Thanks to Lee once again for the amazing instrument!
Best placement: reached #1 in Acid Jazz and #4 Jazz (september 15, 2004) in it's "remix" version.
Now upgraded to the smooth jazz album version, and reached #2 Jazz and #2 Smooth Jazz.
THE ALCHEMIST
modern suite in 8 parts
1-Intro: the call of adventure
2-Philosopher's stone
3-Intermezzo: captured
4-Prisoner
5-Meditations
6-Intermezzo: the torture machine
7-Torquemada
8-The Escape (Finale)
THE TELL TALE BEHIND THE TRACK
(Italiano in coda all'inglese)
THE ALCHEMIST
original story written by Duilio Chiarle
translation by Fabrizio B. Maracich
III) - INTERMEZZO: THE CAPTURE
“Open the door” one voice shouted. The alchemist was aware that his time was limited: he was soon to be arrested. His heart was racing, the crowd outside was shouting at an unbearable level. He knew that the stone shouldn’t be found by the soldiers, otherwise a guilty sentence was granted. Not to count his personal failure. The decision was made: he took the stone and swallowed it.
The guards were in moments after and took him away. He was dragged between the crowd that nothing knew about science or theology. “Burn him!”. These were the voices of his neighbors that so many times he helped and cured. “Burn him!” said the voices of the mothers that he helped to bear to the world a new life. “So this is the power of ignorance and superstition”, he thought.
He feared for his safety, the crowd was really upset, but the soldiers, even if with some difficulty, were able to escort him to the jail, using spears to keep the crowd at bay and to “drive” him in the right direction.
IV)-PRISONER!
When his eyes got used to the darkness the only source of light got more and more intense. Light was radiating from a torch in the hallway, a resinous and stinking torch. The alchemist was able to smell, to feel and isolate any single component in the resin, in the wood, in the air.
A poor quality torch. The wood components of the gate was tough but ruined, it was possible to feel it by touching the surface, and was punctured by big nails. A big, rusty and outdated lock sealed his freedom.
A distant echo of humanity tore the humid and heavy smelling air from time to time, but it was a rare occurrence and silence was broken only by the light crackling of the torch. The walls of his room, old and wet, were coved by an accretion of saltpeter. “What a pity” thought the alchemist, “with some coal and sulphur this door couldn’t stop me”.
III) - INTERMEZZO: LA CATTURA
“Aprite!” urlavano i soldati alla porta. E l’alchimista sapeva che l’avrebbero presto catturato. Il cuore batteva forte. La folla in piazza urlava. L’alchimista capì che se avessero trovato la pietra sarebbe stato un fallimento ed una condanna. Allora, un attimo prima che la porta fosse sfondata, l’alchimista afferrò la pietra e l’inghiottì.
I soldati entrarono e lo arrestarono. Lo trascinarono tra due ali di una folla urlante che nulla sapeva di scienza e di teologia. “Al rogo!” urlavano i suoi vicini di casa che egli aveva tante volte curato. “Al rogo!” gridavano le massaie che aveva aiutato a partorire. Tanto poteva l’ignoranza e la superstizione.
Temette di essere linciato. Ma i soldati, sebbene a fatica, riuscirono a tradurlo in carcere a colpi di lancia.
IV)-PRIGIONIERO
Quando i suoi occhi si abituarono al buio, l’unica fonte di luce si amplificò pian piano. La luce che filtrava dalla torcia nel corridoio, una fiaccola resinosa e puzzolente i cui componenti l’alchimista poteva percepire uno ad uno. Una torcia scadente. Il legno del portone era robusto e malconcio, si poteva sentire al tatto, ed era costellato dalle evidenti protuberanze di grossi chiodi. Una grossa e antiquata serratura arrugginita sigillava la sua libertà. Eco lontane di umanità laceravano di quando in quando l’aria umida,
