B612 is the new album of the project Riccardo Romano Land. Riccardo Romano is the keyboard player of the "RanestRane" band as well as "Steve Rothery Band" and today he presents himself with his new solo composition.
It is a rock opera inspired by the book "The Little Prince" by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry. The songs follow the narrative thread of the novel, intertwined with the life of the French writer, being told with the musical influences and texts by the story of the album’s author. Everything becomes a symbol and metaphor to describe the same journey with different points of view.
Musically, inspiration by Peter Gabriel’s “Ovo” or Marillion’s”Brave” can be found, combined with references to the tradition of the most iconic rock operas such as Jesus Christ Superstar.
The album features many guests, including Steve Hogarth and Steve Rothery of Marillion.
The tracks:
1 LAUGHING STAR (part one): The journey begins with an overview on the asteroid B612, the planet of The Little Prince. An instrumental piece, presenting one of the main melodic themes of the opera.
2 B612, the title track, features the protagonist of the story. It is narrated by the pilot, who then turns out to be Antoine De Saint-Exupéry. A kind of hymn which with LAUGHING STAR (part one) forms the prologue of the story.
3 INVISIBLE TO THE EYES is the song that started the idea of the opera. The song of the Prince and his Rose, their unbreakable bond, their common destiny.
4 COMPASS ROSE tells about the desire to leave, to explore, to discover new territories and souls. The Prince leaves B612 following a migration of wild birds. A song with the theme of travel which is a hymn for all travelers and their perennial search for new destinations.
5 LETTER – the letter that the Rose writes to her Prince, now gone and far away. The song deals with the feeling of distance, of detachment, of the hope for return.
6 THE KING is a song that tells of the delirium of power, a sense of omnipotence/almightiness and the loneliness that comes with it. The Prince meets the King on his deserted planet, with his sole desire to be worshipped, praised and recognized.
7 THE LAMPLIGHTER is a solitary character, condemned to turn on and off a lamp for all eternity. The moving story of a man and his commitment to maintain this commitment/task: Always turn on a new light for those who will come.
8 ECHO OF SOLITUDE describes the moment when the Prince arrives on Earth. He climbs up a mountain and finds himself talking to his own echo. While discovering solitude, in him is born the desire to return.
9 THE SNAKE is a sinuous character, a dark metaphor for death. The Prince now knows that in order to return to his planet B612 he will have to leave his body. Musically, the song is a tribute to the desert and its atmosphere.
10 DRAGONFLY is the song of the pilot, one of the main characters in the book. But it is also the song of Antoine and his courage. It tells of the loneliness that only those who fly can comprehend. It tells of a fighter pilot who will eventually fall into the sea while fighting for freedom.
11 LE RENARD: the fox and its secret. It is the gift to the Prince that will give him the courage to return to his Rose. "What is essential is invisible to the eyes" – now everything is clear to him.
12 LAUGHING STAR (part two), the song of detachment, of farewell and separation from each other. The lives of the Prince and Antoine are merged into a common journey. We have to say goodbye to return, we must burn to be reborn.
13 SANDCASTLES, the song of return. The Prince is now with his Rose again, stronger with what he has seen and experienced. The story ends with a look to a distant laughing/bright star. It is night, and from the Earth a lonely soul is looking for B612 shining in the darkness.
THE CAST (in alphabetical order):
Musicians:
- ANDREA BASSATO: violin
- LORENZO FELICIATI: electric bass
- DAVE FOSTER: guitars
- LUCA GRIMIERI: guitars
- MAURIZIO MEO: electric bass, double bass
- DANIELE POMO: drums
- MASSIMO POMO: guitars
- RICCARDO ROMANO: keyboards, celtic harp, harmonium, guitars, acoustic bass
- STEVE ROTHERY: guitars
Singers:
- SONIA BERTIN as LE RENARD
- STEVE HOGARTH as THE SNAKE
- MARTIN JAKUBSKI as THE KING
- RICCARDO ROMANO as THE AVIATOR, THE LITTLE PRINCE, THE LAMPLIGHTER
- JENNIFER ROTHERY as THE ROSE
Trailer su youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL8etSIlg8w
