''Grandine il vento'' is the 13th studio album by the English

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, first released in 2013 and re-released as ''Symphony of Light'' in 2014. It was financed through a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign.

Background

After the band's split in 2002, the band reunited and performed in 2009. In November 2012, the band's guitarist and composer,

Michael Dunford Michael John Dunford is a football administrator, who is currently Chief Executive at Plymouth Argyle Football Club. Career His first role in football came as General Manager of Derby County, a role he was at from July 1992 until 5 November 19 ...

died from a

cerebral haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

. One month later, the band's vocalist,

Annie Haslam Annie Haslam (born 8 June 1947) is an English vocalist, songwriter and painter. She is best known as the lead singer of progressive rock band Renaissance since 1971, and for her long and diverse solo singing career. She has a five-octave vocal r ...

stated that the band would continue to perform. In 2013, it was announced that the new guitarist of the band was Ryche Chlanda. In April 2013, the band released the album first on the internet, and then in a CD format. It was dedicated on the inside sleeve to Michael Dunford. The album cover features a painting by Annie Haslam. Two guests played on this album:

John Wetton John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Known for his dexterous bass playing and booming baritone voice, Wetton first gained fame in the early 1970s. Wetton was the singer and p ...

(who had performed with Renaissance in 1971) and

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist w ...

(of Jethro Tull). The Japanese bonus track, "Carpet of the Sun," was recorded at

NEARfest The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsy ...

Apocalypse in June 2012. The album was reissued 15 April 2014 by Red River Entertainment as ''Symphony of Light'' with three additional tracks.

Track listing

All songs by Michael Dunford and

, except "Carpet of the Sun" by Dunford/ Betty Thatcher-Newsinger # "Symphony of Light" - 12:09 # "Waterfall" - 4:44 # "Grandine il vento" - 6:13 # "Porcelain" - 6:41 # "Cry to the World" - 5:44 # "Air of Drama" - 5:21 # "Blood Silver Like Moonlight" - 5:16 # "The Mystic and the Muse" - 7:48 # "Carpet of the Sun" (live) - 3:28 (Japan only)

2014 Re-release as ''Symphony of Light''

# "Symphony of Light" # "Waterfall" # "Grandine il vento" # "Porcelain" # "Cry to the World" # "Air of Drama" # "Blood Silver Like Moonlight" # "The Mystic and the Muse" # "Tonight" # "Immortal Beloved" # "Renaissance Man" All songs by Dunford/Haslam except 11 by Tesar/Haslam.

Personnel

Renaissance

- lead and backing vocals, co-producer *

- acoustic guitars, backing vocals, arrangements * Rave Tesar - piano, keyboards, arrangements * Jason Hart - keyboards, accordion, backing vocals, arrangements * David J. Keyes - bass, double bass, lead and backing vocals * Frank Pagano - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

- flute on track 5 *

- vocals on track 7 *

Tom Brislin Tom Brislin (born October 5, 1973) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer, and author. In December 2018, American progressive rock band Kansas announced Brislin as the group’s keyboardist; his playing, vocals, and prominent song ...

- additional keyboards on track 8 * Andy Spiller - arrangements on track 8

Production

*Rave Tesar - producer, engineer, mixing and mastering *Kevin Culligan - executive producer

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Renaissance (band) albums Kickstarter-funded albums Albums published posthumously