We Speak Music
I Musici Gemelli Takes on Sacred Narrative
I Musici Gemelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” arrives as an ambitious project that asks a lot of two violins and the listeners willing to follow along. Francesco Pio and Giuseppe Pio Bertozzi have taken on composer Emanuele Stracchi’s twelve movement work that traces the life of Christ from birth to resurrection, and the result is a recording that succeeds more often than it stumbles.
The concept itself is demanding. Condensing the entire Gospel narrative into roughly 50 minutes using only two violins means every note carries weight, and there’s nowhere to hide when the writing doesn’t quite land. Fortunately, Emanuele’s compositional approach provides enough variety to keep nearly an hour of violin duet from becoming monotonous. His references to Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony give the work a foundation that feels appropriate for the subject matter without becoming overly reverential.
The brothers handle the technical demands with obvious competence. Their training shows in how they balance their sound, particularly in moments where the score requires them to mirror or chase each other through complex canonic passages. The “canon per tonos” that accompanies Christ’s entry into Jerusalem works well on paper, with each voice rising a tone to suggest ascent, though whether listeners will catch that detail without the liner notes is questionable.
What’s most interesting about this recording is what it doesn’t try to do. There’s no attempt at grand drama or sweeping emotional manipulation. Instead, Francesco Pio and Giuseppe Pio have opted for something more contemplative, letting the intimate format create its own kind of space. That restraint serves some movements better than others. “Nativitas Christi” benefits from the quieter approach, while later sections dealing with the passion and crucifixion occasionally feel like they’re straining against the limitations of just two instruments.
At nearly 50 minutes, the album requires commitment. It’s not background music, and it’s not structured for casual listening. The movements flow into each other with a logic that makes more sense when experienced as a complete work rather than individual tracks, which is both a strength and a potential barrier.
Francesco Pio and Giuseppe Pio have accumulated impressive credentials and performance experience at major venues, and that preparation is evident in how cleanly they execute Emanuele’s score. What’s less clear is whether this particular project will find an audience beyond those already inclined toward sacred classical music. The recording quality is solid, the performances are assured, but the concept itself occupies a specific niche.
“Jesus of Nazareth” is a serious work that takes its subject seriously. It doesn’t pander or simplify, and it assumes listeners will bring their own patience and attention to the listening experience. For those willing to meet it on those terms, there’s genuine substance here. For others, it may feel more like an academic exercise than an emotional journey.
You can listen here.
We Speak Music
SCARECROW’s John Blaze Delivers a Career Milestone With “Twisted” and Earns Josie Music Awards Song of the Year Nomination
John Blaze has spent nearly four decades fronting SCARECROW, the New York hard-rock outfit he founded in 1989, and in 2026 he delivered one of the most ambitious releases of his career with “Twisted.” Now, the song has reached another major milestone: “Twisted” has been nominated for Song of the Year in the Metal/Alternative category at the Josie Music Awards.
The nomination places Blaze and SCARECROW among this year’s recognized independent artists and songwriters at the Josie Music Awards, with the awards ceremony set to take place at Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry. For an artist whose career has been built on persistence, independence and decades of hard-rock storytelling, the recognition gives “Twisted” an entirely new chapter.
Written by John Blaze and Chaffin, “Twisted” pulls together a lineup of guest players that reads like a rock family reunion, built around Blaze’s long-standing friendship with Dee Snider and the legacy of Twisted Sister, a band woven into SCARECROW’s story from its earliest days.
That connection goes all the way back to the beginning. SCARECROW’s original lineup featured guitarist Eddie Ojeda, best known for his work in Twisted Sister, and the two camps have remained connected ever since. “Twisted” makes that history explicit: Dee Snider appears on the record with guest vocals during the track’s climactic second verse and chorus, lending the song an instantly recognizable jolt of arena-rock power.
Snider isn’t the only marquee name in the credits. Mark Wood, founding violinist of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, contributes electrifying violin work that gives “Twisted” a cinematic sweep uncommon in modern hard rock. Rounding out the track are TJ Jordan on lead guitar and Bobby Marks on drums, creating a powerful, road-tested foundation behind Blaze’s signature gritty vocal delivery.
The Josie Music Awards nomination feels particularly fitting because “Twisted” isn’t simply another SCARECROW release. It brings together different eras of Blaze’s musical life while pushing the band’s sound forward. There’s history in the recording, but there’s also urgency. It doesn’t sound like a band looking backward. It sounds like one with unfinished business.
For Blaze, the nomination also represents recognition of a career that has largely been built outside the traditional machinery of the mainstream music business. Independent rock artists rarely survive for decades without a fierce commitment to what they do, and SCARECROW’s longevity speaks for itself. From the band’s early years and its 1991 debut, through the Blood, Sweat and 20 Years retrospective and the theatrical production I Am SCARECROW, Blaze has continued developing a world around the music rather than simply releasing songs.
That makes the Song of the Year nomination especially meaningful. After nearly four decades of building SCARECROW, Blaze now heads to the Josie Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry with one of his most ambitious songs recognized in the Metal/Alternative category.
And there’s something wonderfully appropriate about the song that got him there.
“Twisted” connects SCARECROW’s beginnings to its present, reunites Blaze musically with figures tied to the band’s history, and demonstrates just how much fire remains in the project. With Snider and Wood contributing to the record and Blaze still driving the band he created from the ground up, the track feels less like a nostalgic reunion than a statement of survival.
Now it’s also an award-nominated song.
For John Blaze and SCARECROW, nearly four decades into the journey, “Twisted” has become more than another entry in the catalog. It’s a career milestone — and this September, that milestone is taking SCARECROW all the way to the Grand Ole Opry.
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