Angelo Branduardi
L'Infinitamente Piccolo

LA RECENSIONE

Audite, poor ones.

We are in the year 2000, the jubilee year. The Italian minstrel meets the jester of God and falls in love with his philosophy (based on respect for the beauty of creation) which leads him to become a poet, singer, and saint; thus he pillages the Franciscan Sources and sets Francis' verses to music (Canticle of the Creatures, Audite Poverelle, The Rule) and episodes from his life, as narrated by his contemporaries (The Sultan of Babylon and the Prostitute, The Wolf of Gubbio, The Treatise of Miracles, In the Swamps of Venice, and other tracks) and by Dante Alighieri (the eleventh canto of Paradise from the Divine Comedy is set to music).

Branduardi, a scholar of ancient and popular music, for the occasion reinterprets medieval and Renaissance themes from various cultures, testifying to the universality of the Franciscan message. The product is a refined CD, yet popular, whose beauty is only compromised by inadequate packaging. The collaborations are all significant: Franco Battiato is the solo voice in “The Sultan of Babylon and the Prostitute,” where an orchestra of organs and percussion (La Viola) drives the track in a compelling and festive rhythm; the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare sings in “Audite Poverelle,” repeating Francis' heartfelt invitation “Live always in truth and die in obedience”; the Madredeus, with the beautiful voice of Teresa Salguerio, participate in the track titled “In the Swamps of Venice, Francis Stopped to Pray, and Everything Went Silent”; the Muvrini sing in “The Death of Francis,” while the music for the final psalm is written and conducted by Ennio Morricone. A concentrate of the Franciscan spirit that comes alive through the original language of the Franciscan Sources, only slightly adapted for musical purposes.

Branduardi's voice is the only Italian voice we could associate with Francis of Assisi. The arrangements employ essential instruments: guitars, violin, pan flute, percussion. The contributions from the guests help recreate a “choral,” almost communal spirit. The listening is a beautiful musical and spiritual experience. Call it “perfect joy”.