The celebrated pianist, Gabriele Baldocci has gone where few dare to tread. He has not only released an album of some of Queen’s biggest hits (and, for the fans, some of their most beloved deep cuts) but has approached the tracks in a way only a true fan could, deconstructing them to their very essence and creating works of art which will thrill Queen fans, classical aficionados and indeed anyone with a passion for music. With a live premiere at The Stables, Milton Keynes, on October 13th, featuring special guests including MC for the evening, the inimitable Peter Straker, Sheer Piano Attack is the perfect encapsulation of Gabriele’s astonishing skill on the piano, his remarkable arrangements and, of course, Queen’s legacy of staggering songs. (Click here for tickets.)
 
Sheer Piano Attack could only ever come from an artist who is a Queen fan to the very core – no fact about the band has gone unrecognised and no note has not been analysed. Featuring tracks from Queen’s first album through to Made in Heaven, as well as tracks from Freddie Mercury’s collaboration with Montserrat Caballé, Gabriele’s interpretations take a considerable musical leap of faith – “What would have happened if, instead of having the music of Wagner and Verdi as his source of inspiration, he instead had Queen?” 

This is an album of Queen tracks quite unlike any other. Forget any previous karaoke classical Queen albums and tribute acts mimicking every note, these are complete reinventions, taking the original melodies and taking them somewhere completely new. Fans will rejoice that alongside the likes of We Are the Champions and Don’t Stop Me Now are deep cuts from the band’s catalogue – the likes of White Queen and You Take My Breath Away, all familiar yet revisited and given a completely new treatment.

Combining his love of both classical music and Queen, the results are startling innovative yet completely reverential. Giving three of his friends the task of radically reworking some of Queen’s most intricate works – Bohemian Rhapsody, Innuendo and The Prophet’s Song – the album is revelatory, casting new light on familiar songs and opening up the classical world to those who tend to shy away from it. The skill of Mercury’s original piano skills are accentuated by Gabriele’s work on Bohemian Rhapsody – retitled Poem of the Bohemian – reaffirming what fans already knew – that Queen were technically streets ahead of other bands. A faithful rendition of Innuendo is now more than ever befitting of its original title of Bolero, whilst The Prophet’s Song (here titled Il Profeta – The Prophet) is revelatory, a song Queen fans have long hailed as one of their most remarkable compositions now given an avant-garde potency which matches its original epic operatic construction. Each of Sheer Piano Attack’s tracks is equally eye (and ear) popping, an extraordinary tribute to Mercury, May, Deacon and Taylor by one of the world’s greatest pianists. 
 
Despite coming from a distinctly unmusical family, Gabriele began to play the piano aged six, his classical studies balanced by his father’s impressive collection of prog and rock LPs. Disaster struck when he was seven, developed an auto immune condition called IGA Nephropathy, leading to a life of isolation and sporadic schooling. His escape from this prison was the piano, combining his gift for perfect pitch with the confidence to adapt his style and to improvise. Despite being the victim of bullying on the occasions he was able to attend school, his early life forged him into an indomitable character, ultimately leading to his career as a hugely respected classical pianist and composer. His talent and personality was such that he became a protégé and great friend of Martha Argerich, widely recognised as the greatest living classical pianist, both touring and recording with her. 
 
“My music is a blend of energy, virtuosity, emotional freedom and refined classical training. Classical pianists venturing outside of the classical world are very rare and, even when they play something different, they tend to quote classical composition. My style is completely unique and I like to think that, somehow, I have created a sort of a new music genre which I have just began to explore”
 
Also featuring the amazing blind vocalist Peter Jones and the opera star Barbara Luccini assisting, this is Queen as you’ve never heard them before.

Available to listen here on Spotify.

For more information and to buy Sheer Piano Attack go to www.sheerpianoattack.com

(Sheer Piano Attack Artwork: Brian Mitchell)