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Rating: It's a shame to see a prog legend like Le Orme playing in such a setting, with little more than fifty people in attendance, mostly composed of long-standing fans. It's a pity because the idea behind the festival wasn't bad, but then if you add in the Milan match and the (de)parting of Tagliapietra, the picture is complete.
Last night, it almost seemed as if there were two matches: one was indeed the Milan game, which must have affected the final turnout, and the other is the seemingly endless soap opera surrounding the use of the name "Le Orme" and the birth of a "new" group led by Aldo Tagliapietra, the historic voice of the Venetians, and the revived Toni Pagliuca, a keyboardist who had contributed much to Italian and worldwide prog in the '70s. And it could indeed be called a match at a distance, as tonight, in addition to Le Orme, Tagliapietra-Pagliuca-Marton are playing a few kilometers away: is this supposed to be a derby where the one with the larger audience wins?
Let's go in order anyway. Arriving at Teatro San Giovanni XXIII, besides finding Michi Dei Rossi and Jimmy Spitaleri right at the entrance, I had time to "visit" the exhibition "Progressivamente '70", a photographic exhibition on Roman progressive concerts from the '70s, with strictly black and white shots portraying Genesis, Alan Sorrenti, Banco, PFM at their peak, and among many, Le Orme. Michi Dei Rossi, as usual with his long hair, is depicted playing tubular bells at Teatro Brancaccio in January '74, on the occasion of the concert during which the album "In Concerto", the first live album ever by Italian rock, was recorded. Despite the low turnout (too bad for those who weren't there), the opportunity is still enticing: after seven long years, a new studio album finally comes out under the name Le Orme, "La Via della Seta". Let's clear up any doubts right away for anyone who missed an "episode" of the soap: the brand "Le Orme" belongs to Michi Dei Rossi and from a legal point of view, he has all the rights to use it, as repeatedly asserted in court. After the good performance by the young Ego, our guys take the stage: compared to the last time I happened to see them, I must say it's quite something seeing so many new faces. The formation has indeed stabilized with a "three plus three" formula: Michi Dei Rossi on drums, Michele Bon on keyboards, and Fabio Trentini on bass accompanied by the very young Federico Gava on the piano, William Dotto on guitars, and the charismatic Jimmy Spitaleri on vocals, already a historic member of Metamorfosi, an important Roman prog entity of the '70s.
The group is cohesive, everyone gives the impression of having fun and wanting to be there also because, especially for the Dei Rossi-Bon duo, it's a matter of pride, namely demonstrating that Le Orme can continue their artistic path consistently even without what was undoubtedly their most representative member. In this context, it's a clever idea to essentially divide the show into two parts, the first during which the new album is presented in its entirety and a second during which space is given to some old classics. On a first listen, the new work appears absolutely convincing, perhaps distant from what was done in the past, but still absolutely valid, an excellent album of modern prog that nevertheless doesn't deny what was done in the past. The model is that of the classic suite, and for forty minutes, we find ourselves traveling between Venice and China along the Silk Road, a metaphor for peaceful and constructive encounters between peoples. There will be other venues to talk more in depth about the album. What is immediately noticeable is that, from a purely sound standpoint, the group has not only certainly taken a step forward by having a permanent bassist and guitarist, thus shelving the "double neck" idea, but above all, as highlighted by Dei Rossi himself in a nice chat at the end of the concert, with a piano permanently in formation, even the most complex and articulated pieces can now be perfectly reproduced, while before compromises had to be found which ultimately displeased everyone a bit. And if you have a top-tier pianist in the group, the most logical thing is certainly to reprise the legendary "Contrappunti", a track from 1974 contained in the self-titled album and which for the first time saw a pianist within the group, a “certain” Gian Piero Reverberi. In discussing the live performance of this new formation, one cannot overlook Spitaleri's outstanding performance, a masterful frontman with the right charisma to make this new incarnation of Le Orme valid and credible. After the summary of "Felona e Sorona," the group bids farewell with a “Uno Sguardo verso il Cielo/Collage,” with the now classic march that closes a truly splendid evening, demonstrating once again how passion and determination, which sometimes, seen from the outside, can come off as audacity, are the only valid criteria when talking about Music with a capital M. The rest, despite many still being unwilling to accept it, is just chatter.
PS: As mentioned earlier, at the end of the concert, I had the opportunity to have a twenty-minute chat with Dei Rossi. He proved to be an absolutely approachable person who genuinely believes in what he does, and we talked at length about the split and the aftermath it caused. Since it wasn't an interview, I prefer not to report what was said, also out of respect for the parties involved.
Le Orme:
Michi Dei Rossi: drums, percussion
Michele Bon: keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
Fabio Trentini: bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
with
Jimmy Spitaleri: vocals
Federico Gava: keyboards, piano
William Dotto: guitars
Setlist:
La Via della Seta (complete suite)
Contrappunti
Felona e Sorona (summary)
Uno Sguardo verso il Cielo
Collage
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