Opus Avantra
Introspezione - Donella Del Monaco

The Opus Avantra were one of the most courageous and innovative groups in Italian progressive music. They formed in 1973 thanks to the meeting between musician and composer Alfredo Tisocco, singer Donella Del Monaco (niece of the famous soprano Mario Del Monaco), the "philosopher" Giorgio Bisotto, somewhat the Brian Eno of the situation, and producer Renato Marengo. Their name already reveals an ambitious musical project: the word Avantra is the union of avant-garde and tradition. In the notes of their first album "Opus Avantra – Donella Del Monaco", perhaps better known as "Introspezione", you can read all the philosophy underlying this work in which the abolition of barriers between genres is theorized: according to Opus Avantra, music is divided into sterile labels that do not communicate with each other. The goal is thus to unite avant-garde, rock, and popular music into a cohesive amalgam. The final result, in my opinion, led to a high-level album that remarkably combines contemporary classical music, avant-garde, rock, and light music. For some critics, “Introspezione” is too elitist and pretentious compared to other examples of fusion between classical music and rock like “Concerto Grosso” by New Trolls and “Contaminazione” by Rovescio della Medaglia.

In reality, at least this debut album, is accessible and enjoyable, unlike the subsequent "Lord Cromwell": despite being an album with avant-garde sounds, the "enjoyability" is never lacking. It seems therefore that their intent was fully realized. After the first challenging track "Introspezione", characterized by exploratory sounds and musique concrète influenced by Pierre Schaefer and Pierre Henry, in the following and wonderful “Les Plaisirs sont doux” we can hear romantic atmospheres derived from Schubert, highlighted by the splendid voice of Donella Del Monaco. “La marmellata” is instead a delicate nursery rhyme that, in a "Proustian" way, revives the lost years of childhood, while “Il Pavone” is an extraordinary and perfect pop piece, in its own way a small masterpiece. In “Monologo” the setting returns to pure avant-garde with Del Monaco's voice reciting a text that reveals the fragmentation of the self. “Ah Douleur” and “Rituale” are instead two dragging progressive-rock pieces that show how Alfredo Tisocco's group had absorbed the lesson of progressive rock.

“Introspezione” is an absolute masterpiece that should not be missing from the discography of anyone who loves progressive music, but not only.