Artist

CELESTE

Ciro Perrino (drums, percussion, flute, keyboards, vocals)
Leonardo Lagorio (keyboards, flute, sax)
Mariano Schiavolini (guitar, violin)
Giorgio Battaglia (bass)

Along with Museo Rosenbach, Celeste were born from the ashes of the legendary Il Sistema, a band from Sanremo whose only posthumous released recordings don't give a real idea of what they were. 
Formed by drummer Ciro Perrino and sax player Leonardo Lagorio (who had played with Museo Rosenbach in their early days) this four piece went in a totally different direction from their beginnings, playing a mostly acoustic, dreamy and delicate prog. A studio group, they had a very limited live experience.
Their first album, Celeste, also known as Principe di un giorno, was released by the small Grog label only in 1976, but the tracks had been composed in 1973 and recorded in 1974. An early recording was sung in English, with the British singer Nikki Burton and flutist Marco Tudini that left the group, and was only recently released.
The album contains seven tracks, with pastoral lyrics and a style not far from the softer side of early King Crimson, but was not successful at the time and was only revaluated years after its release.

An album entitled Celeste II was released in 1991 by Mellow. This album included some demo recordings from 1977 that suffered from poor quality and unfinished arrangements, and was closer to jazz-rock and very far from their debut album.
Another album issued on CD by Mellow in 1992, called I suoni in una sfera, contained unreleased 70's recordings (including two tracks later on Principe di un giorno), allegedly composed for a film soundtrack, and was more similar to their first work.

After the band split Ciro Perrino played with St.Tropez (that also included Celeste bass player Battaglia), Compagnia Digitale and SNC and released a solo album (Solare in 1980), before founding with Mauro Moroni the praiseworthy Mellow label, so important during the years for the world diffusion of the Italian prog.

The whole story of Celeste was celebrated by a very nice 4CD box set issued in 2010 containing all the recorded works of Il Sistema and St.Tropez, with many unreleased tracks.

The name Celeste was revived in 2019 by Ciro Perrino along with a large group of guest musicians for a new album, actually the second Celeste studio release, inspired even in the title Il risveglio del principe to the atmosphere of the first LP. This was followed by Il principe del regno perduto, in 2021 and Celeste with Celestial Symphony Orchestra a year later.

Very rare in its original Grog pressing, Principe di un giorno is more common in its Japanese (Seven Seas/King K22P184) and Korean (Si-Wan SRML 2002) issues, both having the same plain white gatefold cover as the original, though later single-cover Japanese issues exist.
The original album sold around 4000 copies, but the number of copies pressed is unknown.
On the front side and the left seam of the cover, as well as on the label, the album title is simply Celeste, but the notes on the back cover refer to the album as Principe di un giorno, like the first song it contains.
The first official vinyl reissue of this album came out in 2009 by AMS, early copies being pressed on white vinyl.

Celeste II, recorded in 1977, was released in a limited vinyl pressing by M.M./Mellow, many of these copies were signed on the insert by Ciro Perrino. Its CD reissue had the new title Second plus, as it included over 20 minutes of bonus tracks.

No counterfeits or other foreign issues exist.
Principe di un giorno was issued on CD in Japan in 1981 on King/Nexus (K32Y 2059) and again in 2003 with mini-LP cover on the Arcangelo label (ARC-7021).

I suoni in una sfera, issued on CD in 1992 and on LP only in 2022 contains 12 tracks recorded in the 70's; The first nine were allegedly part of the soundtrack to the eponymous 1974 movie, but they had actually been already issued on two Magma LP's from 1976 credited to Gianni e i Suoi Solisti, Musica del mare and Sensazioni d'estate and the film was never produced.

The compilation entitled The complete recordings was issued in 2010 in a hard cover box set with an illustrated 44 page booklet. A new edition with the same 4 CD's was issued in 2013 with a standard jewel case and a smaller booklet.

The 2019 LP, Il risveglio del principe, came out on vinyl (300 copies only) with seven tracks, and on CD with an extra track, Porpora e giacinto. The CD was also issued in Japan by Belle Antique (BELLE 193060) with mini-LP gatefold cover and a second bonus track, Mare di giada.

The 2020 CD, Flashes from the archives of oblivion, is a compilation of 70's recordings. Some of the tracks were on The complete recordings, and it also contains the bonus tracks only issued on the Italian and Japanese issues of Il risveglio del principe. All the other tracks are unreleased.

Even Il principe del regno perduto came out in a limited pressing on black (200 copies) and light blue vinyl (120 numbered and signed copies). The CD version, with gatefold mini-LP cover, contains three extra tracks.

Principe di un giorno - front cover

LP label

Celeste II - LP

Il risveglio del principe - LP

Il principe del regno perduto - LP

Celeste with Celestial Symphony Orchestra - LP

I suoni in una sfera - CD

Second plus - CD

Flashes from the archives of oblivion - CD

Celeste with Celestial Symphony Orchestra - CD

1969-1977 The complete recordings - box set

Ciro Perrino's website is www.ciroperrino.nl

A Youtube channel fully dedicated to Celeste and related groups is at www.youtube.com/user/celesteperrino1976

Thanks to Silvano Ceriani for some information