Errata Corrige -

Errata Corrige was the Italian symphonic/chamber-folk combo behind the 1976 album Siegfried, il Drago e Altre Storie. They recorded a second album that surfaced in 1992 on Mellow Records.

Members: Mike Abate (guitar, vocals), Marco Cimino (flute, keyboards, cello), Gianni Cremona (bass, vocals), Guido Giovine (drums, vocals)

Background

Errata Corrige formed in 1974 in Torino as an acoustic trio that soon expanded into a quartet. Initially nameless, the group adopted the name Errata Corrige (“Correct the Mistakes”) after guitarist–vocalist Mike Abate replaced the earlier guitarist, Cardellino. The lineup also included Marco Cimino (flute, keyboards, cello), Gianni Cremona (bass, vocals), and Guido Giovine (drums, vocals). Their early activity yielded two privately circulated demo tapes titled Da mago a musicista and Saturday il cavaliere, which showcased a chamber-folk sound rooted in medieval and classical motifs.

After a final concert at Teatro Carignano in Turin in June 1975, the band disbanded but chose to document their original material in a professional studio.

Siegfried, il Drago e Altre Storie

Errata Corrige released their first album, Siegfried, il Drago e Altre Storie (Siegfried, the Dragon and Other Stories), in 1976 on EC.

The album collects group-written material performed by the band between 1974 and mid-1975, preserved here with light acoustic textures rooted in classical and fantasy elements.

Multi-instrumentalist Marco Cimino plays flute, cello, and multiple keyboards (piano, Crumar organ, Elka and Eminent string synthesizers). Bassist Gianni Cremona shares vocals with drummer Guido Giovine and guitarist Mike Abate, who uses Fender and Martin acoustic models. Their lyrics recount mythic and chivalric episodes through allegory and pastoral imagery.

Siegfried follows a quiet, layered trajectory built from soft acoustic guitar, flute, and cello interwoven with subdued keys and sparse electric figures. The suite “Del Cavaliere Citadel e del Drago della Foresta di Lucanor” develops across five parts with subtle transitions between lyrical themes and restrained instrumental segments. Its shifting pace alternates calm interludes—highlighted by fingerpicked guitar and flute phrases—with compact, mid-tempo passages colored by piano, spacey synths, and occasional fuzz guitar.

“Siegfried (Leggenda)” begins with a drifting guitar-cello motif and passes through contrasting phases: a hushed vocal section, a bright refrain with flute, and an abrupt distorted coda. “Siegfried (Mito)” compresses the group’s dynamic range into sharper transitions, balancing steady forward motion with piano-led sections and tremolo-like accents from guitar and bass. The final track, “Dal Libro di Bordo dell’ Adventur,” closes the sequence with loose harmonic layering—flute and piano circling over acoustic textures—before shifting into a brief, uptempo burst and descending into a sparse outro. Each piece emphasizes quiet contrast over density, with arrangements designed around tonal balance and compact motion.

A1. “Viaggio Di Saggezza” [Journey of Wisdom] (2:34) — acoustic opener with flute, guitar, and subtle rhythmic buildup
A2. “Del Cavaliere Citadel e del Drago della Foresta di Lucanor” [Of Knight Citadel and the Dragon of Lucanor Forest] (9:52)
— a. “Il Richiamo” [The Call] (0:40)
— b. “Nella Foresta” [In the Forest] (1:23)
— c. “Il Drago” [The Dragon] (3:25)
— d. “Fuggi Citadel!” [Flee, Citadel!] (2:40)
— e. “Ritorno Al Villaggio” [Return to the Village] (1:44)

B1. “Siegfried (Leggenda)” [Siegfried (Legend)] (7:17) — alternates cello-acoustic interplay with layered instrumental surges
B2. “Siegfried (Mito)” [Siegfried (Myth)] (4:48) — cello and drums set a heavier foundation with fluid transitions
B3. “Dal Libro di Bordo dell’Adventur” [From the Logbook of the Adventur] (5:43) — English-language closing ballad that veers into somber, modal refrains

Sessions took place at a private studio with engineer Gualtiero Gatto. Mike Abate produced the album with technical assistance from Bruno Sicari and Pier Luigi Layolo.

The quad-fold cover was illustrated by Tony Carena. Photography is credited to Bob Noto.

A reissue on Vinyl Magic includes the English-sung bonus track “Saturday il Cavaliere,” recorded during the same period.

6. “Saturday il Cavaliere” (8:00)

Mappamondo

In 1992, Mellow Records unearthed Mappamondo, the intended 1977 second album by Errata Corrige.

The album combines two distinct sessions: the first five tracks stem from 1974 demos recorded by the original four-piece; the final four tracks were recorded in 1977 by a revised lineup.

Bassist Gianni Cremona sings on the 1974 material, which features drummer Guido Giovine and multi-instrumentalists Mike Abate (electric/acoustic guitars, oboe) and Marco Cimino (flute, keyboards, cello, mouth harp). For the 1977 sessions, Abate and Cimino summoned saxophonist Arturo Vitale (Arti & Mestieri), bassist Paolo Franchini, and drummer Giorgio Diaferia (Esagono).

The earlier material follows the band’s soft symphonic-folk model while the later recordings pursue a looser jazz–funk orientation. Marco Cimino composed all tracks. His lyrics reference literary themes, speculative fiction, and geographic mythologies.

The first half presents a tranquil, chamber-like variation on their 1976 style. The nine-minute “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” unfolds in five thematic sections with extended flute passages, Italian-language vocals, layered guitar textures, and acoustic-led transitions. The two-part “Patagonia Suite” introduces sparse scat phrasing and Argentine rhythmic elements, offset by cello-led ambient sections.

“Kubla Khan” combines oboe and synth in an Eastern-tinged arrangement with periodic electric leads. “Inside the Great Mastaba” invokes a brooding tone with organ and lower-register instrumentation. From track six onward, the lineup shift steers the album into sax-heavy, groove-based structures. “American Dream” and “Zombie” adopt melodic jazz-pop frameworks, while “Dance of the New Land” and “Ageless Traveler” extend the format with smoother transitions and coordinated vocal sections.

1. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (9:44)
— a. “To the Wedding Feast”
— b. “The Tale of the Ancient Mariner”
— c. “Journey Towards the Unknown”
— d. “The Albatross”
— e. “The Tempest”
2. “Patagonia Suite Part 1: Near the Pole” (4:30)
3. “Patagonia Suite Part 2: Under an Iron Sky” (6:01)
4. “Kubla Khan” (5:31)
5. “Inside the Great Mastaba” (2:43)
6. “American Dream” (4:21)
7. “Zombie” (5:52)
8. “Dance of the New Land” (4:41)
9. “Ageless Traveler” (4:39)

The disc includes two bonus tracks from the 1974 sessions: “Minuet No. 8,” a brief instrumental, and “Chrysalis,” a five-minute pastoral suite in line with their earlier style.

10. “Minuet No. 8” (1:53)
11. “Chrysalis” (5:10)

Postlude

After the band’s final split, Marco Cimino joined Arti & Mestieri and performed with Esagono, Venegoni & Co., and the Piedmontese folk ensemble La Ciapa Rusa. He also appears on Murales, the 2000 reunion album by Arti & Mestieri, and co-founded the Turin-based jazz-oriented label Mu.

In 2015, Black Widow reissued Siegfried, il Drago e Altre Storie on vinyl and released a CD+DVD set featuring new recordings of the original material by the classic Errata Corrige lineup, accompanied by guest performers.

Discography: