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REVIEWS
"Strong candidate for one of the best symphonic progressive rock recordings ever. Seriously!"
"Imagine the Flower Kings, Yes, and Santana collaborating to create the
ultimate symphonic rock epic."
"In the wonderful world of independent and small label progressive music
recordings, concept works are in constant bloom. To my ears, several are every
bit as successful as Yes's 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' and Genesis's 'The
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway'. Among recordings experienced recently, I
would include Big Big Train's remake of 'English Boy Wonders' and Raimundo
Rodulfo's flamenco-flavored 'Mare et Terra'."
"For now, I hear a Raimundo Rodulfo epic beckoning for an umpteenth listen."
Progression Magazine, USA
Mare et Terra Received a Perfect Rating of 16/16 at the 57th Issue of Progression Magazine
"A masterpiece"
"Orchestral music with male and female vocalists, classical
instruments such as violins, cellos, flutes and clarinets, centering on his
guitar that shows from sweet phrases to superior excellence playing."
"A fantastic artistic impression that does not cease to overwhelm you with
its multi-colored diversity."
Gardenshed, Japan
"An imposing work"
"The artist was able to push his art to great heights of control and beauty,
leading to the quintessence of the meeting of electricity and acoustic
orchestrations (flute, violin, clarinet, cello, voice...)."
"This suite (N ufrago) is the symbol of a know-how and a typically South
American musical fluidity."
"A mastery in song and beautiful Symphonic acceleration"
"Mare et Terra leaves paths beaten because of its variety that allows us to
appreciate all musical universes at the same time, including Flamenco, South
American, Symphonic Rock, Jazz Rock, Prog, Classical Prog, and sometimes even
rock. All these universes prove the width of the pallet of compositions of a
guitarist who sees far, and offers us an opus with a great quality in which
'variety' remains the key word."
Harmonie Magazine, France
"Mare et Terra is a gem"
"What marks this out as outstanding music is the high standard of
musicianship and the joy in the music making, together with melodic writing of
the highest calibre and a similar high standard for the rhythmic element. The
arrangements are rich and diverse: I cannot recall hearing so many different
instruments/sounds both traditional and modern - on one album..."
"Astonishingly, the fusions do not jar; they work together: there are few
composers able to bring this off successfully."
"It is music that you can both concentrate on and relax to, depending on your
mood and sounds far better than I can express it in words. If you enjoy this
type of eclectic style-mix from first-rate musicians then you may well love
this."
Sea of Tranquility,
USA
"It is not everyone who begins a work with a 36 minutes suite
('N ufrago') of which the first six sound in substance with the virtuoso guitar
legacy of the Flamenco world worthy of the best Paco De Lucia. 'N ufrago' is a
suite that will be surely introduced among the best things that the South
American progressive rock has produced in these last times (and not only)."
"'Mare et Terra' produces a mature work, beautiful, with memorable
passages..."
"Beyond being one among the more beautiful discs that 2009
gave us, this work, logically for the undersigned, could easily be put amongst
the examples of how the progressive rock in its more canonical form has still
something to say even when all around you tells you the opposite."
"Author of a great work such as "Mare et Terra",
which shows everything that is good in both his guitar and compositional
technique, Raimundo is one of those musicians that should be known outside the
small niche of fans that listens to innovations in the progressive field."
"RAIMUNDO Rodulfo - 'Mare et Terra' proves that you can do symphonic
progressive rock and still have something to say without being necessarily
limited to the covers."
"I consider the suite 'N ufrago' the best thing coming out recently from
South America where the Camelian and Olfieldian atmospheres join those of the
Iberian 'Triana'"
Arlequins, Italy
Mare et Terra was featured in Arlequins' "Best of 2009" list
"A sumptuous slice of old-school, proudly
Latin-flavoured progressive rock, Mare Et Terra will surely delight lovers of
vintage symphonic prog, as well as those who appreciate ethnic influences in
their music. Definitely one of the most accomplished albums of 2009, even if a
tad overlong and not likely to appeal to fans of minimalism."
"Raimundo Rodulfo is one of those musicians who proudly sports his origins in
his musical output. 'Mare Et Terra' is a prog album as only a South American
musician could have produced: extremely ambitious, both in concept and length,
but never convoluted or overblown, and drenched in melody. Moreover, unlike so
many albums released in recent years, it is a disc brimming with the simple joy
of making music."
"The penchant for authentically symphonic, almost orchestral textures is
there, as witnessed by the impressive array of guest musicians supplementing
Rodulfo s equally impressive skills."
"A real tour de force, and a successful
one almost against all odds"
"On the whole, 'Mare Et Terra' is a very solid, finely-crafted album"
Progressor,
Uzbekistan
"A perfect combination of symphonic prog with a distinctive South American
flavor with plenty of jazz passages and scattered folksy intrusions. It is
experimental and exotic while keeping a good ear-friendliness"
"There seems to be no boundaries to hold the creativity that the artist tries
to implement, and so the album flows freely, wondering through conscientious
styles while mixing them in a sonic shaker"
"Overall this is a worthy album. It is very well played and it is original,
which is something that is rarely found these days. And Mare et Terre is
destined to finally give this artist the recognition that he deserves."
ProgGnosis / SilverDB,
USA
"If you are up to a varied, very tastefully arranged guitar driven album with
a nice 'vintage keyboard flavor', this one is yours!"
"Listening to this new (third solo) album entitled Mare Et Terra (2008),
again I am impressed by his virtuosity on all guitars and again I notice strong
hints of Steve Howe (and Yes)."
Progwalhalla, Holland
"The latest release in the career of a musician with great critical
acclaim."
"Unbelievably complex work on the guitar and flutes abound."
"Can you really dance to prog well you can to this!"
"I do love the epics and this guy knows how to build a song and fill it with
the sounds of the ocean and every wonderful instrument from this Earth!"
"Very inspired work! How do you top this!"
"The guitar work is wonderful throughout."
"Racing guitars that remind me of some of Jimmy Page s solo material"
"This is just completely different than anything I have heard. Yes there are
elements of Santana and many other prog heroes, but never together in the same
way. The Latin influence adds variety to a genre that desperately needs variety."
"I will be playing it often, now that I have discovered it... Very good and
original. Music that experiments and always varies throughout."
ProgNaut,
USA
"Raimundo Rodulfo is one of the well-guarded insider tips in the Prog
scene."
"His highly melodic playing, mostly on the acoustic guitar,
but sometimes just changing to the electric version, is virtuosic, very fluently
and by no means created limited to showmanship. Furthermore, mood and tempo
changes make for a significant degree of variety and playful vitality."
"Despite the very spacious structure of pieces you do not get
bored, because in addition to folk music and symphonic works are also plenty of
rocking and progressive moments in South American flair, that come along very
loose and lively."
"'Mare et Terra' is an album full of vitality, with a lot of
harmonic moments. Give therefore a chance to this pleasant artist from South
America, and listen to representative audio clips on its website for a proper
impression of this very attractive album."
Progressive Newsletter,
Germany
"A really wonderful Spanish flavored
symphonic CD with beautiful arrangements, killer guitar (Spanish and Electric),
flute, strings, keys (piano, mellotron and Moog) and some lovely Spanish and
English vocals"
"This guy is an incredible talent and I would highly
recommend to any fans of Spanish prog or symphonic prog in general."
"The production quality is very good."
Progressive Ears, USA
"An album with many surprises"
"The conversations between the guitars and the acoustic instruments, flute,
piano, violin, trumpet and saxophones, enhance the charm of this semi-exotic,
semi-canonical prog rock, in the 'Colossus Project' sense of the word!"
Progressia, France
"This is a high level great masterpiece!"
"A group with flute and other instruments with a sound like
Hackett/Genesis and Yes, with some vocals combined with Latin colors in a
dynamic and dramatic development"
World Disque, Japan
"An imposing 77-minute rock symphony of great sophistication."
"Think of this as Rodulfo s Tales from Topographic Oceans,
but distinguished by the inclusion of Spanish/Latin American, classical, and
jazz-rock colors."
"Impressive.">
Kinesis, USA
"For the
lovers of old and new symphonic prog I allow myself to recommend the last album,
that according to me is very beautiful, of this Venezuelan guitarist. Surely one
of the most beautiful of the entire South American progressive rock scene (and
not only current)."
Video HiFi. Italy
"More ambitious
than his previous efforts."
The Beating Planet, Venezuela
"A very beautiful
varied music... I hear it again and again! I hope you'll enjoy it. I have not
much doubt about that..."
AmarokProg Forum, France
"We become
fascinated with the elegance of its sounds territory, in a way similar to PFM"
"Exquisite classical Symphony"
Tosei Midorikawa, Japan
"An excellent feature
of progressive rock laden with psychotropic references, awash in lush Latin
landscapes, orchestras, folk, criollismos, Caribbean music, blues ... ahh! Let
me see if I can paint a better picture. Add up the following: Simon Diaz, Frank
Zappa, Yes (Tales from Topographic Oceans in particular), Tom Jobim
(specifically, the balance between his albums Tide and Wave), the unheralded
coolness of Colombia's psych-folk outfit G nesis, Dizzy Gillespie, Procol Harum,
and Blues for Salvador-era Carlos Santana."
"Rodulfo has surrounded himself with a very energetic and adept cast of
musicians that understand his vision with unparalleled clarity, and there's so
much going on in this album, it's almost exhausting. Time for a drink. But I'd
love to see this guy jam out live."
Miami New Times,
USA
"Comparable to
Steve Hackett, Steve Howe, Anthony Phillips - with South American attitude"
"Certainly highly recommended. It's worth it!"
Babyblaue, Germany
"What a great album has released Rodulfo!"
"Among the most beautiful symphonic releases of recent times."
"A great album!!!"
"With respect to his previous works, the symphonic component is increased."
"The work of the guitar is spectacular, but besides that, the technical
aspect (that is very high) of the entire work is actually really remarkable."
"From what one can listen to on his myspace, the album seems marvellous..."
Arlequins Forum, Italy
"An extremely ambitious project with lots of
instruments, a progressive & neo-progressive/neo-symphonic piece stuffed with
well arranged to semi-improvised band arrangements"
PsycheMusic.org - Belgium
"The stylistic and emotional variety of the composition
is enormous and certainly will not be fully understood in one only listening."
"An illustrious masterpiece whose best features are first the acoustic,
highly virtuosic guitar parts, that frequently returns in many ravishing solos
and complex symphonic band arrangements"
"Virtuoso guitar playing, acoustic folk and typical electric rock,
technically excellent"
"This kind of wacky slanted blissful harmony can probably come only from
South American climes"
"It bwitches the amazing concise and fast guitar playing that flits a
technically stunning band"
"Mad Album. Tons of melodic material, countless ideas, coherent, plausible,
and in particular sonic aesthetic beauty of enormous speed. In all, heavenly
playful, accurate, precise uneven-ness"
Ragazzi, Germany
"A marvellous expanse in the polyhedral musical universe
of the Venezuelan/American guitarist"
"'Mare et Terra' is another marvellous work of Raimundo Rodulfo, of large
appeal, with not hypertrophic but nither simplistic arrangements. The little
'Rodulfo orchestra' has come to the center again"
MovimentiProg, Italy
"This excelsius Venezuelan guitarist and composer delivers an album with
fascinating sonorities with the density he got us used to. Extended compositions
that resemble dream-like episodes, with diverse textures and casual phrases
loaded with emotivity that flirts with jazz and classical music."
"The phrases from Raimundo's virtuosic performance are an ideal vehicle that
interconnects one idea with another."
La Dosis Magazine, Venezuela
"This is an wonderful masterpiece that
is unique in its content, shows elegant classical sounds in all its extension,
with Latin / Folk dark melodies with originality and good taste gracefully
present at the end of each arrangement."
Euclid,
Japan
"The work of the group is impressive."
"The guy has more than the talent: everything is under control to the extreme"
"This work should appeal to many, given the number of genres covered.
Discover"
KOID9 Magazine, France
"The classical guitar, often performed
solo at many breaks often have accents of Villa-Lobos, Rodrigo and even,
suggesting the classical training of its author. But very quickly, breaks the
electric guitar and the tone is progressive, so take notes of Mike Oldfield,
Steve Hackett and Carlos Santana (ha! of course, always the Hispanic side...)"
"These compositions provide a fresh breeze from the south or southwest rather
which is a pleasure to hear."
Prog-r siste Magazine,
Belgium
"Raimundo Rodulfo is one of the great, (relatively) young
guitar heroes in the Latin American progressive rock. He has a style that makes
it tempting to compare him with the dimensions of Steve Howe and Steve Hackett,
but at the same time his music has a very distinctive Latin American style."
"It is complex and requires some listenings through, but it is also exciting and
intense in its mixture of acoustic and electric instruments, and traditional
prog rock with southern music."
"North/South central theme: melodic jazz, reggae and Latin American traditional
music meet the Americanized progressive rock, and the result are strikingly
fresh and exhilarated"
"Raimundo Rodulfo lives in Miami now, but he still represents some of the best
that South American prog has to offer."
Tarkus Magazine, Norway
"A very beautiful song. Some elements
of Folk, with a great melody after all! And put the name of a solo guitarist,
and amazing people involved!"
Tommy's Blog,
Japan
"It really sucks you into your stereo set"
"Raimundo is a very good guitar player"
"This album can be enjoyed with full attention or just as background music
while holding a cold beverage by the side of the pool. Although I think
mainstream music lovers will find this album too difficult, it is prog after
all."
DPRP, Holland
"Great new album!"
SynPhonic, USA
"An impeccable symphonic rock composition"
"Moody fusion of exotic colors, from pure symphonic, to light
Latin colors where percussion participates, which let you listen without
hesitation its 35-minute opening suite of this brilliant professional progrock
work from South America."
"Recommended."
Kakehashi Records, Japan
"Even when this album is considerably technical, it
is not excessive, and after listening to the expertise of its music
constructions it exceeds with, it probably is deeply one of the best kept
secrets of South America."
"This is a work with high level density."
"This is a luxurious album!"
"There is no way of getting tired of this album."
"Fans of all kind of symphonic rock and jazz rock will regret
if they don't buy this album!"
"The sound quality is also good. In our high-quality audio
system it sounds so good!"
Kakehashi Records Forum, Japan
"The artist has managed to push his art to great
heights of beauty and control, leading to the quintessence meeting of electrical
and acoustic orchestrations..."
"An impressive work"
"Not discovering this little symphonic jewel is a true crime of
lese-majesty!"
Musea Records, France
"75 minutes of a fantastic symphonic and
neo-classic rock, melodious and adventurous"
"This colourful and enthusiast music, constantly inspired and
lively, is at the top of the symphonic nowadays production."
Artist Shop,
USA
"A brilliant symphonic music, made of long and
complex musical compositions, mixing progressive and latin influences."
Clear Spot, The Netherlands
"A style that takes both the touch of a Mike
Oldfield and the romanticism of Camel, also incorporates jazz and rock with
classical influences. Acoustic orchestrations (flute, violin, clarinet, cello,
sax, vocal variety) and soaring electric coexist with the greatest happiness in
4 long pieces (36, 9, 11 and 20 minutes) instrumentals that make this Mare et
Terra a real success!"
Cosmos Music, France
"'Mare' is undoubtedly the
most successful. It includes all the warmth of the Latin South America... Here,
the author never wanted to confine his music in the restricted field of only a
guitarist wanting to spread his knowledge and technique. Acoustic and electric
guitars, keyboards, wind instruments, vocals and percussion mix with art, the
creation of a complex and ambitious, always balanced, well constructed and
clear. Raimundo Rodulfo managed to create a Progressive flamboyant, never
bastard typically South American. Work close to perfection!"
Music in Belgium, Belgium
"'Mare et Terra' is a
masterpiece album of a beautiful melodic progressive and symphonic rock of
RAIMUNDO RODULFO from South America (Venezuela)."
"Thrilling guitar work"
"It is absolutely recommended for all the fans of beautiful melodic
progressive and symphonic rock"
Yahoo Auctions, Japan
"As good or better
than the previous two CDs! Progressive symphonic!"
Rock Symphony, Brasil
"In addition to the sound of the Melotron, this
album comes with a classical orchestra, some times a reggae rhythm, fast playing
mediterranean guitar in the style of Paco de Lucia, all made with cohesiveness
and diversity in this work which comes with a standard impression and nearly 80
minutes to be fully enjoyed."
"Epic beyond scales, with brass and strings
ensembles. You will be amazed with the Flamenco and orchestral symphonic
development of this masterpiece."
"Very talented people!"
Yahoo Forum, Japan
"Amazing guitar work (both electric and acoustic)"
"Everything a prog listener could possibly want!"
"I cannot recommend it highly enough"
MickPortnoy.com Forum, USA
"A large finished gorgeous Classical/Symphonic Rock
masterpiece that makes the best use of the music background in which real
Classic is mastered without reserve with 12 backing musician..."
"This is a gem where you can enjoy the beauty and originality of its own
content"
"Excellent arrangements of flowing elegant classic guitar that gracefully
sprinkles the melody."
DiskUnion, Japan
READ COMPLETE REVIEWS
Mare et Terra - 2023 Abbey Road Master released on vinyl as a double album
Mastering credits:
Abbey Road Studios, London, UK
Engineers:
Andy Walter (Naufrago, Blue, Thoughts, Thoughts 2)
Geoff Pesche (Libertad)
Album "Mare et Terra" Released in December 2008
My new album "Mare et Terra" was finished in August 2008 and
was released by Musea
Records in December of this year.
The work is divided in two main sections as the title implies. Each
section, Mare and Terra, contains two songs.
I have been fortunate to have on this album the participation of a group
of extraordinary guest musicians, graphic artists, engineers, and various other
collaborators. These are the song list and some credits of this production:
RAIMUNDO RODULFO
Mare et
Terra
MARE
1. N ufrago
(36:34)
2.
Libertad (9:01)
TERRA
3. Blue
(11:30)
4-5.
Thoughts (19:45)
Raimundo Rodulfo: acoustic guitars (classic, spanish, steel strings),
electric guitars, bass, and mandolin. Some additional organ, synthetizer,
percussion, and vocals.
Guest Musicians:
Carlos Plaza: keyboards (1, 2)
Richard Marichal: keyboards, minimoog (3, 4, 5)
Gerardo Ubieda: drums
Yoel del Sol: percussion
Cristo Aguado: vocals (1)
Minerva Borjas Owen: vocals (1)
Pedro Castillo: vocals (2, 4)
Anna Ventura: violin
Mariana Carreras: violin
Konstantin Litvinenko: cello
Franklin Diaz: flutes (concert, tenor, piccolo), saxophones (soprano,
alto, tenor), clarinet
Osvaldo Fleites: trompets, flugelhorn
All songs composed by Raimundo Rodulfo
Group and orchestral arrangements by Raimundo Rodulfo
Keyboard arrangements by Carlos Plaza (1, 2), Richard Marichal (3-5) and
Raimundo Rodulfo
Vocal arrangements by Raimundo Rodulfo, Pedro Castillo (2, 4), Cristo Aguado (1)
and Minerva Borjas (1)
Produced by Raimundo Rodulfo
Recorded by Raimundo Rodulfo at his studio, Miami, USA, 2004-08, except:
Gerardo Ubieda on tracks 2 to 5 recorded by Tony Sinatra at Avacom Studios,
Miami, USA, 2008
Pedro Castillo recorded at his studio, Weston, USA, 2008
Carlos Plaza recorded at his studio, Madrid, Spain, 2005-07
Richard Marichal recorded at his studio, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, 2007-08
Mixed by Raimundo Rodulfo at his studio, Miami, USA, 2008
Mastered by Boris Milan at Boris Milan Studios, Weston, USA, 2008
Paintings: Peter Rodulfo
Photos: Huba Rostonics
Graphic design: Davide Guidoni
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