Antonio Paolo Pizzimenti / Chimera / RootsWorld Recording Review

Antonio Paolo Pizzimenti
Chimera
Dunya (www.felmay.it)

Carrying on from 2001's wonderful Atlante, Pizzimenti presents another futuristic, joyous and riotous work, and this time around it is just a bit dark. Created for the theater production "Chimera" by Teatro Giacosa, the music develops a life of its own independent of the stage work.

The liner notes form an essential part of this gesamtkunstwerk. They include an excerpt of the book that is the basis for the theatrical production (speaking of fog, seasons and highways - empty or not), some important details about who Chimera was, a poem and another exceprt by another book and a few scribbles by the main actress. Although those notes are all only in Italian, it can be a very helpful aid in getting the listener into the spirit of the work.

Musically speaking, it's another wild ride around the world, through his creative use of samples, but mostly by force of talent. Africa, China, Europe all feature in the mix that is influenced by ethnic music, marching bands, pop music and soundtracks rather than the classical music that was the focus of the preious work. The whole record feels more unified as well, in spirit and in composition. As soon as this CD starts spinning, you know well that you are in Pizzimenti territory: it all feels familiar but there is enough difference to still make it sound interesting.

Antonio Paolo Pizzimenti is not alone in having to answer the difficult question of how to deal with a personal style that is unique but also clearly defined. Many composers for film have faced the same problem before (Ren� Aubry and Philip Glass are the most characteristic examples). Chimera is not so much an evolution from his previous oeuvre as an extension of it. It is still majestic at moments ('Tzouras' and especially the gloriously widescreen cinemascope of the opening 'Finale') but the first signs of a need for new directions to be pursued have appeared on the horizon. His next work is an important one to watch in that context. - Nondas Kitsos

Audio samples and CD available from cdRoots

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