Italian Musical Odyssey
There is more to Italian music than the Three Tenors, "O Sole Mio," and "Volare." A burgeoning folk revival has fostered a diverse crop of ensembles and singer-songwriters hailing from throughout the country, including Naples. Their styles range from contemporary neo-trad to the earthiest rural troubadours. Clichés quickly fall by the wayside before such a startling wealth of cultural outpourings. Among the most surprising revelations areAgricantusand La Ciapa Rusa, both of whom would be perfectly at home sitting in with Celtic acts, and Lucilla Galeazzi, a noted musicologist whose mournful, flexible mezzo evokes the shadows of Portuguese fado. The Fratelli Mancuso are a Sicilian duo who sound as though they are channeling the spirit ofGordon Lightfoot. Calic does a kind of Sardinian toasting, whileRiccardo Tesi, Tuscany's melodeon virtuoso, exhibits his mastery. This is a stimulating introduction to an extraordinary family of performers and traditions.--Christina Roden