Visage Music releases Retablos, the new album by Giua - a guitarist and singer-songwriter with an unmistakable voice - and Riccardo Tesi, one of the world's leading diatonic accordion players. The album is the result of an artistic collaboration that skilfully blends tradition and innovation.
Recorded live in November 2024 at TIQU - Teatro Internazionale di Quartiere in Genoa, the album is available on all digital platforms and in physical format at www.visagemusic.it.
Retablos brings together two distinct yet complementary musical worlds: singer-songwriter music, expressed through Giua's lyrics and voice, and the world of tradition and original instrumental compositions, embodied by Riccardo Tesi's masterful playing.
The title of both the album and the live show was inspired by one of Peru's most distinctive art forms: retablos, small portable wooden boxes that once contained figures of saints and now depict scenes from everyday life.
They are magical boxes, windows that open onto stories and carry us to distant worlds - just like music.
The two artists were captivated by this art form during their concerts in Peru in spring 2023, when they performed at the Italian Cultural Institute in Lima and at the Gran Teatro Nacional as part of the Festival de las Alturas. That experience marked the beginning of this project and brought them together on stage for the first time.
Both the concert and the album unfold as a musical journey through different emotional and geographical landscapes, with a particular focus on the relationship between memory and the future. The songs draw inspiration from stories, images and visions of a changing world that nevertheless remains deeply rooted in both musical and human traditions.
The result is a refined and intimate album in which the sound of the diatonic accordion intertwines with Giua's voice and guitar, creating a perfect balance of melody, words and rhythm.
Each song tells a story of people, places and memories.
The album opens with the first of four previously unreleased tracks co-written by Giua and Riccardo Tesi: the rock-infused "Martini on the Rocks", an intense introduction that prepares the listener for a journey through visceral and emotional soundscapes. "Nel cielo nuotano pesci" is a tribute to imagination and to the writer Gianni Rodari. "Ti chiamo io domani" was written for Armando Corsi - the unforgettable guitarist, Giua's friend and mentor, who recently passed away - and is a song that transcends the boundaries of time. "Lù" is a love song celebrating the small miracles of everyday life.
The album also features poignant and captivating instrumental pieces: "Citrustango", "Valzer d'aprile" and "Le moresche", rich in virtuosity and melodies capable of transporting the listener far away.
"Mex Moon" and "Alberi" are two songs on which Giua and Riccardo had previously appeared as guests on each other's albums; in this stripped-down arrangement, they shine like small gems. "Più lontano di così" and "L'albero di manghi" are two of Giua's songs that Riccardo was determined to include in the repertoire.
"La leggera" pays tribute to traditional folk song. The album also honours two giants of Italian singer-songwriter music, both from Genoa like Giua and both former collaborators of Riccardo Tesi: "La musica che gira intorno" by Ivano Fossati and "Franziska" by Fabrizio De André.
The final track, "Franziska", brings the journey of Retablos to a close with a special surprise: the light-hearted, joyful voice of twelve-year-old Agostino Giovannone, Giua's son and a close friend of Riccardo.
Together, Giua and Riccardo Tesi bring new colours to singer-songwriter music with a project that looks simultaneously to the past and the future, leaving room for experimentation and beauty.
Discover Retablos: a unique encounter of voices, sounds and stories - an album to listen to, revisit and make your own.
For more information about Retablos, forthcoming concerts and other updates, visit Giua's official website at www.giua.it and Riccardo Tesi's at www.riccardotesi.com, and follow them on social media.