Silvia Tarozzi: Mi specchio e rifletto
Unseen Worlds

Inspired by the writings of Alda Merini, Silvia Tarozzi began creating the material for Mi specchio e rifletto many years ago by setting the Italian poet's words to music; upon discovering that copyright precluded her using the texts, Tarozzi retained the musical structures but added her own lyrics. Following Merini's example, Tarozzi based her own texts on her life and specifically the years from 2008-19, an upheaval-filled period where she moved from one country to another, had a child, got married, and lost her grandparents. On sonic terms, Mi specchio e rifletto is expansive. Joining the multi-instrumentalist leader (credited with voice, violin, keyboards, slide guitars, accordion, and field recordings) are nine others, who flesh out her songs with woodwinds, guitars, strings, basses, and piano. A small number of judiciously placed instrumentals also breaks up the vocal-based flow.

At album's start, “Al cancello” suggests the album will be an exercise in chamber classical wizardry. Performed by Tarozzi on violin, cellist Deborah Walker, double-bassist Enrico Lazzarini, flutist Caterina Romano, and clarinetist Jessica Colarelli, the instrumental's a lovely affair whose carefree mien evokes impressions of pastoral summers. Directly dedicated to Merini, “La forza del canto” perpetuates the chamber-like character of the opener, though this time with Tarozzi's appealing singing voice added to the arrangement for violin, cello, and double-bass.

It's with the third piece, however, that an experimental edge begins to emerge, as casio sk-8 and midi keyboards generate unusual textures to introduce “La sostanza dell'affetto,” the song otherwise marked by acoustic and slide guitars, vibes, and the unison vocalizing of Tarozzi and Valentina Malanot. Nudging the album in another direction, vibrant synthesizers power “Domina” in a way that, when coupled with an ascending bass line, suggests some lost Cluster-and-Eno collaboration—until, that is, Tarozzi's declamations and Glass-like background vocals surface to alter expectations once more. Subsequent to that, saxophonist Edoardo Marraffa and electric guitarist Domenico Caliri impose a wholly different character on “Hai nella bocca un silenzio.”

Tarozzi's unaccompanied voice is multi-tracked into an encircling round for the title track, the gesture hinting at an American minimalism influence. Things turn quasi-theatrical for “Siedimi accanto,” where declarations of love are conveyed with vocal passion and sumptuous violin phrasings. Whereas gleaming accordion chords provide a ground for violin and electric bass during “L'assenza,” double-tracked flutes by Caterina Romano add to the affection-suffused mood of “Parlavi di un bambino.” Tinkling bells and violin creaks pepper “Spazio,” piano seemingly deployed here in an alternate tuning to deepen the unsettled quality of the vocal. Each piece pursues a slightly different direction, Tarozzi's voice and violin the common threads.

August 2020