Rustichelli e Bordini -

Rustichelli e Bordini was an Italian symphonic-rock duo that released the 1973 RCA album Opera Prima.

Members: Paolo Rustichelli (keyboards), Carlo Bordini (drums)

Background

Keyboardist Paolo Rustichelli and drummer Carlo Bordini began performing together in the early 1970s as members of the Roman group Cammello Buck, alongside guitarist Pino Belardinelli and bassist Mauro Morlacchi. The band appeared at the first Villa Pamphili Pop Festival in 1972 and later recruited Pasquale Cavallo (ex–Panna Fredda) as their new bassist. Cammello Buck signed to the Delta label and recorded several demos, but failed to secure a release. Pressured by management to downsize in the style of Hardin & York, Rustichelli and Bordini continued as a duo under their own names.

In this reduced format, they performed at Naples’ Be-In Festival in early 1973 and served as the opening act for West, Bruce & Laing in Rome. These live appearances led to a deal with RCA.

Opera Prima

Rustichelli e Bordini released their singular album, Opera Prima, in 1973 on RCA.

The album consists of six tracks, four with vocals and two instrumentals, performed entirely by keyboardist/composer Paolo Rustichelli and drummer/percussionist Carlo Bordini. Dispensing with guitars and bass, the duo built the music on dense keyboard arrangements, alternating between solemn organ passages, rapid piano figures, synth-based ostinatos, and sweeping Mellotron backdrops. Though the instrumental range is limited to keys and drums, the duo exploits these elements to create wide contrasts of intensity, motion, and texture.

Rustichelli plays Hammond C3, Mellotron, piano, and ARP VCS 3 synthesizer, forming all harmonic and melodic content, including low-end counterpoint in lieu of bass. He also sings on four tracks in a deep, rough voice marked by dramatic phrasing and strained upper delivery. Bordini drives the material with tightly executed fills, staggered snare runs, and precise dynamic control, often doubling and contrasting Rustichelli’s layered rhythms.

The album opens with “Natività,” a multi-part instrumental built on an A–B–A structure. It begins with cyclical piano patterns and organ fanfare, transitions into a tranquil mid-section with Mellotron lines and arpeggiated piano, then concludes with a return to the main motif over pounding chords. “Icaro” starts in a subdued tone with solemn vocals, then accelerates into a syncopated rhythm under organ flourishes and a long jazz-inflected keyboard solo. “Dolce sorella” builds on a quotation from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, adapted into a flowing keyboard hymn with Moog and Mellotron overlays.

“Un cane” develops from a quiet piano opening into a slow 6/8 progression with lyrical references to urban solitude and spiritual displacement. “E svegliarsi in un giorno” introduces a syncopated structure with layered keyboards and anthemic repetitions, returning at points to earlier motifs. “Cammellandia” closes the album in instrumental form, alternating cinematic themes with rising Mellotron swells, descending piano lines, and sharp drum–organ unisons.

A1. “Natività” [Nativity] (8:13) — instrumental piece structured in alternating thematic sections with layered Mellotron and piano
A2. “Icaro” [Icarus] (7:40) — lyrical invocation of flight and fall, culminating in an organ-driven midsection and shifting time signatures
A3. “Dolce sorella” [Sweet Sister] (5:24) — opens with church organ and adapts Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” theme into a hymn-like arrangement

B1. “Un cane” [A Dog] (5:20) — contrasts tender piano introduction with a slow, weighted verse section marked by dense harmonic layering
B2. “E svegliarsi in un giorno” [And Waking Up One Day] (5:18) — midtempo track featuring synth ostinato, Mellotron interlude, and emphatic vocal cadence
B3. “Cammellandia” [Cammellandia] (8:48) — closes with a long instrumental suite that develops fanfare motifs into overlapping rhythmic cycles

Sessions took place at RCA Studio C with engineer P. Venditti. The album was produced by Lilli Greco, Mario Simone, and Paolo Dossena. TK cut the original lacquer.

Cover photography by David Booth depicts a bald, heavyset man cradling an infant in his arms—an ambiguous visual metaphor possibly alluding to generational paradox or musical duality.

Postlude

After the album, Carlo Bordini was contacted by a group called Oliver, which included Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, and Fabio Pignatelli—soon to become the first lineup of Goblin. He also appeared on the Cherry Five album.

Discography: