This is the first time I have come across Roz Vitalis, although it was conceived by St. Petersburg composer and multi instrumentalist Ivan Rozmainsky more than ten years ago. Since the inception of his keyboard-dominated studio project, he has produced an recordings which combine elements of solo instrumental, sacred music, experimental, and modern folk with art-rock and avant-prog. The more I played this the more I felt that we were listening to music that had a great depth not only in the styles that were being portrayed but also in the amount of atmosphere that was being created. At some times I felt it was reminiscent of Gentle Giant, others Gryphon, Anekdoten and even Cardiacs or Mike Oldfield!
Musically it is all over the shop, both in the instrumentation being deployed (come on, how many times have you heard a flugelhorn?) and in the types of music. Some of this is in keeping with the work of Richard Wileman in Karda Estra with a heavy cinematic focus and complex classical interplay. It is a stunning album in so many ways, but if you want to hear more before you invest then why not visit their site at raig.ru/rozvitalis.asp where you will be able to download some free music. For the more adventurous this is indispensible.
