OPERA?
Renzo Ruggieri Orchestra
(italian version) https://youtu.be/mP_rX3OI1KY
(english version) https://youtu.be/O67geNTATZI

00:00 Opera? Ouverture
05:43 IG (Traviata)
11:05 La Lettera
18:03 IG (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
22:26 Il Sospetto
34:28 IG (Figaro)
37:20 Lo Scuro e il Chiaro
43:37 IG (Tosca)
47:17 L’Istante
54:48 IG (Traviata bis)
59:20 Echi

My theatre experience has made me realize that improvisation should be accompanied by elements outside of purely musical ones: images, sensations, stories. Opera? is the result of this realisation and is the most authentic expression that you will find in my biography. It would be unfair to pigeon-hole this Concept Project into the world of jazz, since many of the choices I have made are unrelated to this tradition (less swing, fewer patterns of African-American origin, the use of a string ensemble), bringing to the fore the lyrical aspect of the melodic themes emphasized in the improvisations, but which nevertheless remain fundamental. Similarly, the actor adds to the canvas by improvising too (as in the CD recordings, the first adapted performance recorded in the January of 2008 at Pineto near Teramo, Italy at the Dolci Romori Jazz Festival, and then in the English and Russian translations). I avoided strong and sophisticated harmonies in the composition and for the first time I composed them on the accordion instead of the piano.

I chose to pay homage to melodrama as I consider this to be the starting point of modern Italian musical expression. Clearly, elaborating, transforming and editing a masterpiece can be an insidious task and possibly a little new-fangled, as well as unlikely, I have therefore kept well away from this. Figaro, Tosca and Alfredo are famous characters, as much as the operas in which they feature – Barber of Seville, La Traviata and Tosca respectively. Figaro’s letter, Alfredo’s jealousy, and Tosca’s suicide have all become oppurtunities to seize for a new plot. On the musical side, the writing takes on five themes, one for each scene of the story. Each theme develops an idea linked to the melodic character of the situation and is introduced by the reading of the text, combined with Guided Improvisations (a term borrowed from my completely improvised CD « Improvvisazioni Guidate », VAP100) or rather variations of extemporised melodic cells from those famous romances.

The second performance of Opera? took place in the Rostov State Musical Theatre (March 29, 2011) by way of the International Center for Music “Harmony”, at the 2nd International Accordion Festival Plus in Rostov-on-Don (Russia), with an ensemble of Russian musicians (recordings 28, 29 , March 30, 2011, Rostov).

Opera? is the story of human immutability, despite its worldly texture appearing to be always renewing itself. Individuals are often dragged from reality, and even though a certain spirituality may be alive within them it can nevertheless be ignored or even misunderstood. When the protagonists of Opera? make decisions based on their instinct, unforeseen events occur which mark their fates ambiguously (this is the reason for the two different endings to the story). Ultimately, it is a narrative of the sickness of our time, where the numerous ongoing stressful situations lead us into to making forced choices, and the impossibility of choosing what would instead be more convenient.
« Not Cogito, ergo non sum. »

(the author)

Renzo Ruggieri
(compositions, arrangements, accordions
, plots)

Paolo Perelli
– actor (italian)
Nikolay Khanzharov
– actor (russian)

Andy Morton
– actor (english)

(New-Centropezn jazz quartet
)
Andrey Manchev (conductor, soprano-saxofon)
Grigory Deratsuev (drums)
Vitaly Perov (bass)
Aram Rustamyants (piano)

String section of Rostov State Music Theatre

Produced for V.A.P. (Voglia d’Arte Productions) by Renzo Ruggieri, september 2011, Viale Europa 15, 64026 Roseto degli Abruzzi (TE, Italy)
www.renzoruggieri.com, info@renzoruggieri.com & info@vogliadarteproduction.com – www.vogliadarteproduction.com tel.+39 333 4926093.

All Songs composed and arranged by Renzo.
All Tracks recorded (28, 29, 30 aprile 2011) at Rostov on Don by
sound engineer Igor Koropovsky.
Mixed at “Voglia d’Arte Studio” (Roseto degli Abruzzi, TE, Italy)
Artwork VAP.
Translation OPERA? into Russian: Natalia Novikova.
Translation OPERA? into English: Charmaine Wilkerson.
Translations and proof readers of lineer notes: Clio Pizzingrilli and Fausto Fabi.
Photo: Igor Koropovsky, Alexandra Kuprik.
Renzo plays esclusively accordion COMPACT 414 RR by Ballone Burini
(Castelfidardo, Italy).
Rostov State Musical Theater (29 marzo 2011) for International Music Center Harmony (II International Festival Accordion Plus in Rostov-on-Don (Russia)
Recorded 28, 29, 30 march 2011, Rostov

© 2011 All rights reserved.
Unauthorized copying, reproduction, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting prohibited.