Search - Roedelius :: Aquarello

Quiet, mysterious, and beautiful

RDS | Toronto, Canada | 05/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of Roedelius' finest records is this document of live performances with Nicola Alesini and Fabio Capanni as Aquarello. Strangers to Hans-Joachim Roedelius and his music will find in this record an excellent sampling of his talents and his unique musical language. Roedelius performs piano, keys, samples and voice, and is joined by Alesini's masterful alto and soprano sax and Capanni's innovative e-bow and treatments. Alesini's sax has such a distinct voice and manner, and he can truly be said to be "singing" through his instrument, gently telling stories through his song. Capanni, for his part, has complete command of the e-bow, and what is so exceptional about his playing is the remarkably wide range of sound he can produce through his instrument. These three composers/performers work extremely well together, in harmony one with each of the others, and so it's no surprise that this isn't the first time they've worked together, and I doubt it will be their last. Roedelius himself has a formidable musical presence, both live and in his studio work. His compositional voice is unmistakable: the voice of a gentle and self-reflective man, immersed in himself and the expression of himself. The music here is quiet and subtle, full of drifting ambience and soft shifts in mood and instrumentation. The moods varied (there are a few outbursts and rough patches), but mostly things remain mellow, reflective, nostalgic and sad. The self looking back upon the self. As Roedelius says in his poem "Greghale" (a Corsican adaptation of a poem originally written in German as "Zerrissen zwischen Illusionen"), "you will once again be what you were when you were born... when you cross the boarders of illusion." The reading of the poem closes this disc, and lets fall this gentle and reflective mood that stays with you well after the music stops. Highly recommended."

Melancholy and haunting

Brad Torgersen | Seattle, WA, USA | 07/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A haunting, melancholy album, Aquarello is a very different blend of traditional instruments with synthetic sounds. Hans Joachim Roedelius is considered to be one of the pioneers of electronically generated tones, and his discography is fairly extensive. This is the only Roedelius album I have, and one of these days I know I am going to buy more. Aquarello is a great disc for rainy days, contemplative moods, for those times when you want to go exploring inside yourself and visit old memories or long forgotten places. There is an angst to this disc that you will seldom hear in any other "ambient" album because Aquarello really isn't ambient as much as it is experimental Jazz infused with brooding electronica. If you really want to experiment with your music, this one works!"

Roedelius - 'Aquarello' (All Saints)

Mike Reed | USA | 01/30/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Good, idealistic late '90's release from Roedelius - verteran krautrock pioneer of bands Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia prove once again he can assemble a worthy record. Better than I had expected, although not for everyone but I, for one liked what I heard. Tracks that make this CD a keeper are "Deep Blue", the laid back "Tranquilidad", the jazzy "Forza", the almost-Canterbury like "II Camino" and the beautifully played "Remember". Personnel: Roedelius-keyboards, piano & vocals, Nicole Alesini-soprano, alto sax & sound effects and Fabio Capanni-e-bow. Read somewhere that Roedelius has put out two all-new material titles here recently."