I love Antonio's music, my favorite is "Kendra's Song," he plays the piano so beautifully, which is something i hope to master in the future. As a musician myself i know great music when i hear it,  and Antonio Simone is brilliant. 

Elishema - Singer/Songwriter
www.reverbnation.com/elishema
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"Life Colours" is the wonderful solo piano debut recording by Italian pianist/composer Antonio Simone. Classically-trained from childhood and a graduate of The Music Conservatory with the highest possible marks, Simone composes music for various instruments in a variety of styles; he is also a music therapist. "Life Colours" is a fusion of classical and new age piano styles, which gives the music an accessible yet complex quality that I really love. Simone’s playing is confident and beautifully expressive - a pianist’s pianist, if you will. This is music that is too good to be relegated to background music. Get comfortable, close your eyes, and enjoy the lovely musical journey.

"Life Colours" begins with “Seascapes,” a piece with a graceful ebb and flow that  mesmerizes much like watching the movement of the ocean - a great beginning! “Thinking of You” is a slow and elegant love song that evokes feelings of longing and nostalgia. The title song picks up the pace and dances all over the piano with joy and anticipation. Living on the Oregon Coast, I can readily identify with “A Rainy Sunday Morning”! Warm, cozy, and very relaxed, it’s a beauty! I also really like “Kendra’s Song.” Energetic with just a touch of mystery, it’s a favorite. “The Forgotten Room” is another favorite. More ambient than melodic, it conveys complex emotions with a minimal number of notes. “Remembering Nenna Ne’” is based on an old folk song, and is brought right into the 21st century with a swirling rhythm that propels the simple minor-key melody with an infectious energy. Love it! The left hand at the beginning and ending of “The Vanity of Things” has strong Mozart and Hayden influences, but the gentle melancholy melody is very contemporary. The combination works beautifully! “Running Through the Meadow” is a high-spirited romp that overflows with joy and sunshine. “Back to Bach” is loosely based on JS Bach’s “Minuet in Gm,” a standard teaching classic that many piano students learn. The contemporary treatment again works elegantly and beautifully. “Little Thought” is a sweet and simple “so long for now” that ends the album with a wistful smile.

Antonio Simone is certainly off to a great start with his recording career! “Life Colours” is strongly recommended!
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Not for Antonio Simone the fear of superstition!  His brilliant debut album comprises 13 inspiring tracks, reflecting a broad spectrum of colours (read moods) and composed in a classical/new age style.  The pace and tone of the individual pieces vary tremendously, portraying a gamut of emotions which one experiences in a lifetime.
 
The soothing atmosphere of "Seascapes" conjures up images of standing on cliffs at sunset, looking out to sea, the wide horizon bathed in a pink glow, experiencing contentment, a calmness, feeling positive and full of hope.  The pace slows for "Thinking of You", and even gives the impression of faltering at times.  A sense of overwhelming nostalgia pervades this poignant piece at the beginning, suggesting maybe the loss of something or someone dear.  There is a "backbone" to this track which connects the higher, more positive and upbeat-sounding notes at the end with the apparent sadness of the opening phrases.  "Life Colours" is both vibrant and playful.  Its fast pace lends it a very enervating and frolicking feel and is a most fitting piece to represent the album's title.  Imagine waking up on a Sunday, a day of rest, faced with rain lashing against the window panes. - "A Rainy Sunday Morning"!  The gloomy thought that outdoor activities will be severely restricted is quickly replaced by the realisation that in such circumstances there is the opportunity to connect with one's inner self;  the chance to withdraw from the frantic pace of life temporarily and to engage in thought, not action.  Antonio's "Lonely Path" suggests to me striking out along a woodland path, amongst trees and wild flowers, unaccompanied, but not feeling lonely, with a particular destination in mind, forging onwards with a purpose and spirit.  Touching, affectionate, sweet memories of someone from long ago, clearly brought to mind are reflected in "So Far in Time, So Sweet in Memory", a gentle, immensely moving track.  The tender nature of the music is like a caress, a light, reassuring and loving stroke of the hand, a warm, knowing smile, forming an everlasting memory.  The swift rate of progress in "Kendra's Song" conveys the idea of a lively, lovely girl.  The momentum slows significantly ..... something changes.  The rhythm becomes calm and regular, the melody sweet and expressive and this seems to be the perfect background for a romantic meeting.  However, soon the music quickens again and the girl, once more, runs free like the wind.    "The Forgotten Room" is dark in colour.  The tone is contemplative and immensely sad.  There is great depth of feeling here.  One can imagine possessions, maybe children's toys, once treasured and now forlornly abandoned in a dwelling no longer inhabited, life suddenly changing beyond all recognition, and happiness and joy degenerating into despair, regret and disappointment.  What a lively rendition and interpretation of a popular neapolitan song "Remembering Nenna Ne" is!  The tone is at first happy and light, the tempo becoming more vigorous as the track progresses and there is a noticeable change of direction.  The cleverly re-modelled work culminates in a startlingly powerful finale.  Probably my favourite piece on the album, "The Vanity of Things" has a classical feel to it and is, to my mind, quite beautiful.  Its exquisite sounds remind me of an elegance of yesteryear, when ladies in fine clothes played music at the piano, whilst entertaining with beautiful china, silver teapots, and etiquette was the order of the day.  Just as this work seems to be highly structured, so was the society of those times and life was very different behind the facade!  The tempo of "Running Through the Meadow" is quick, conjuring up an image of a child running joyfully through a meadow of wild flowers, the sun high in the sky, the cooling breeze on their face as they run free, glad to be alive, and full of joy.  The music has a positive tone, losing momentum at the end, when you can imagine the individual flopping down contentedly, exhausted but happy, still with the memory of elation in their mind.  Classical music in a New Age style, J.S. Bach's Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh 115 is re-visited by Simone in "Back to Bach", producing a restful interlude.  "Life Colours", an album where "music meets dreams" and where a "multiplicity of moods" are portrayed so brilliantly and with such deftness, ends quirkily with a "Little Thought".  A whimsical moment, captured in the mind's eye so fleetingly, to vanish just as quickly, is immortalised in this minuscule track, precisely executed and ingeniously despatched.
 
Such are the thoughts of Lynn Pendlebury!  I am no expert - I have merely described my reaction to this, in my opinion, talented musician's first cd.  I applaud his accomplishment and urge others to imbibe of the nectar.
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Life Colours es el álbum debut del compositor y pianista italiano, Antonio Simone. Formado por trece cortos, este un trabajo a medio camino entre el estilo clásico y el New Age, donde cada pieza recoge las emociones y pensamientos del artista reflejados en diversas melodías: cálidas,  minimalistas, alegres y enérgicas, melancólicas, nostálgicas.... Un álbum que no mantiene un carácter lineal, todo lo contrario, lleno de matices que mantienen al oyente expectante en todo momento.


La primera pista lleva el título "Seascapes". La sensación de bienestar y libertad que transmite esta pieza es asombrosa. Apasionada y delicada, Antonio reproduce una melodía pegadiza que evoca, como bien indica su título, a "Paisajes Marinos". El artista ha unido a la perfección título y música, logrando esa acertada sensación. Me gusta!.

De carácter nostálgico y melancólico es "Thinking of You". Con un curso lento, la melodía es sumamente triste, donde progresiones suaves y lentas de la mano izquierda acentúan ese sentimiento de pesar, de dolor. Realmente apenada, esta pieza posee un gran sentimiento de pérdida y soledad. 

Mi pista favorita en este CD, es sin duda, "Life Colours". Con energía y alegría, las manos de Antonio recorren presto el teclado del piano, dando vida a esta pieza risueña y optimista, sin dejar paso ni un ápice de tristeza, este es un grato contraste con respecto al track anterior. Un tema esperanzador y lleno de color. Me encanta!. Wow!.

En "A Rainy Sunday Morning" el artista nos vuelve a mostrar su lado más delicado. La melodía dibuja un bello escenario, donde un cielo gris cubre todo lo que alcanza la vista, dejando caer una fina y delicada lluvia. Qué pasión!, es como si cada nota que surge del piano fuese cada gota de esa misma lluvia.

Aunque el nombre, "Lonely Path", pueda mostrar el título de otra pieza lenta y abatida, ni mucho menos. En este caso "Camino Solitario" apela a la esperanza y al arrojo. Una melodía poderosa que transmite fuerza al oyente. El toque es ligeramente rápido, donde un arpegio es reproducido por la mano izquierda, mientras la diestra, acompaña con una melodía entrecortada. Bellísima!.

"So Far in Time, So Sweet in Memory". Esta es la pieza nostálgica del álbum. Aunque decaída, la melodía reproducida trae a la memoria bonitos recuerdos, entrañables, capaces de dibujar una leve sonrisa al oyente, y en ocasiones, logrando incluso arrancar alguna que otra lágrima tras rememorar aquellos instantes vividos. Es increíble el poder emotivo de esta obra. Otra de mis favoritas!.

En "Kendra's Song", la melodía principal que reproduce la mano derecha es un dolorido lamento, mientras la izquierda, reproduce con frenesí rápidos acordes de acompañamiento. Pasado el minuto, la pieza se torna lenta y abatida, cansada, dejando un momento a la resignación como melodía principal. El frenético ritmo vuelve a partir de los tres minutos, haciendo un cambio de tono para realzar esa sensación de sufrimiento. 

"The Forgotten Room" es la pieza más extensa de este trabajo, más de cinco minutos. Sumamente profunda, esta pieza es sinónimo de paz, pues posee un poder relajante increíble. La melodía fluye con dificultad, pesada, triste, haciendo de este un track perfecto para la reflexión en momentos de soledad.

"Remembering Nenna Né" es la adaptación que Antonio hace de una tarantella popular Napolitana. Más enérgica que el track original, esta versión comienza con un toque continuado y rápido de notas bajas que acompañan a la popular melodía, esta va tomando un carácter poderoso y embravecido mostrando la maestría de Antonio al piano. Increíble!.

"The Vanity of Things" es elegante y profunda. Arpegios de acordes bajos que acompañan inalterables de principio a fin a las furtivas notas que van surgiendo, le aportan un toque clásico a la pieza, muy agradable para el oído.

"Running Through the Meadow" tiene una fuerza y una alegría desbordante, realmente sorprendente. Nuevamente, las manos del pianista corren por el teclado para dar vida a una de las pieza más prodigiosas de este CD, dotada de una hermosura absoluta.  Otra de mis preferidas!.

"Back to Bach" es la adaptación que Antonio hace del conocido Minuet en G minor de J.S. Bach. Sin romper el encanto de esta pieza, el pianista la aleja ligeramente de su estilo original y la acerca al New Age. Aires nuevos y sumamente bellos para este clásico. Posiblemente, la mejor versión que he escuchado hasta la fecha de esta obra. Sublime!.

"Little Thought" es otra de las piezas de este álbum que posee un poder de relajación increíble. Es la pista más breve de todo el CD, lo que la hace perfecta como colofón para este fascinante trabajo, dejando un final abierto y una estupenda sensación de bienestar. Breve pero apasionada!.


Este año está siendo muy rico en cuanto a música, un año lleno de sorpresas. Life Colours es una de estas sorpresas, muy agradable. Antonio Simone dará mucho que hablar con este maravilloso e increíble debut, trece solos de piano que no dejarán indiferente a nadie. Cualquier apasionado de la música encontrará este CD imprescindible, estoy seguro de ello. Los matices de este trabajo son realmente amplios y muy ricos. Antonio Simone es un artista que habrá que seguir muy de cerca. Life Colours es sencillamente increíble, un trabajo altamente recomendable.

reviewsnewage.com
05/07/10
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