"Il Tabernacolo dell'Onesto Peccato"
(The Table of the Honest Sin)

ARIONDASSA - 2001

Forever the convivial gatherings have been synonymous with parties and happiness.
Yesterday like today, people reunite around a table for the great occasions of the calendar feasts: the killing of the pig for Carnevale, with the resulting "sin-a purcatojra", the tables of eggs and tomini cheese for Easter, the Christmas lunches with the women of the house working in the kitchen for days for the celebration of the big event. And then weddings, births of children and even the lunch after a relative is buried after the funeral. The verb "to eat" accompanies the life of man and, at one time, when food and wine was scarse, man invented a million ways and styles to obtain the most possible from what little there was. The ability of grandparents to cook "poor" dishes from another time was legendary: the poultry, soups, all symbols of a past where there was "time" to prepare for feasts, where gathering around a table had a very special significance, because it was a rare pleasure. We present day people have elevated the level of these convivial gatherings: Thank God, today food is no longer lacking. And neither is wine, which is much more refined and full-bodied than in the past. But it does not hurt to remember back to those times, maybe even to appreciate the friendliness and happiness in the air (that which is deaden by too much daily stress) that at one time was never lacking, even though the difficult moments were maybe even more numerous than today. To find ourselves again in that mood, we of Ariondassa invite you all to the Table of the Honest Sin, in a dimension in which the past and present can live together around the table, in the effort to learn how to better ourselves both inside and out: The songs of the inn, those connected to work or those by storytellers which are fruits of those formidable years, born at the table after a meal, in the "lunches of the conscripts" or in the basements, where wine was conserved for the whole year and maybe today where we keep our SUV.
"The vices of one time now seem almost like virtues…." We will make this journey together in the "Time Machine" and, serenely, we will enjoy the slow return to a time that was, no more fast food but just honest sin.
Oh yes, why Ariondassa? Because the Rionda and Ariondela already exist, Ariondassa was the only one missing. Thank you for being in our company and enjoy the meal, or as they say in our parts, fev-la ben! (spend the time well)

l'Ariondassa

"Del Piemont als Pirineus"

EL PONT D'ARCALIS / ARIONDASSA - 2003

From Piedmont to the Pyrenees is a show created jointly by these two important traditional musical groups: El Pont D'Arcalis in Catalonia and Ariondassa from Piedmont, that was performed at the inauguration of the Tradicionarius in 2003 in Barcellona. It has been presented at different festivals: in Valle D'Aosta, Alessandria, Trento, etc. It will be presented again at the Fira d'espectacles d'arrel tradicional in Manresa, but finally the concert was recorded live on Saturday, November 8, 2003 at the Espai Theater in Barcellona.
They are two types of music with one root and one tradition: the sound of mountain regions of the Pyrenees and Piedmont and we wanted that this good understanding remains constant and that this CD that we hold in our hands, as a legal music act, keeps the life of these melodies alive and the glow and the participation of the public of the concert.
"…the fusion of the musical roots of the Catalans El Pont D'Arcalis and the Piemontesi Ariondassa shows that a common denominator exists between the Pyrenees and the other side of the Alps. Pushed from the idea to record live the concert of Espai is like a musical party with only one nationality: the traditional collection of poems: On the stage, situated in perfect symmetry, the eleven musicians of the two groups dig into the depths of the musical memory to offer some songs that should be included in the history books. They are themes extracted from the common culture, that young people sing about marriage, domestic problems or of moving their animals from the mountains. They do it with a pluralism of sounds, with a fusion of some instruments that show the same origins…. The desire would be that with this disc Pont D'Arcalis and Ariondassa each in their natural environment, would be able to move, even just one crumb, of the mountain of traditional music. At least how they moved at the Espai.

J. M. Hernandez Ripoll (Diari Avui, 14/11/03)

"In cerca di grane"

ARIONDASSA - 2005

Some people say that Piemontese are lazy, not dynamic, cold in their relationships with people- in short, the classic "bogianen", a person who does not move, an unemotional person with no reputation. We consider ourselves an exception to our own Piemontese culture. For many years of performing all around Europe, we members of Ariondassa have always "searched for troubles", created noise and happiness. It was not enough: when we didn't find troubles, the troubles found us! And we were always ready to receive them… We must say that the "troubles" are really not problems, but excitement-all those things that make our existence so lively in this world where people are more and more anaesthetized and removed from dealing with a busy life everday. This album reflects in a few moments all the experiences that we have had in recent times, influenced by the French region of Savoie and its celebrations, by the Spanish region of Catalunya of El Pont d'Arcalis with it's "gralle" (traditional oboes) and mountain culture, by Belgium and its Flanders' bagpipers, by the German "Weizen Bier" and "Spatzil" (Pasta with cheese and onions), by Switzerland and its "Bandelle" (little bands of woodwind instruments), and, last but not least, by the exciting experience of performing in the U.S.A. … and the long nights under the starts, drinking and eating the most unusual things, and talking with friends, never in the same language, making a "soup" of words and ideas, always exhilarating for the listeners. Ariondassa would like to offer this music as our heartfelt tribute to all those people we have met (and that we will meet!). These songs and this music symbolize our Piedmont, but also the youthful, inquiring soul that gives life to our band. May the excitement always be with us! Good luck finding your favourite troubles!

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