Latte E Miele - Passio Secundum Mattheum 1972

Another group from Genova, this young three-piece was one of the Italian bands with the strongest classical influences. They were formed in 1971 by guitarist Dellacasa, that had collaborated with I GIGANTI in their « Terra In Bocca », with the drummer Vitanza only 16 year old! A keyboards trio in the same style as ELP or Le ORME in Italy, their first album was « Passio secundum Mattheum », with Bach-inspired music and lyrics on the Gospel. This Genova based band's debut album's magnetism lies primarily in its concept which, as the title suggests, is pertaining to Christ's dramatic last days but only according to a singular source ' the gospel of Saint Matthew, often referred to as the Passions. The beauty behind this concept is that it tells a story in a simple yet heart rending manner, without it being homiletic. Musically speaking the record explores symphonic dimensions reached not only by ELP, but also by Genesis in tracks like Ultima Cena (the intriguing supper coincidence) or Getzemani which oozes an abundance of influences in terms of keys treatment not only from the above mentioned giants, but also from Deep Purple, Yes and even Eloy for that twist of spaceyness. The jazz influence is another chief constituent of the whole, although at first they may seem slightly disconnected from the main theme. Present in both parts of I Testimoni (the witnesses) via piano and drums, it raises a fairly compelling question regarding its presence: why are there emotionless straight-forward jazz sections in a crucial moment of the plot, where the false witnesses accuse Jesus of having declared that he would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days? The answer is that the senselessness of the jazz bits overlaps the duplicate attitude of nonchalance and lack of emotion emitted by the witnesses. As seen above, the soundscape manages to intertwine effortlessly with the visual thread, emerging into a burst of sentiments. Thus the emotions grow more and more till they reach an overwhelming apex: from the uplifting choir on Introduzione and the rather mellow acoustic guitar and harpsichord driven Il Giorno Degli Azzimi accompanied by the elegant narration of the Passover preparations, to the dynamic operatic choir from The Trial; from the witnesses false statements rendered in a counter-tenor vox, in a very similar vein to some of Annas' bits from Jesus Christ Superstar to the yet again mellow and sweet but at the same time excruciating Il Pianto which displays an absolutely beautiful blend of keys, acoustic guitar and flute; from the surprising Giuda where harsh guitars and drums alternate with a jazz section denoting insolence to Il Calvario featuring dramatic operatic choir, morbid church organ keys, and drums reminiscent of ancient ships where they would set the rowing rhythm of the slaves; all this only to paint one of history's most tragic paintings. But because the Providence had other plans, the end fulminates in a reiterated theme of the heavenly choir present at the very beginning of the record accompanied by the now regulars ' guitar, piano and drums. 

Line-up / Musicians

Marcello Giancarlo Dellacasa/guitar,violin,bass,vocals
Oliviero Lacagnina/piano,organ,Moog, strings,vocals
Alfio Vitanza/drums,bongas,flute,vocals

Discography(Album) 

Passio Secundum Mattheum 1972

1.Introduzione 
2.Il Giornio Degli Azzimi 
3.Ultima Cena 
4.Getzemani 
5.Il Processo 
6.I Testimoni I
7.I Testimoni II
8.Il Pianto 
9.Giuda 
10.Il Re Dei Giudei 
11.Il Calvario 
12.Il Dono Della Vita 
13.Mese Di Maggio


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