Between anger and love

Still on the road with a gruelling tour of 35 gigs, which kicked off on 3 February in Faenza and ends on 26 April in Como, professor Roberto Vecchioni reveals a dynamism that places him poles apart from the weary bandolero he sings of in one of his most famous songs: his latest release, only recently on sale in record shops, entitled "Il lanciatore di coltelli", is his twenty-first musical offering. True to his style, the album is pitched between civil commitment and private reflections. Meanwhile, his now established literary career keeps him busier than ever. The Milan singer-songwriter shares his thoughts regarding the title: "I'm the knife-thrower, we're all knife-throwers... the knives are our thoughts, our forms of expression. History has known great knife-throwers: Raffaello, Einstein. Then there are those like me, the imitators: I do my best, I try to touch people, and sometimes I manage to catch a star".
The album opens with "Figlio, figlio, figlio": while the lyrics set off from Jacopone da Todi, the text faces a terse reflection on the role of a father, on the need to be challenged and even metaphorically killed so that one's children can grow and find their own path. The next song, "Shalom" expresses horror and astonishment concerning a war that seems to have no end in sight, "La bellezza (Gustav e Tadzio)" draws inspiration from Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" and tackles with care the thorny issue of paedophilia, "Malinconia leggera" deals with emotions and moods, "Storia e leggenda del lanciatore" (like "Il lanciatore di coltelli' which comes after) takes a deeper look at the themes summed up by the title, "Ma che razza di Dio c'è nel cielo?" laically ponders the relationship between pain on earth and the presence of God, and "Viola d'inverno" deals with death, a subject that has become taboo in Western society; lastly, "La mia stanza" focuses again on matters of everyday life and "Il mago di Oz" clashes openly with power and the lies and hypocrisy behind it.
Rich and varied in terms of music, the album makes for very agreeable listening and is undoubtedly one of Vecchioni's best; the musical arrangements by Mauro Pagani are, as always, striking and sophisticated.

 Francesco Troiano

Between anger and love

Still on the road with a gruelling tour of 35 gigs, which kicked off on 3 February in Faenza and ends on 26 April in Como, professor Roberto Vecchioni reveals a dynamism that places him poles apart from the weary bandolero he sings of in one of his most famous songs: his latest release, only recently on sale in record shops, entitled "Il lanciatore di coltelli", is his twenty-first musical offering. True to his style, the album is pitched between civil commitment and private reflections. Meanwhile, his now established literary career keeps him busier than ever. The Milan singer-songwriter shares his thoughts regarding the title: "I'm the knife-thrower, we're all knife-throwers... the knives are our thoughts, our forms of expression. History has known great knife-throwers: Raffaello, Einstein. Then there are those like me, the imitators: I do my best, I try to touch people, and sometimes I manage to catch a star".
The album opens with "Figlio, figlio, figlio": while the lyrics set off from Jacopone da Todi, the text faces a terse reflection on the role of a father, on the need to be challenged and even metaphorically killed so that one's children can grow and find their own path. The next song, "Shalom" expresses horror and astonishment concerning a war that seems to have no end in sight, "La bellezza (Gustav e Tadzio)" draws inspiration from Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" and tackles with care the thorny issue of paedophilia, "Malinconia leggera" deals with emotions and moods, "Storia e leggenda del lanciatore" (like "Il lanciatore di coltelli' which comes after) takes a deeper look at the themes summed up by the title, "Ma che razza di Dio c'è nel cielo?" laically ponders the relationship between pain on earth and the presence of God, and "Viola d'inverno" deals with death, a subject that has become taboo in Western society; lastly, "La mia stanza" focuses again on matters of everyday life and "Il mago di Oz" clashes openly with power and the lies and hypocrisy behind it.
Rich and varied in terms of music, the album makes for very agreeable listening and is undoubtedly one of Vecchioni's best; the musical arrangements by Mauro Pagani are, as always, striking and sophisticated.

 Francesco Troiano