Novalis "Sommerabend" 1976****

Novalis' "Sommerabend" has one of the prettiest album covers in my collection. Even if you're not familiar with the German romantic poet from whom the band took its name, the beauty and serenity of its cover should give you an idea of its content, which is melodic symphonic prog. Similar to Eloy and Camel, but with a dark folk influence evident in the acoustic guitars and sombre singing (in German). Use of the German language is one of the band's strong points, as it sounds right for their music. Since I don't speak German, I am free to conjure whatever images I want to accompany this music and it filled my mind with images from the fabulous (and simultaneously horrible) fairy tale world of the Grimm brothers' stories. "Aufbruch", the first of the 3 lengthy tracks, is an instrumental and the most experimental of the three. It contains both heavy and light passages, with imposing keyboards, jazzy piano and electric guitars, giving the musicians a chance to show off their skill. ELP and Eloy come to mind. The next track is called "Wunderschätze", which translates roughly as "wondrous treasure". The lyric is a poem by Novalis (written in 1798) and music closer to a classic rock ballad, dominated by acoustic guitars. Only towards the end does the sound get fuller and more electric. The third track, which took up all of LP's second side (You do know what an LP is and that it has two sides? Sometimes I wonder...) is "Sommerabend" which means, I guess, "Summer evening" (zomeravond in Dutch). It is a long suite comprised by various movements, as was the fashion with rock musicians who wanted to emulate classical music. The first part "Wetterleuchten" consists of synth-generated atmospheric soundscapes a la Tangerine Dream, while the second "Am Strand" ("On the beach", of course - See? I do know German after all) is introduced with an acoustic guitar playing what sounds like the intro to "House Of The Rising Sun", also known as guitar lesson number 1. Regardless, it's a beautiful piece with melancholic vocals and the sound of splashing waves at the background. Third part "Der Traum" is another romantic ballad with acoustic guitar, followed by "Ein neuer Tag", which is fast with soaring synths and guitars and choral vocals, while the song comes full circle with "Ins Licht", an atmospheric synth-dominated track in the spirit of early Pink Floyd. I'm always impressed by the tendency of German groups (and Italian ones, e.g. Le Orme) to transcend the confines of rock and seek inspiration elsewhere, be it classical, jazz, folk or electronic music. Not that musical adventurism has a nationality, of course. In any case, Novalis "Sommerabend" is an ideal introduction to the world of progressive rock, thanks to its enchanted melodies and lack of instrumental noodling which is endemic in this genre.

**** for Wunderschätze, Am Strand, Der Traum

*** for Aufbruch, Wetterleuchten, Ein neuer Tag, Ins Licht