La Misteriosa Musica Della Regina Loana

This hugely enjoyable and highly inventive album is dedicated to the late Italian writer Umberto Eco, a lifelong friend of accordionist Gianni Coscia and an ardent champion of this particular duo.

Eco’s The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanna, a meditation on the nature of memory, inspires Trovesi and Coscia on their own nostalgic and exploratory journey, referencing music mentioned in the novel and free-associating upon its philosophical themes.

As ever, the Italians cast a wide net, playing songs associated with Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller, and George Formby, paraphrasing Janacek, dipping into movie music, and improvising most creatively while keeping their dedicatee in view.

Repertoire revisits Interludio, a piece that Umberto Eco and Gianni Coscia collaborated on 70 years ago, and Gianluigi Trovesi crafts a new composition on the letters of Eco’s name. From multiple perspectives, a brilliant tribute.

Personnel: Gianluigi Trovesi (piccolo clarinet, alto clarinet), Gianni Coscia (accordion)