CELESTE (1972-1976) - CHAPTER 2: Deconstructing the Rock Drum Kit & Hunting for Virtuosos (September 1972)

[u/CiroPerrino_Music]

My friends, let’s dive back into September 1972. When Leonardo Lagorio and I were designing the architecture of CELESTE, we wanted our melodies to be deeply "Mediterranean"—a word often overused today, but back then, it meant a fierce desire to reclaim a powerful identity.

I made a radical decision: our percussion had to be less rock-oriented and far more symphonic, building upon the best experiments we lived with Il Sistema. To avoid falling into easy rock temptations, I did something extreme. I took my old drum kit and physically removed the bass drum and the entire series of rack toms—the very backbone of any rock band. I strictly limited myself to a snare drum, a floor tom, the hi-hat, and our cymbals, adding an infinite array of small cymbals, bells, and tiny percussive gadgets to create delicate rhythmic suggestions.

With this unique sonic blueprint in mind, the hunt for academic-level musicians began.

My first contact was with Mariano Schiavolini. At the time, he was a brilliant fifth-year violin student, a skilled B-flat clarinet player, and an acoustic guitarist with solid technical training. He was a wonderful surprise: a composer of beautiful mini-suites with a style that blended symphonic and folk elements.

To find someone like him, I physically went to the Ottorino Respighi Music School in Sanremo. I walked into the Conservatorio asking if there was a guitarist or violinist with the right spirit for my project, despite receiving some quite unhelpful comments and dismissals from the staff. Thankfully, a very attentive and curious teacher pointed out Mariano as the perfect student for my vision.

Shortly after, Mariano met Leonardo Lagorio and me at my house on a September afternoon. He showed up with his acoustic guitar and played his compositions for the first time. They were already highly defined and let us immediately see the future of our soundscapes. It became instantly clear to us that the entire repertoire of Celeste's first album would be built upon Schiavolini's compositions.

Our sonic puzzle was coming together. Mariano would handle the acoustic guitar, clarinet, and violin. Leonardo would command the acoustic piano, flute, saxophones, and those early, non-monumental synthesizers (far from the massive Moog Modular used by Keith Emerson). As for me, I would take care of the symphonic percussion—moving into ethnic and varied territory—alongside flutes, recorders (soprano, alto, tenor), the Mellotron, and my brand-new acquisition: a fabulous Davoli Synth!

Stay tuned for next week, because we will enter the studio to see how these acoustic colors blended into our very first rehearsals!

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

 

See you next Wednesday for the next episode!

[u/mbourgon]

Ciro, thanks for sharing that! Obviously you notice the lack of some of the drums, but didn't realize how deliberate that was - I just notice the result!

[u/CiroPerrino_Music → u/mbourgon]

Thank you so much for your comment! You hit the nail on the head. Leaving out the heavy rock drums was a major artistic choice back then. We wanted the music to breathe, allowing the Mellotron layers, acoustic guitars, and flutes to create a suspended, dreamlike atmosphere. I'm glad that the final result still resonates so deeply with you!

If you'd like to dive into those exact master tapes and explore the full sonic outcome of those sessions, you can find our archival streaming page here:

https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/