Planetarium -

Planetarium was an Italian symphonic-rock band that released the 1971 album Infinity on Victory Records.

Members: Alfredo Ferrari (keyboards), Franco Sorrenti (guitar), Mirko Mazza (guitar), Piero Repetto (bass), Giampaolo Pesce (drums)

Background

Planetarium were a short-lived Italian symphonic-rock group from Alessandria, Piemonte. The band included keyboardist Alfredo Ferrari, guitarist Franco Sorrenti, guitarist–vocalist Mirko Mazza, bassist Piero Repetto, and drummer Giampaolo Pesce. Three members — Ferrari, Sorrenti, and Mazza — previously played in Gli Scooters, a local rock and beat combo active from 1959 to 1971. Ferrari joined the group in 1960 on keyboards; Sorrenti and Mazza handled lead and rhythm guitars respectively. Gli Scooters recorded material under their original name and later adopted the Planetarium name for one album and two singles released in 1971.

Like other Italian groups of the era, Planetarium were presented anonymously by their label Victory, which omitted player credits and attributed all compositions to “A. Ferrari.” This practice mirrored label strategies behind groups such as Flea on the Honey and Circus 2000, where producers obscured musicians’ identities to imply foreign or conceptual origins. Planetarium’s lineup remained a mystery until 2010, when collectors identified members via archival research and scene connections in the Alessandria area.

Infinity

Planetarium released their singular album, Infinity, in 1971 on Victory.

The album presents an all-instrumental concept suite centered on the stages of human experience, from creation through conflict to transcendence. Planetarium recorded under a veil of anonymity, omitting all personnel credits and issuing the LP with only a single name, “A. Ferrari,” as composer.

Keyboardist/composer Alfredo Ferrari plays organ, mellotron, and piano across layered, orchestral arrangements with sparse vocalizations. Franco Sorrenti and Mirko Mazza alternate acoustic and electric guitars, often phrasing in counterpoint or dialogue with the keys. Bassist Piero Repetto and drummer Giampaolo Pesce (both uncredited) anchor the band. Overdubbed classical textures enhance the album’s cinematic scope.

Infinity unfolds as a continuous instrumental journey composed of short tableaux and a longform closing suite. Side A develops a tranquil atmosphere through acoustic textures and sparse interplay: “Life” opens with ambient sounds and transitions through fingerpicked motifs and piano figures into a swirling mellotron passage. “Man” spans two movements, reprising a classical guitar figure against organ and later piano and strings, echoing a chamber setting. “Love” blends piano, acoustic guitar, and mellotron in a subdued, elegiac mood.

Side B introduces denser timbres and thematic contrast. “War” layers sirens and gunfire over martial percussion and dark organ lines, then segues into the more open “The Moon,” where vocalise and organ shape a melodic arc. The title track spans eleven minutes, shifting from reverberant organ to phased percussion and ambient guitar passages before erupting into an uptempo electric sequence with swirling keyboards and wordless chorale. The suite closes by recapitulating the album’s opening motif, completing the conceptual arc from genesis to infinity.

A1. “The Beginning” (3:10) — opens with thunder and storm effects; organ and choral vocalise introduce the concept
A2. “Life” (7:02) — begins with water sounds and fingerpicked guitar; passes through piano-led segments, then builds with mellotron and drums
A3. “Man (Part 1)” (2:03) — acoustic guitar and organ in pastoral interplay
A4. “Man (Part 2)” (3:45) — reprised guitar motif with added mellotron and a shift to piano strings
A5. “Love” (2:43) — mournful piano and acoustic guitar with light mellotron shading

B1. “War” (2:39) — sirens, percussive march, gunfire effects, and somber mellotron
B2. “The Moon” (4:01) — dynamic organ and drums; sparse electric guitar and vocalise near the end
B3. “Infinity” (11:00) — phased organ intro; percussive interlude; electric jam section; choral reprise of opening motif

Victory issued the album with sleeve notes by Natch Mallet. but no studio or production attribution.

Infinity appeared in a cover design by Zanini. Victory issued four songs from Infinity across two singles in 1971: “Man (Part Two)” (b/w “The Moon”) and “Love” (b/w “Life”).

Postlude

The name Planetarium resurfaced in 1973 on the B-side of a rare picture-sleeve single bearing the ISR-prefixed catalog number, possibly for export to Israel. The A-side, “La canzone di Leonardo” by Ornella Vanoni, served as the theme to the 1971 RAI television miniseries Vita di Leonardo da Vinci. The flip side featured the unreleased “Quazar,” credited to Planetarium. No direct connection to the Infinity lineup has been confirmed, and the single appears to have been issued strictly as a promotional item.

Discography: