A unique group in the Italian scene, Opus Avantra mixed together contempora… Read Full Bio ↴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.
The Tokyo concert was used for the DVD Viaggio immaginario/Live in Tokyo 2008.

Oro
Opus Avantra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oro su di me
Vestito di seta
Oro sui capelli miei
Dove gioca la luce del giorno
Oro nei tuoi occhi che accarezzano
La nudità del mio volto e del pallido seno

Ombra nella stanza che ci accoglie

Ombra lieve su di noi, che avvolge la nostra solitudine
Ombra sul tuo volto abbandonato
Labbra dischiuse assaporano la tua dolcezza

Ora che si ferma nell'immenso eterno
Ora che appaga in noi una sete antica e pagana

Ora che ci unisce in un inno
Ciò che ho vissuto nel rito più antico dei tempi

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Opus Avantra's song "Oro" describe a scene in which the singer and their lover are embraced in a moment of intimacy. The imagery of gold is used to evoke a sense of warmth and sensuality - gold clothing and hair, the golden light of day, and golden eyes that gaze adoringly at the singer's face and breasts. The shadows in the room are described as a comforting presence that envelops the lovers and their solitude. The singer savors their lover's sweetness, which is likened to a pagan thirst being satisfied.

The last line, "Ciò che ho vissuto nel rito più antico dei tempi," translates to "what I have lived in the most ancient rite of times." The song implies that the lovers' union is more than just a physical act, but a timeless ritual that connects them to something deeper and more profound.

Line by Line Meaning

Oro su di me
Gold on me

Vestito di seta
Clothed in silk

Oro sui capelli miei
Gold on my hair

Dove gioca la luce del giorno
Where the daylight plays

Oro nei tuoi occhi che accarezzano
Gold in your eyes that caress

La nudità del mio volto e del pallido seno
The nudity of my face and pale breast

Ombra nella stanza che ci accoglie
Shadow in the room that welcomes us

Ombra lieve su di noi, che avvolge la nostra solitudine
Gentle shadow on us, that envelops our loneliness

Ombra sul tuo volto abbandonato
Shadow on your abandoned face

Labbra dischiuse assaporano la tua dolcezza
Open lips taste your sweetness

Ora che si ferma nell'immenso eterno
Now that it stops in the immense eternal