SACRO by Francesco Cigana
“The gods cannot ignore the sound sacrifices that men offer them because these rites touch the very substance of the immortals. They are obliged to participate in it. Likewise, men cannot escape the sacrifice that the gods demand, even if they can accept it by singing or turning a deaf ear, undergoing it silently and passively. The sacrifice is mutual; it is the law of the world. But, when it is sonorous, along that path, the gods materialize, and men spiritualize themselves. The interpenetration between heaven and earth is obtained, which leads to harmony between gods and men. If a man is willing to transform himself into a resonator and to become “fine-eared”, he is rewarded with the ability to undo the veil of illusion and to approach the acoustic world of the dead. Sound sacrifice is superior to all other forms of sacrifice.” Marius Schneider
Sound that forges itself, tries to articulate into an intelligible matter, into melodies, cadences, verses, and yet still escapes, rebels, resists, fragments. And what for us is a carefree whistling elsewhere is a funeral praise, and there are instruments that tear down entire cities, toys that are bored gods, synthetic sounds but made of glass and water, joyful orchestras of only two instruments, wild follies that are prayers, burning blessings and words that entrust their meaning to other times, other places, other worlds, submerged, forgotten, far away. The sacred manifests itself, in its devastating force and madness, inescapable, pure and more than cruel, because it knows no cruelty. The realisation of an inevitable event is perhaps one of the worst deceptions of our human condition. Paradoxically, I try to play only music that I cannot avoid.
鼕 DONG:
-beating of the drum -knocking -winter
Francesco Cigana: selected percussion, conduction
All tracks recorded at Stria (Pd)
on 26-27-28 January 2023
guests:
Track 1
Nina Baietta: voice; “Gli antenori”: male choir
Track 8
Mirio Cosottini: trumpet
Recording and mixing engineer: Mirko Brigo
Recording assistant: Giulio Polloniato
Artwork: Carlo Buffa
Graphic design: Giustappunto
Tracklist
| 1. | Mother's Tongue | 4:52 |
| 2. | Ombakero Oruyaveze | 4:37 |
| 3. | Mantica | 2:32 |
| 4. | Mughetto Efedrina | 4:52 |
| 5. | Pesach | 5:05 |
| 6. | Simposio | 3:58 |
| 7. | Riposa | 7:03 |
| 8. | Gerico | 10:34 |
