Opus Avantra

A unique group in the italian scene, Opus Avantra mixed together contemporary classical music with avantgarde and a light progressive rock inflience, giving an original result that's often considered too difficult to listen for straight prog rock ears. Their name was obtained from their three main interests, opera, avantgarde and traditional music.

Formed in Veneto in 1973 around the nucleus of soprano Donella Del Monaco (the niece of famous tenor Mario Del Monaco), pianist-composer Alfredo Tisocco, philosopher Giorgio Bisotto and producer Renato Marengo, and aided in the years by many other musicians, the group released their first album in 1974, Opus Avantra - Donella Del Monaco (often referred to as Introspezione, from the title of the first track) on the collectible Trident label.
Usually considered their most accessible work, the album is built on classical-inspired themes with complex arrangements and dominated by the nice soprano voice of singer Del Monaco and good flute playing, with just an instrumental track, Rituale. The band also had a good live activity promoting their album in Veneto and Rome.

Donella Del Monaco was absent on the second album Lord Cromwell (plays suite for seven vices), that follows in the same style as the previous work, being replaced by an american chorus. Former Nuova Idea drummer Paolo Siani played on this album, that like the first one contains some interesting passages for the adventurous listeners.

Both Alfredo Tisocco (along with Gruppo Italiano di Danza Libera in 1975's Katharsis) and Donella Del Monaco (with 12 canzoni da battello in 1977 and Schoenberg Kabarett in 1978) also released individual albums in the same vein, and the duo reunited under the name Opus Avantra for a third album in 1989, Strata, and a CD-only fourth release in 1995, Lyrics.

2008 saw the reunion of Opus Avantra with Donella Del Monaco, Alfredo Tisocco and Giorgio Bisotto, for concerts in Romania and Japan, based on material from all their albums. The line-up also features Valerio Galla (drumes and percussion), Mauro Martello (flute), Anca Elena Botezatu (violin), Ioana Ionescu (violin), Alexandra Butnaru (viola), Violeta Loredana Dumitru (cello), and the show was directly produced by the reborn Cramps, with lights, sound and scenes made by Alan Walter Bedin.
Hopefully this will repeated for other live exhibitions and new recordings.

LP
Opus Avantra - Donella Del Monaco	Trident (TRI 1006)	1974	gatefold cover
	BTF/Trident (TRI 1006)	2008	reissue of the above - gatefold cover
Lord Cromwell (plays suite for seven vices)	Suono (SRLP 1002)	1975	gatefold cover
Strata	Artis (ARLP 006)	1989	gatefold cover
CD
Opus Avantra - Donella Del Monaco	Artis (ARCD 002)	1989	reissue of 1974 album - now deleted
	BTF/Trident (TRI 1006)	2001	as above
Lord Cromwell (plays suite for seven vices)	Artis (ARCD 003)	1989	reissue of 1975 album - now deleted
Strata	Artis (ARCD 011)	1989	now deleted
Lyrics	Artis (ARCD 023)	1995
Opus Magnum	Akarma (AK 1033/4)	2002	4 CD box set containing Opus Avantra's three LP's and Alftredo Tisocco's solo album Katharsis
Omega	Akarma (AK 1039/4)	2003	4 CD box set containing Opus Avantra's Lyrics and the unreleased Live concerts excerpts along with Alftredo Tisocco's solo albums Ritagli d'anima and Ballet collection
Live concerts excerpts	Akarma (AK 1439CD)	2004	unreleased recordings from 1977 to 1991 - previously issued as part of the Omega box set - digipack cover
SINGLES (with picture sleeve)
Il pavone Ah douleur	Trident (TRN 1006)	1974	both tracks from Opus Avantra
Allemanda Flowers on pride	Suono (SRNP 5002)	1975	B side from Lord Cromwell
VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATION ALBUMS
Donella Del Monaco - Fragments 1975-2002	Publigas (075)	2002	includes two tracks from a rare Opus Avantra 1975 single, Allemanda and Flowers on pride

The first two Opus Avantra albums are very rare and expensive in their original issues, while the third is more common. All of them came in gatefold covers.

Opus Avantra - Donella Del Monaco was officially reissued on vinyl in 2008 by BTF.
Before this reissue others had been released:
one of these is probably a counterfeit, very similar to the original but easily identifiable by the usual distinctive elements (see Trident page for details). The original album has the matrix number machine stamped on vinyl, and some copies also had a small sticker on back cover containing the catalogue number.
A 1988 reissue also exists (year appears on the label) with a glossy cover, and this seems a legitimate repressing taken from the original master: the matrix number and release date on vinyl are machine-stamped and SIAE stamp is there. Some copies of this reissue have the labels inverted on both sides of the vinyl (the A-side label is on the B-side).
Another edition of the same reissue exists which was customized for export to Japan; this has a smooth cardboard gatefold cover, easily identifiable by the english text on back "Distributed for Japan by Marquee". It also includes an insert with the original lyrics and the japanese translations.

Even Lord Cromwell had a reissue on the same Suono label as the original, this label kept releasing records until the 80's.
At least two different reissues exist, one with the "Distributed for Japan by Marquee" writing on back cover was made in 1988 for export in collaboration with the japanese record shop Marquee, which added a lyric sheet and a foldout insert, the other one is identical to the original and even carries the old printer's name and distribution credits ("Grafica Centonze - Como" and "Distribuito da Ariston") so it looks like the cover has been printed from an original matrix (or an original cover has been photographed, as in the best bootleg tradition!).
Any details helping to tell originals from the reissues are well accepted!

Two beautiful 4-CD compilation box sets have been recently released by Akarma:
Opus Magnum collects the first three Opus Avantra albums (with a bonus track each) along with Alfredo Tisocco's Katharsis (played with Gruppo Italiano di Danza Libera);
Omega includes two more albums from Alfredo Tisocco, Ritagli d'anima and Ballet collection, and two from Opus Avantra, 1995's Lyrics and Live concerts excerpts, an unreleased live album with 1977-91 recordings (this CD has been later issued separately).
The albums in this box sets have all mini gatefold covers reproducing the original artworks, and some of them also include an insert. Each box set also includes a foldout insert.

A recent CD reissue of Opus Avantra - Donella Del Monaco on the japanese Arcangelo label (ARC-7005) comes with a hard mini-LP cover.


Opus Avantra-Donella Del Monaco - LP

Opus Avantra-Donella Del Monaco - label and matrix number detail

Opus Avantra-Donella Del Monaco - catalogue number sticker on back cover

Lord Cromwell - LP

Strata - LP

Il pavone - 7" single

Allemanda - 7" single

Lyrics - CD cover

Opus Magnum - CD box set	Omega - CD box set

Singer Donella Del Monaco has her own website at http://www.donelladelmonaco.com also containing Opus Avantra information and discography