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Hexperos (Italy)
"The Veil of Queen Mab" Digipak CD 2010, Equilibrium Music
13.00EUR • approx. 18.9USD [ recommended ] : [ add to cart ]
In this partially conceptual work, Hexperos once again combine classical and contemporary approaches to chamber music, incorporating Celtic, Mediterranean, Medieval and Baroque elements in a meticulously crafted and varied opus.



Following their debut “The Garden of the Hesperides”, successfully welcomed by fans and press alike, Hexperos return with "The Veil of Queen Mab", whose title is inspired by Nicaraguan writer and poet Rubén Darío. The new album pays homage to the queen of fairies and dreams, a creation of the Anglo-Saxon mythology, probably with roots in Celtic legends, referred in works by numerous artists, from Shakespeare or Percy Shelley to Gustave Doré.

In this partially conceptual work, Hexperos once again combine classical and contemporary approaches to chamber music, incorporating Celtic, Mediterranean, Medieval and Baroque elements in a meticulously crafted and varied opus, shaped into perfection over the past 3 years. Its orchestral arrangements come together to form a rich setting for the haunting soprano of Alessandra Santovito, highlighted in the dramatic crescendos found in Queen Mab, or on the majestic Moon Spell and Summatem Deam, with Latin verses from Apuleius’ (c.125 – c.180) Metamorphoseon (Liber Undecimus).

The darker shades of Hexperos appear in Le Lacrime di Proserpina, an homage to Alda Merini, or Diadem of the Night (an early Gothica song which is hereby revisited), both instant classics in the Gothic Neo-Classical genre with their overwhelmingly blissful melancholy. On the other hand, tracks like Summoning of the Artists, Time of Spirit, or El Velo Azul, with dreamy medieval textures and trickling harp, offer a more soothing side to the album.

On A Reason to Live, voluptuous violin lines and sensual percussions mix with lulling vocals in a mysterious piece, followed by Nocturne, a perfectly titled somber epic that would find a comfortable place in a Nyman or Glass score and which underlines Hexperos’ talent in taking Gothic Neo-Classical a step closer to cinematographic soundtracks. Finally, and as they had already done on their previous record, the band pays tribute to Manuel de Falla’s legacy on Asturiana, which features a guest appearance by Riccardo Prencipe of Corde Oblique on classical guitar.

Pressed on gold disc and housed in a matt-varnished Digipak with gold foil print, “The Veil of Queen Mab” will be released on September 20th and comes with a 16-page booklet beautifully illustrated with visuals by Polish artist Malgorzata Maj, of Sarachmet Photography & Illustration.
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- tracklist -
01. The Fairy Appears (1:58)
02. Queen Mab (3:51)
03. El Velo Azul (3:13)
04. Moon Spell (2:43)
05. Summatem Deam (3:58)
06. Diadem of the Night (4:26)
07. Summoning of the Artists (3:16)
08. A Reason to Live (4:06)
09. Nocturne (2:34)
10. Le Lacrime di Proserpina (2:19)
11. A Forest (4:17)
12. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1:11)
13. Time of Spirit (5:01)
14. Asturiana (2:13)

last update: 2011-03-29
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