Arturo Stalteri - Andre Sulla Luna (1979)
Next up on the stack of forgotten albums in my collection is Pierrot Lunaire's keyboardist Arturo Stalteri's debut. Looks like I picked this one up enthusiastically not long after being reissued, heard, filed, and that's the last time I listened to it. In fact I didn't even have it stored in my electronic collection (physically that is), but rather it was in the prog rock section, taking me a bit to even find it.
The eerie keyboard sounds Stalteri produces is most certainly those of Gudrun, but here they are the focus. The music has the Systems feel of Roberto Cacciapaglia or Franco Leprino mixed with a French styled rock aesthetic. Random bursts of electric guitar are unexpected and much welcomed. In this way Philippe Besombes becomes a name checked reference. Franco Battiato must also be mentioned, though perhaps it's more compulsory than accurate. Andre Sulla Luna is most certainly just as influenced by academic classical music as it is Italian pastoral folk. As with Gudrun, the album demonstrates it's more one-of-a-kind than a scene fitter. Random yet exhilarating. An album I didn't have any recollection of, but did give it initial high marks on arrival. That rating stays and now I can justify it as well.
Stalteri is still actively releasing new product and has well over a dozen releases to his name. If I find them in the wilds I'll have to give them a spin.
Ownership: 1997 M.P. (CD). Cardboard sleeve. Booklet with notes in Italian. Includes five bonus tracks that are largely more primitive editions of the LP versions.
1998 (acquired); 7/30/25 (review)
Pierrot Lunaire (1974)
Like many Italian prog fans, my first exposure to Pierrot Lunaire was from their avant-garde masterpiece Gudrun. With that backdrop, Pierrot Lunaire's debut is a bit of a shock to the system. The album is a low-key, pastoral, folk influenced progressive rock. Flute, keyboards, vocals, and acoustic guitars are the primary set of sounds. There isn't much here to latch onto, with a low set of dynamics, and yet it's a peaceful 45 minutes of listening. If looking for comparisons, Pierrot Lunaire is more subtle than Saint Just's La Casa del Lago, and less compelling than Errata Corrige, but both are in the same ballpark. Side 2 contains the album's highlights, with the keyboard heavy symphonic piece 'Il re di Raipure' and the hauntingly beautiful 'Arlecchinata' with wordless female vocals. Pierrot Lunaire's debut is very consistent and fortunately there are no low moments to endure. A solid record that comes recommended, though it doesn't predict the brilliance of their sophomore release.
Ownership: 1994 Si-Wan (CD). Liner notes in Korean.
Like many Italian prog fans, my first exposure to Pierrot Lunaire was from their avant-garde masterpiece Gudrun. With that backdrop, Pierrot Lunaire's debut is a bit of a shock to the system. The album is a low-key, pastoral, folk influenced progressive rock. Flute, keyboards, vocals, and acoustic guitars are the primary set of sounds. There isn't much here to latch onto, with a low set of dynamics, and yet it's a peaceful 45 minutes of listening. If looking for comparisons, Pierrot Lunaire is more subtle than Saint Just's La Casa del Lago, and less compelling than Errata Corrige, but both are in the same ballpark. Side 2 contains the album's highlights, with the keyboard heavy symphonic piece 'Il re di Raipure' and the hauntingly beautiful 'Arlecchinata' with wordless female vocals. Pierrot Lunaire's debut is very consistent and fortunately there are no low moments to endure. A solid record that comes recommended, though it doesn't predict the brilliance of their sophomore release.
Ownership: 1994 Si-Wan (CD). Liner notes in Korean.
1989 (LP reissue first acquired); 1996; 11/10/14; 8/22/15 (review); 7/18/24
I own and still need to review Gudrun.
8/22/15 (new entry)
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