Bizantina – Orlando Tarantato (Italian World Music, 2009)
Orlando Tarantato is the music created by bassist and composer Michelangelo Zorzit for a theater show which is based on the medieval Teatro dei Pupi Siciliani (Sicilian Puppet Theatre). For this album, Zorzit selected the best pieces for the show and recorded them with Bizantina. Orlando Tarantato is one of the first releases on the new Italian record label Italian World Music.
The beautifully packaged and illustrated album relates the ‘forbidden’ love stories of two defenders of Christianity, a knight named Orlando who falls in love with the beautiful infidel Angelica and the female warrior Bradamante who burns with love for a Muslim man named Ruggero. The plot thickens with the involvement of the sorceress Morgana and the political intrigues of the time. Musically, Bizantina combines the best of Italian traditional music with Balkan and Middle Eastern influences and the fascinating result is what the band calls a Byzantine style.
Bizantina made the music for Orlando Tarantato incorporating the vocal styles of ancient Italian street music, the folk traditions from southern Italy, such as tarante, pizziche and tammurriate; the saxophone driven influences of the Balkans and the rhythms and melodies of the Middle East.
The members of Bizantina include Michaela D’Astuto on vocals; Susanna Crociani on saxophones and clarinet; Ilaria Innocenti on accordion and vocals; Michelangelo Zorzit on bass; Marcello Melighetti on guitars, bouzouki and mandola; Michele Lovito on percussion; Federico Piras on vocals; and Mauro de Lilla on drums and keyboards.
Bizantina has created a mesmerizing musical work that is inspiringly detailed and combines the best of Italian folk music, global traditions and Medieval street musical theater.
Buy the album from italymusic.net or musicshoponline.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.