Alfabeto Runico

Active since 2003, Alfabeto Runico are the fruit, first and foremost, of the friendship between the three band members. Marta Dell'Anno (vocals, violin and viola), Andrea Resce and Nicola Scagliozzi (double bass) met at music college, so their music has a clear classical and baroque imprint. But what is most obvious on this album is their love of traditional southern sounds, and their years spent going to – and playing at – village parties and folk gatherings in southern Italy, especially in their region, Puglia.

Five out of the 13 tracks belong to the Pugliese tradition, but are given new life through baroque and renaissance arrangements, and then there are moments of reggae, ska, rock and klezmer music, in which five different languages can be heard. But far from feeling forced, Alfabeto Runico is a very natural kaleidoscope of sounds, traditions and colours, in which string instruments weave elegant melodies, and Dell'Anno's powerful vocals inject some of that southern intensity. The album was recorded in an old Naples church and the acoustic instruments give it a warm and intimate feel.

With its unusual blend of styles and sounds, Alfabeto Runico is a daring experiment by the young trio, but it is an incredibly original and impressive one too.