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5th in Vencenzo Ricca’s Italian ‘Rome Pro(G)ject’ excellent series of mostly instrumental vintage keyboard driven symphonic Prog albums!
* Please click on the Video icon in right corner above to view & listen to a promotional YouTube video *
Discographically speaking, the Rome Pro(G)ject turns 10 with the release of ‘TRP V - Compendium Of A lifetime’. Not too bad for a project that should only have been limited to one album released in 2012!
Since then it has turned into a great recording success in spite of numerous factors, usually decisive in the world of music … there is no real band; there are no live events accompanying the publications; the production and distribution of the albums is completely independent and self-managed.
The Rome Pro(G)ject has been defined by Vincenzo Ricca as “an observatory on Prog” and its potential. The "fil rouge" that binds this project is represented by the events of ancient Rome told through - now - five albums, all linked by a narrative thread. The music is mostly instrumental, and in the words of its creator, “constitutes the longest concept album in the history of music, such as such worthy of an inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records.”
So, after TRP I - ‘A Musical Walk Through The History And The Places, The Greatness And The Beauty Of The Eternal City’ (2012), TRP II – ‘Of Fate And Glory’ (2016), TRP III – ‘Exegi Monvmentvm Aere Perennivs’ (2017) and TRP IV – ‘Beaten Paths Different Ways’ (2020), the 5th incarnation of this long story is entitled: ‘TRP V - Compendium Of A lifetime’.
The inspiration of this album is threefold: on the one hand the reflections on the harsh military discipline, on the other the dramatic events of the eruption of Vesuvius, and finally the intuitions of Julius Caesar as well as the Roman emperors opposed to the bloody events of the gladiators.
Together with Vincenzo Ricca, Steve Hackett and David Jackson - present on all four previous albums of the project - the fantastic contributions of John Hackett, Nick Magnus and Bernardo Lanzetti return. The great and prestigious surprise of this album is the participation of Tony Levin, who characterizes four of the eight tracks that make up the work. And then some "delightful talents", including a new entry - the voice of Tony Patterson, as well as long-time collaborators such as Franck Carducci (bass & guitar – track 12), Daniele Pomo (drums), Paolo Ricca (electric guitar) and Roberto Vitelli (low), each with their own valuable and effective contributions.
‘TRP V - Compendium Of A lifetime’ consists of eight new unreleased tracks. In each of these, albeit linked by a theme, live their sound independence with conviction, reminiscences and quotes emerge, as in the other works for Progressive music lovers. However, this is a decidedly different record from its predecessors. The length of the new album is around forty-two minutes (which gives hope for a quality vinyl version) to which a revised and shortened version of ‘Exegi Monvmentvm’, from the 3rd album, is added as a Bonus Track, bringing the playing time up to just over fifty-one minutes.
All the music ‘TRP V - Compendium Of A lifetime’ was composed, arranged, performed and produced by Vincenzo Ricca. The lyrics of the two songs on the album were also written by Vincenzo Ricca.
The album was mixed by Piero Vena, assisted by Vincenzo Ricca.
The cover-art features a painting by the artist Maria Grazia Spadafora, while the graphics are, as always, by Gabriele Morelli of Weblogo.it. All the photos, except those representing the musicians involved in the project, are by Vincenzo Ricca, most of which were taken in Pompeii during the exhibition of the sculptor Igor Mitoraj in 2016. Tony Levin, who is also an excellent photographer, sent his self-portrait for the well-assembled 16-Page Booklet.
“V”, where V stands both for “fifth” and “victory”, is a triumphant anthem in perfect Progrock style.
After an emphatic introduction from the pipe organ, the track takes off to the sounds of Ricca’s powerful vintage keyboard chords, among which Mini-Moog and various Mellotron layers and textures stand out dramatically, all punctuated by continuous rolls of Daniele Pomo’s glowing drums.
Paolo Ricca plays the electric guitar, while the bass part is also the work of Vincenzo Ricca.
The atmosphere is completely changed after just under three minutes of the opening piece, where the listener begins their journey into the never repeated motifs of the title track: ‘Compendium Of A Lifetime’. In addition to giving the title to the album, this is a track that, despite numerous reinterpretations and attempts to include it in previous albums, finally finds its place, developing with authority and complexity in its almost fourteen minute running time.
None of the numerous musical moments that make up the sophisticated arrangement of this piece are repeated. Steve Hackett and David Jackson find their own dimensions with repeated and fascinating solo interventions. The intervention of the always peculiar and splendid voice of Bernardo Lanzetti sings the reflections of a Roman general struggling with the compendium of his career. The title track also makes use of the presence of Franck Carducci on Shergold 12 strings guitar and bass, Paolo Ricca’s electric guitar, Daniele Pomo’s drums and the numerous keyboards of the pro(G)ject mastermind.
‘Vesuvius’ features Paolo Ricca's electric guitar and a keyboard orchestral setting for a dramatic and impactful piece that perfectly describes the drama of the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD.
‘The Last Night In The World’ is an atmospheric song - a ballad with text inspired by the letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus in the immediacy of the disaster - is brilliantly sung by Tony Patterson on an excellent stubborn piano score by Nick Magnus, counter-pointed by Steve Hackett's unique electric guitar sounds.
‘Have Caesar’ / ‘Moritturi Te Salutant’ / ‘Gladiatores’ / ‘Have Caesari {reprise}’ are four autonomous pieces that actually form an unspecified single suite. “Trait d’union” Tony Levin's powerful bass, sometimes soloist, and the melodies proposed by Steve Hackett's electric guitar and John Hackett's flute.
Overall, this is the most original piece of the work with 1st and 4th parts that propel the listener into a new dimension of Prog with unusual and basically experimental instruments and rhythms.
The production of ‘Compendium Of A Lifetime’ began in February 2021. The official release of the album was opposed by numerous and different circumstances. First announced for December 2021, with the same release date as three of the previous works, with the exception of the second album in 2016, which was in fact released on a different date - April 21 - the date on which Rome's birth anniversary occurs.
It was first postponed to the palindrome date of 22-02-2022, still with no luck. On that date, however, the promo video of ‘Gladiatores’ was released. The final date of publication, now set for 15-03-2022 coincides with that of the ides of March, the date on which the anniversary of the killing of Julius Caesar occurs.
‘Rome Pro(G)ject V-Compendium Of A Liftime’ is released on 15th March 2022.
Also available by ROME PRO(G)JECT…
ROME PRO(G)JECT I (Full 2012 55-Minute Digi-Pak Edition / 10 Tracks) CD – Stock # 1582172
ROME PRO(G)JECT II-OF FATE & GLORY (2016 Digi-Pak / 10 Tracks) CD – Stock # 1858799
ROME PRO(G)JECT III-RAISED MOMENTUM (2017 Digi-Pak / 13 Tracks) CD – Stock # 2016375
ROME PRO(G)JECT IV-BEATEN PATHS DIFFERENT WAYS (2020 Digi-Pak / 13 Tracks) CD – Stock # 2204881
V/A [RICCA/HACKETT/MAGNUS/LEVIN]: ROME PRO(G)JECT V – COMPENDIUM OF A LIFETIME Track List:
01. V (2:40)
02. Compenium Of A Lifetime (13:45)
03. Vesuvius (3:13)
04. The Last Night In The World (5:16)
05. Have Caesar! (5:30)
06. Morituri Te Salutant (3:40)
07. Gladiatores (5:15)
08. Have Caesar! {reprise} (3:26)
09. Exegi Monvmentvm (8:22) * Bonus Track *
TPT - 51:07