MATTEO PERIFANO
Uomo europeo

MATTEO PERIFANO - Uomo europeo

(Self-production)

Matteo Perifano defines his music as continental (and we would say Central European, given the references to classics like Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner), baroque, reactionary. And yes, Uomo europeo is certainly a reactionary album, insofar as the artist uses classical music as a point of departure, but not as a destination, given the clear pop component and the structure that heads straight into modern song form. So, reactionary here takes on a touch of the revolutionary. Of course, it is not the first time someone in Italian pop music has tried to mix pop and classical music. Leaving aside the super kitsch of Anonimo Veneziano (which fortunately have nothing to do with Uomo europeo), Battiato and Branduardi, who coincidentally Perifano cites as artists who have influenced him, have already done so, with results we well know. But Perifano is on the right track. Although favoring atmospheres more "Vivaldi-like" (which was certainly not the core of Branduardi and Battiato's post-classical experiments), this album sounds good. Pop and classical intertwine well. In "Foglia" and "Zum Arabischen Coffee Baum," the experiment reaches its peak. In "Zum arabischen..." coincidentally, a rhythm, a barely hinted beat, comes into play, giving even more dynamics to the piece. Could the next Perifano album start from here?