BALARÙ
Gravure
Fy 8254
World Music
885016825423
Felmay Records
Balarù, in Piedmontese dialect, those who love to dance. After years of travelling and playing around Italy and Europe, four young musicians decided to join the forces in this new musical project, re-discovering traditional songs and music from Piedmont (Northern Italy). After many years of concerts and workshops, the band wished to leave a memory of the path made with Gravure, (engraving, carving in dialect) to carry on the precious work done by many researchers that from the 60s have revitalized wonderful melodies and songs, literally tearing them to oblivion. The hope is to have given new life to these melodies, making sure that they are still sung and danced at parties, for present and future generations
After years travelling and playing traditional dance music around Italy and Europe, four young musicians decided to join forces in this new project: BALARU’ (in Piedmont dialect, those who love to dance). BALARU’(Andrea Beltrando, Francesco Cavallero, Andrea Lopomo and Ilario Olivetti) set the goal of repurposing, in the Balfolk European scene, the traditional dances of their province the Piedmont, in the North West of Italy.
The work started in September 2015 with field researches, the recovering of old recordings and new arrangements of ancient popular melodies, in order to represent an important and almost unknown traditional repertoire.
In this recording you can listen to tunes from different areas of Piedmont (Val Chisone, Canavese, Val Varaita, Roero, Valli di Lanzo, etc.) along with original compositions (L'amore è.., Il Profeta, L'aiga verd, Crepuscolar) all arranged to be danceable not only as local dances, but also in the well-known French and European balfolk style.
After two more years of concerts and workshops, the band wished to leave a memory of the path made with Gravure, (engraving, carving in dialect) to carry on the precious work done by many researchers that from the 60s have revitalized wonderful melodies and songs, literally tearing them to oblivion. The hope is to have given new life to these melodies, making sure that they are still sung and danced at parties, for present and future generations.
1. Ciamo scusa - L'amore è
2. La femme d'un tambour, Polka di Quintino
3. La diana, Il profeta
4. Gentil galando, Valse à Fleuret
5. Courenta di Viù
6. Chanson d'un buveur
7. Mountava la marmitta, A la modde d'Archamoura
8. Vilain d'anglais, L'aiga verd
9. Dessur la fleur da lys
10. Chanter boire et rire rire
11. Brando a feu
12. Crepuscolar
Francesco Cavallero: hurdy-gurdy, vocals
Andrea Lopomo: bouzouki, tenor banjo, vocals
Ilario Olivetti: flutes, bagpipes, clarinets
Andrea Beltrando: diatonic accordions