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The genesis of this record in my opinion deserves to be told, because it was really very special.
I was on vacation with my husband, Massimo and Laura of the Black Widow Record, in the summer of 2010.
Lazy afternoon on the edge of a fantastic indoor thermal lake, filled with the waters of the Dead Sea and full of exotic and fragrant plants. Large glass walls, breathtaking views of the hills of Emilia...
We were talking about Aradia, my previous album which was released the year before, and the next possible projects. I jokingly said to Massimo "if you could make me becoming a rock star, I would have a house with a pond like this and you would be perpetually invited". Max replied with a smile "you give me an idea that might work, I will fulfill and you'll get your pond".
I smiled, and took from my bag the classic book that goes on vacation to read, entitled "Naples secret". Opening it to any page I said "Let's decide to chance".
The book opened on the start of a chapter, which began with this quote:
Even now live
in a lonely valley
and do not fear the howling of wolves
nor the lion's roar
(William Blake, from "The little girl found")
I showed it to Max and we exchanged a look long without saying a word. We didn't smile anymore... I picked up the phone and I began to search on the network some more precise news about William Blake, which of course they both already knew.
His life was a novel. His poems made you fly. His drawings opened you gates for hundreds of secret worlds. His inventions were brilliant.
Max said it would be better to focus on the paintings. I said I could choose a few and for each write a song and Max: we could invite some guests.
I said that I could put beside my guitarist an all-female band which has been always a mine dream. Max said, continues to look for... and I came across the picture of his grave.
He rests in Bunhill Fields, London, together with his beloved wife Catherine Sophia. I showed the photo to Massimo and at this point we surrendered unconditionally.
All music you find on this record, all the formidable gallery of guests who have made me the honor to participate in this project, and my new band Sophya Baccini's Aradia, were born and they arrived because in a quiet afternoon in late August I opened for case the page of a book at random, and together with Massimo I let the imagination do the rest.
The disk is a work dedicated to William Blake. He was a great genius of English culture, poet, painter , inventor. A multifaceted genius , a sort of Leonardo da Vinci in the late 1700s . But the most important thing is that he's practically an icon of rock music , a staple of rock thought, the ideologue of this music.
From his famous phrase, "If the doors of perception were Cleansed, every thing would Appear to man as it is, infinite", 'The Doors' took their name. Aldous Huxley wrote an essay "The doors of perception", which is a cornerstone of the so-called Beat Generation, a movement started in the 50's and culminated in the 1969 with Woodstock and still alive. He is one of the greatest poets of all time. From his poem Jerusalem , set to music by Sir Parry in 900 , was made into a hymn which is the national anthem alternative English. They also performed at the wedding of William and Kate, so to speak.
The character of W.Blake is much loved by the world of rock and continually cited, both lyrically and in the drawings, but curiously there isn't a disc devoted to him.
I have concentrated on his pictorial works , I have chosen among 11 paintings, drawings and illustrations ( illustrated among other things, The Divine Comedy of Dante and Milton's Paradise Lost ) and I wrote a piece for everyone .
In all 13 tracks , 11 dedicated to the paintings, 1 instrumental dedicated to him (that is titled William) and the last one that closes the album is an arrangement of Jerusalem.
The album title, obviously inspired by one of his paintings, is BIG RED DRAGON. Subtitle : William Blake's visions. BIG RED DRAGON is also the title of the 12th track , a duet with Aurelio Fierro Jr.
