SOME REVIEWS OF THE ALBUMS "GLI ANELLI" [THE RINGS] and "IL DRAGO" [THE DRAGON]

from the Web portal "Celtic World"
www.celticworld.it

"Gli Anelli" is a concept album based on lyrics and  atmospheres of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. The record was made under the auspices of the Italian Tolkien Society, and this should be sufficient to grant the quality of this work.
But "Gli Anelli" is actually much more than just setting Tolkien's work to music. It is a journey to the roots of music itself, a mosaic of sonorous sensations that ranges over the meanders and folds of European popular music, without losing its coherence.
The alchemy, which makes this project truly special, is a balanced mix of ancient sonority together with arrangements which take from both jazz and master's folk (double-bass and sax make a perfect choice for this). All this is made while maintaining a steady link to the "Celtic" style that distinguished the band so far. The Myrddin  confirm to possess and enviable body, which knows how to exploit the ability of each component at its best: the ensemble of winds, guitars, violin and double-bass is impeccable and very original; the incredible voice of Eliana Zunino is an instrument among instruments. "Gli Anelli" is a record that, independently from Tolkien theme, has an uncommon and magnetic glamour, and an intrinsic musical value.
A journey then, through a Middle Earth made of Irish and British medieval musical landscapes, melting ballades and unrestrained dances, which are always rendered in the framework of a contemporary  and original interpretation of folk music. A record that deserves great attention and, with no doubt, one of the best produced in 2003.

from the Web portal "Corriere della Sera"
www.corriere.it

The music of the Myrddin, singers of Tolkien
An Italian band which lives on Celtic music. Involving Irish melodies and ballades, lyrics and words to tell the ancient deeds, the Myrddin consacrated their third album to the Middle Earth saga. Gli Anelli, released after one and a half year of hard work, in collaboration with the Italian Tolkien Society, collects one song from the Celtic tradition and thirteen original pieces, with music by the band, and lyrics adapted from Tolkien's texts. The name of the album comes from the first track, a musical version of the famous prologue of the novel by the Oxford Professor and of the film trilogy by Peter Jackson:  One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them/One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Hobbits and Men, Elves and Dwarfs are the characters of this musical homage paid to the world created by Tolkien, source of inspiration for a special and evocative record, a sonorous journey from The Shire to Mount Doom.

When and why did you meet the author of The Lord of the Rings?
Each of us (Fabio, Luca, Marco, Eliana and Luciano) met Tolkien's world in different ways (I knew it by reading "The Hobbit", Marco with "The Silmarillion"). The project about making a record inspired to the great English writer took shape slowly. In 2001 (before the film "The Lord of the Rings" was released) the Italian Tolkien Society invited us to play during a Celtic festival, in Udine. From then on, we started a musical and artistic collaboration, as well as a friendship, with Paolo Paron (President of the Italian Tolkien Society). Once we joined this world, we started writing the first songs, which were received with enthusiasm both from the public and from the critics?.

Do song come from the book, or from the film?
We all have seen the film, but songs come primarily from the pieces of poetry and the songs written by Tolkien (many of which don't appear in the film). For instance, the song A Elbereth is written in Elvish language and we had the honour to learn these lines directly from Tolkien's voice, thanks to a record provided by Paolo Paron.

The most charming character of The Lord of the Rings?
In my opinion, it is Gollum. Terra Dura [Hard Ground], which is his song in the album, is introduced by the magic voice of Francesco Vairano (voice of Gollum in the Italian version of the film).

Previously, you worked on the tradition about King Arthur and Merlin: will you go back to Camelot, or will you stay in the Middle Earth?
It's hard to say, they're both charming worlds, and they're strictly related to each other. The next story we will tell, it will certainly come from previous experience, even though it won't be the continuation (such as Gli Anelli 2).

Do you believe that the saga of The Lord of The Rings will survive through time, together with the stories from Celtic tradition?
Yes, because it's literature. They are parallel worlds and, in this sense, it is the oral tradition of the ancient times that took most risks.

How did you get to this kind of music?
It's a juvenile love, which involves not just hearing, but the whole body. It is a wish for  journeys, for far and verdant lands, castles, sagas and tales and, above all, it's the dimension of live music, of a lasting oral tradition . Even nowadays, in the pubs, in the festivals, we can hear the Fiddle, the Pipes that wind their melodies off. Melodies that are impossible to write, but as a rough outline. One can love and play Celtic music only after absorbing it.

Which link between music and literature, singing and oral narration? An everlasting link, which comes from passion for what we narrate and sing.

from the Web portal "The Tolkien Music List"
www.tolkien-music.com

NEW TOLKIEN MUSIC FROM ITALY (Beyond Bree, September, 2005)

True to their word, Italian Celtic ensemble, Myrddin, have released their second Tolkien-themed album, "Il Drago", as follow-up to their 2003 "Gli Anelli" CD [Beyond Bree July 2005, p. 4]. Unlike its predecessor, "Il Drago" is not exclusively Tolkien-related (a little less than half of the album’s 19 tracks being directly traceable to Middle-earth). The remainder are traditional and original folk compositions from a variety of traditions.

The album’s title suggests a retelling of "The Hobbit", and it does indeed contain a few songs inspired by that tale (“Il Drago / Danza del Drago,” “Lo Sgambetto (Danza del Nani),” and “Thirteen Dwarfs / Scheggia le Coppe”). The majority of Tolkienian tunes are actually derived from LotR.

Some of these are straightforward arrangements of Tolkien’s lyrics (the tale of Tinúviel, Namárië), which maintain the high musical standards set by the group’s work in "Gli Anelli". Of greater interest to me were the original lyrical pieces, such as Fabio Pesenti’s “Nimrodel,” which depicts Tolkien’s character (and river) in a way that is faithful to the author, while at the same time individualizing and deepening the listener’s imagination of it. This is sub-creation at its best...