, overbearing, raw, close vibrations. A cautious glance, and Alessandra begins her work. She remains focused on that keyboard like a craftsman on their creation, like a tamer in a cage, aware of every move of that music, making it behave exactly as she wants. She sets the “earthly” tone for “In grazia del tuo nome”, measured yet pronounced, tense. Alessandra is determined and, as a creator, calls every note to life, giving each weight and dimension, imposing her own order. “Raccoglici insieme” abandons the somewhat rosary-like chant from the CD to become more passionate, gaining in dynamics, imploring. It's one of the most expressive pieces. Then begins the "Salmo", and the promise of the CD is fulfilled: the music becomes flesh and blood, imminent hopes and struggles. “Ecco, errando” presents the same gentle and mannered phrasing as Mertens' “Close Cover”, then articulates into a clear, incisive syllabation. In “Disperdili” too, I sense echoes of Mertens, but maybe because knowing the devil, I'm inclined to see him everywhere. “Giorno e notte”, with its very animated body, sounds like a call to arms. “Ci legava”, tamed on the CD, begins like an approaching thunder, dark and swift. A mention also for “Di sera, al mattino”, and its two faces: the feminine, poignant melody and the beast's roar, which evaporate at the end in flared coils.
The newspapers have presented this concert with words like “minimalism”, “romanticism”, “melody”, and “colorism”. True, all true, but this is the form. The substance matters more, and it's all about the feeling. In this artist's universe, God brought to life a creature that feels, that suffers, that gets angry, that is afraid, a core of perception clothed in flesh, yes, but still evidently linked to the creator by a blood relationship. “Chi mi darà le ali” is the response of a soul, part woman but mostly angel, setting out on the direct line to the Most High. How can we respond to His call? It would be wrong to use intelligence: our ability to understand life and ourselves is so incomplete that an avant-garde show, with bold phrases and unprecedented combinations, would seem ridiculous. That is why “CMDLA” does not break the mold with language innovations. That is why “CMDLA” is instead an organic composition, with a calm development, somewhat organized, somewhat improvised, like life.
The CD is beautiful, but being there, listening to the phrases live, for real, in this precise and precious moment, is like – without having consciously wanted it – finding oneself participating in an act of gratitude. It is a rite during which the vicissitudes, the black holes, scraps of serenity, destabilizing blows, and hopes of us, little men and little women, to one day reach the island of peace are expressed. This concert was an intense visit to the paternal home.
Lo escuchado también, no nos lo quitará nadie.
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