Vincenzo Cipriani
Weke

"I have always believed that making a record is like writing a novel where the composer attempts to tell a musical story capable of evoking a cascade of emotions and impressions that are always different from one another for the listener..." (Vincenzo Cipriani)

This is "Weke", an album by pianist Vincenzo Cipriani: an album that can take you to completely different places from reality if listened to with attention and passion. What drove Vincenzo Cipriani to write the tracks for "Weke" was the great desire to express himself to others through music and to convey something new and meaningful to listeners.

The album consists of nine tracks with a total of almost 47 minutes.

The opening track is "Weke" (title-track), a piece divided into two movements: the first is quite lively and very fast and features a long piano solo repeated twice, accompanied by a fantastic and numerous string section formed by: Ciriaca Ambrosecchia, Anna Lucia Giusto, and Francesco Sacco (first violins), Grazia Giusto, Anna Maria Losignore, and Giacomina Riviello (second violins), Antonio Di Marzio and Demetrio Lepore (cellos) and Giovanni Leonetti (double bass). The second part, slower, presents strong blues overtones, and it's one of the most beautiful melodies I've ever heard and it moves me with each listen. The second song is "Doctor Elio": a slow track that draws on the famous Argentine tango style and features a duet between Vincenzo Cipriani and cellist Antonio Di Marzio. The third track is "Insanity", with a refrain that somewhat recalls a rockish style, in the style of "Black Night" by Deep Purple or "Jump" by Van Halen (not the melody but the structure), a very cheerful and catchy piece. The fourth piece is "Walking Dreaming", a reinterpretation of the first part of "Weke", with the addition of melodic elements. The fifth song is "From Dawn To Dusk", also very lively and reminiscent of the style of Mahavishnu Orchestra (Dream), indeed it also features a solo violinist like Francesco Sacco, who plays fast riffs accompanied by the ever-present Vincenzo Cipriani. This is also the song that divides the first part of the album from the second part, certainly more classical than the first.

The sixth song is "Dies Irae" with the participation of Anuhel, a talent in the folk rock scene, who had the opportunity to sing together with Peter Gabriel and many others. This track is a Gregorian chant with the addition of an instrumental accompaniment by Vincenzo Cipriani and Giovanni Leonetti on the solo double bass. The seventh song is "Good Night": an arrangement by Vincenzo Cipriani of a not very well-known Beatles song. This piece features the appearance of the pianist's daughter: Anna Cipriani who sings accompanied by the "San Matteo" Children's Choir. Another very moving piece. It is followed by "Ave Maria", an arrangement by Vincenzo Cipriani of a piece by Astor Piazzolla with the participation of soprano Maria Maddalena Notarstefano and once again the "San Matteo" Children's Choir who add a different color to the piece. The work concludes with "Inverno Porteno", an original interpretation of another piece by Piazzolla, in a tango style, but with slight classical nuances, especially at the beginning and end of the piece. This track featured Vito Soranno on solo sax and Francesco Sacco on solo violin. Another piece of great class.

In my opinion, albums like these really deserve a lot and present excellent music played by excellent musicians. We need all of this; we need it because we are living in the darkest moment for music both nationally and internationally. Music that has nothing to be called as such.