ANTS RECORDS

“Zonacalda” is the literal translation for the biological/clinical

words “Hot Zone”, whose meaning is “deadly infective area“.

This work is about an inner journey, with a person infected

by AIDS. “Zonacalda” talks about his personal trouble,

psychological just before as physical. In the recitatives the

actress Federica Santoro personifies the ill and in the airs the

same role is committed to the baritone voice of Roberto

Abbondanza. The texts of John Keats (1795 - 1821), Johann

Wolfgang Goethe (1749 - 1832) and Tito Lucrezio Caro (I sec.

a.C.) were chosen and adapted by Francesco Antinucci for

the three airs sung by Roberto Abbondanza.

The first air’s text (from Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”)

express considerations about art and the soft and sweet life

soon to disappear; in the second air (from Goethe’s “Faust”),

there is all the anguish for the near future and the refusal for

science, which seem not to be able to defend the man; in

the third air (from Lucrezio’s “De Rerum Natura”), we see the

last period of the character’s life, with a final acceptance of

suffering and, eventually, death.

Castellano’s music explicit itself in two distinct “voices”

(instrumental and compositive), followed by two different

approaches to the text. A personnel of exceptional musicians

performs in a gifted vein: Roberto ABBONDANZA baritonal

voice; Federica SANTORO actress; Paolo FRESU trumpet;

Diego CONTI violin; Fabrizio SPERA percussions; Luca

VENITUCCI keyboards, piano, melodica; Pierluigi CASTELLANO:

keyboards, piano, computer orchestration, director and,

special guest, Alvin CURRAN piano, shofar.

In few words, a formidable “opera”, in strenght and beauty.

Enhanced CD, readable on any CD player - for the Audio

section - and on any computer - both PC and Apple - for the

Multimedia section. The Multimedia, in HTML format, is legible

with any browser - Internet Explorer, Netscape - and include

all the texts from the opera, an interview with the author and

a discography.

track list

1) Recitativo I 03'42"

2) Ah Happy 08'16"

3) Recitativo II 06'02"

4) Habe Nun Ach 08'40"

5) Recitativo III 06'05"

6) Sic Alid 12'19"

7) Appendix I 07’00”

8) Appendix II 03’22”

9) Appendix III 07’03”

released 16/10/2002