CantöRiöndö

The spirit of Genoa resounds through this celebration of the singing circle of trallalero – a form of urban traditional polyphony sung in Italian or one of its dialects. CantöRiöndö is a valuable anthology of 18 rare tracks paying tribute to the canterini (singers) in the Gruppo Spontaneo Trallalero across its 30 years (1986-2016). The writer of the excellent liner notes is researcher and singer Laura Parodi, an extraordinary natural cöntraetö (counter tenor) voice and a woman who managed to win a primary role in typically male singing teams. We are shown the variety of sources used in trallalero – some songs are classics of the repertoire, such as the a desteisa (extended) singing in the opening ‘Nel Silenzio’, while ‘Cincillà’, comes from the operetta, a genre of light opera. An innovative approach is given in ‘Stelle, Cansöin e Baxi’, where the part of baritone voice isassigned, unusually, to the cöntraetö. A further splendid performance is ‘La Pastora’, a song in the form of a dialogue. In the old tradition of arranging new popular songs, the GSP perform ‘Dolce Nera’ by the Genoese singer-songwriter Fabrizio De Andrè. With its intermingling of admirable solos and complex harmonies, trallalero is among the most enthralling multi-part singing in the Mediterranean.