Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Famous for his near photo realism and the dramatic use of chiaroscuro (the strong contrast between light and dark), his paintings reflected his own turbulent, troubled and often violent life. His work is the basis for the latest album by Roman composer Stefano Panunzi and, like the painter’s output, the music is full of drama and beauty. Panunzi has assembled an all-star cast of Italian and international prog notables to create a work worthy of the artist’s name. As Panunzi himself describes the new album, “[Caravaggio’s] chiaroscuro effects, expressed here in sound, describe states of mind that are fraught with desperation, tormented love, war, a search for oneself and distress.” The music drifts between prog, jazz, cinematic and ambient influences to create a magnificent tapestry of sound.
Opening disc one with the title track, Caravaggio begins with David Torn’s solo acoustic guitar which is both powerful and mournful. Panunzi’s keyboards here, and throughout most of the album, lie outside of the spotlight, giving each piece a sense of restraint. Grice’s softly sung vocals are contrasted by Torn’s switch to electric guitar, and his effects-laden outro is a thing of beauty. The alternating approach between vocal and instrumental pieces is set up by I No Longer Know Who You Are, where Nicola Lori’s crunchy guitar rides atop Fabio Trentini’s (Le Orme) upright bass, which is as slippery as a spaghetti noodle. Alessandro Inolti is consistently magnificent on the drums, playing around with the beat, never relying on convention, and never a distraction despite being so busy and high in the mix. Hidden Ties features Tim Bowness (No-Man) on vocals and Theo Travis (Gong, Steven Wilson) on flute and sax. The sense of longing is both musical and lyrical (“Still waiting/For the one who thinks you’re beautiful”). The muted melody allows each instrument the space to shine.
By contrast, the vocal melody of No More Wars, courtesy of Alessandro Borgo Caratti, is much more in your face and the music more aggressive than what precedes it on the album. Every Drop Of Your Love (Reprise) features Jakko Jakszyk on guitar and vocal, but it’s Travis’ flute and sax that steal the show. The song takes time to build, and does so organically, eschewing hooks for emotion.
Isolation sees Giacomo Anselmi (Goblin Rebirth) channeling Fripp on guitar while Luca Fareri apparently uses eight hands on the drum kit for this decidedly upbeat number. Trentini’s fretless bass wriggles like an earthworm through the bottom end and Peter Goddard’s vocals cut through it all with a commanding presence. The closest the album comes to conventional song structure is Just Stop And Look Around, with its vocal melody up front and a heavy, solid rhythm. Don’t Touch Me is another stellar instrumental featuring Markus Reuter (Stick Men) on stinging, ferocious guitar while Travis practically attacks his sax with every last breath. Disc one ends with In Those Your Words, another instrumental track that features Panunzi on acoustic piano accompanied by Donato Cedrone’s cello for a short, delicate, expressive piece.
Disc two picks up with the same gentle quality as the ending of the first disc, but with Grice returning to provide weightless vocals around Travis’ haunting duduk accompaniment. Jazz influences step forward on the instrumental If It’s Not Love, What Is?, led by Luca Calabrese’s (Isildur’s Bane) trumpet.
05Ric (Gavin Harrison) steps up to the mic for Endless, lending a Bowie-esque charm to this insistent, dynamic piece in which Panunzi once more shows who is boss. 05Ric returns for Simple Man, providing guitar, stick bass and percussion as well as vocals for this piece. Simple piano chords, harmonica and all sorts of banging instrumentation make for a tune which would not feel out of place on a Dead Can Dance album. One of the most intriguing songs on the album is Hold. Travis’ flute introduces the track with an Eastern flavour, but it is Colin Edwin’s (Porcupine Tree) fluid bass which commands attention. Torn and Saro Cosentini bring radically different guitar stylings to the song, playing off one another like mischievous children, culminating in an odd but inspired solo section. 05Ric’s multi-layered vocals finish the song in a captivating manner.
Lost Inside The Wishing Well has so much going on yet never feels claustrophobic. Breathy flute contrasts with fretless bass and inspired percussion atop an unfussy piano. Cristiano Roversi (Mangala Vallis) provides Chapman stick and Grice’s minimal vocal contribution acts as another instrument. Trentini’s growling bass is the foundation of Breathing The Thin Air and serves up a rather tasty solo. Lori’s guitar weaves in and out, Calabrese’s trumpet thickens the arrangement, and 05Ric’s vocals sit atop it all. A slow, dreamy tempo rules the day in Sea Of Madness, another wonderfully jazzy turn. Calabrese adds a smooth and alluring flugelhorn part, in contrast with Torn’s shards-of-glass guitar. Grice’s vocal harmonies feel light as a feather, taking a cue from Panunzi’s airy keys. Very heady, spacey stuff.
The album closes with another instrumental, the sorrowful soundscape of Gaza. Bass and trumpet share center stage. The percussive guitar tines provide the tears and the synths howls of despair. In an album loaded with emotion, Gaza is the capstone.
The sound on Caravaggio is simply splendid. The clarity of the recording makes it easy to distinguish each instrument at any given moment, permitting each nuance the necessary space to be felt as much as heard. The entire affair revels in subtle beauties played with finesse by some of the most talented musicians on the planet. With twenty four tracks, there is much to enjoy. Perfect for late night headphone listening, Caravaggio is a beautiful work of art that would make its namesake proud. Bravo, Stefano Panunzi!
TRACK LISTING
CD 1
01. Caravaggio (09:54)
02. I No Longer Know Who You Are (6:25)
03. Hidden Ties (6:52)
04. On The Forgiveness Road (6:32)
05. No More Wars (6:13)
06. Every Drop Of Your Love (Reprise) (5:18)
07. Isolation (5:38)
08. Hymn (7:24)
09. Just Stop And Look Around (7:01)
10. Don’t Touch Me (5:24)
11. Ink Scars (6:00)
12. In Those Your Words (2:56)
Time – 75:40
CD 2
01. The Well (6:28)
02. If It’s Not Love, What Is? (6:14)
03. Endless (6:40)
04. Stepping Out Of Your Dream (6:57)
05. Simple Man (6:58)
06. Tribal Innocence, Part 2 (4:18)
07. I Cry For Love (5:58)
08. Hold (8:58)
09. Lost Inside The Wishing Well (5:12)
10. Breathing The Thin Air (6:35)
11. Sea Of Madness (8:17)
12. Gaza (6:33)
Time – 79:09
Total Time- 154:49
MUSICIANS
Stefano Panunzi – Keys, Programming
Alessandro Inolti – Drums
Luca Fareri – Drums
Marco Fuliano – Drums
David Torn – Guitars
Nicola Lori – Guitars
Giacomo Anselmi – Guitars
Markus Reuter – Guitars
Michael Bearpark – Guitars
Saro Cosentini – Guitars
Alessandro Borgo Caratti – Vocals, Guitars
Jakko M. Jakszyk – Vocals, Guitars
Elizabetta Todrani – Vocals, Guitars
05Ric – Vocals, Guitars, Percussion, Stick Bass
Fabio Trentini – Bass, Upright Bass, Synth Bass, Fretless Bass
Fabio Fraschini – Bass
Mick Karn – Fretless Bass
Colin Edwin – Bass
Cristiano Roversi – Chapman Stick
Theo Travis – Flute, Sax, Duduk
Nicola Alesini – Sax
Luca Calabrese – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Mike Applebaum – Trumpet
Donato Cedrone – Cello
Emanuele Bruno – Harmonica
Peter Goddard – Vocals
Grice – Vocals
Tim Bowness – Vocals
Maria Peters – Spoken Voice
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: SP Music
Country of Origin: Italy
Date of Release: 1st May 2026
LINKS
Stefano Panunzi – Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X | Instagram
