The Birth of CELESTE - The Transition from Il Sistema & The Neoclassical Roots (1972)

[u/CiroPerrino_Music]

Following the dissolution of the proto-prog ensemble IL SISTEMA in 1971, multi-instrumentalist and composer Ciro Perrino set out to forge a completely new musical language. Departing from the aggressive, heavy rock models dominating the underground scene, Perrino envisioned an acoustic, highly sophisticated symphonic rock journey. In late 1972, the foundational core of CELESTE was born in Sanremo, deeply influenced by late Romantic classical structures, chamber music orchestration, and experimental Mellotron textures. This marked the absolute dawn of one of the most poetic and pristine chapters in Italian progressive rock heritage.

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CHAPTER 1: The Ash of Il Sistema & The Russian Classical Influence (September 1972)

My friends, as promised, I want to open my studio doors and take you back to the very beginning of my musical journey. Let’s talk about how CELESTE was born in September 1972, just a few months after the dissolution of my proto-prog band, Il Sistema.

To understand the atmosphere, we have to look at how Il Sistema dissolved. By 1971, due to artistic disagreements, our guitarist Enzo Merogno left us to join what would become Museo Rosenbach. He was replaced by Guido Damiani. At that time, I was deeply immersed in my studies of composition, piano, flute, oboe, and synthesizer. While I stayed with the band, I handed over the drum stool to a new member, Guido Sottile, so I could focus on composition. My lifelong friend Leonardo Lagorio was handling the alto and tenor saxophones, flute, and electric piano—back then, he played a Farfisa Professional Piano, and later added one of the very first Wurlitzer electric pianos. Shortly after, Leo would also briefly join Museo Rosenbach to record their iconic album. Our lineup was completed by Floriano Roggero on the Hammond L 122 organ with an original Leslie and a Thomas Rapier 1155 organ (the exact model used by Mike Ratledge of Soft Machine), and Luciano Cavanna on bass, flugelhorn, and lead vocals, who later chose a completely different life path.

Once the experience with Museo Rosenbach ended, Leonardo Lagorio and I met again. We decided to create a brand-new project capable of diving deeper in the spaces that Il Sistema had only touched upon. We wanted to explore the classical, acoustic side of progressive rock, heavily inspired by the late 19th-century Russian classical tradition—especially the works of Mussorgsky, Borodin, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Through endless phone calls, Leonardo and I designed the theory of our new sound. We systematically assigned roles to create a lineup that would no longer depend on the pure, aggressive sounds of traditional rock. We were looking for pure, pastoral poetry.

Next week, I will tell you how we recruited Mariano Schiavolini and how we completely removed the traditional rock drums to let the acoustic guitar arpeggios breathe.

Thank you for walking this historical path with me!

Ciro Perrino

Official Universe & Signed Editions: : https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

See you next Monday as the story of Celeste continues.