| Equilíbrio Distante | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Renato Russo |
| Cover: | Renato_russo_equilíbrio_distante.jpg |
| Alt: | Yellow square with 'Renato Russo' and 'Equilíbrio Distante' in the middle and four drawings in each corner depicting the Maracanã Stadium, the Coliseum, the Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro and the Tower of Pisa |
| Released: | December 1995 |
| Recorded: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Pop music, acoustic rock, classical crossover |
| Length: | (according to FUSCALDO, 2016) (according to the booklet) |
| Language: | Italian |
| Label: | EMI |
| Producer: | Renato Russo, Carlos Trilha |
| Prev Title: | The Stonewall Celebration Concert |
| Prev Year: | 1994 |
| Next Title: | O Último Solo |
| Next Year: | 1997 |
Equilibrio Distante (English: Distant Balance) is the second solo album by Brazilian singer Renato Russo (and the last released before his death), released in December 1995.[1] It consists of covers of Italian songs originally released by musicians from that country. The album came after a troubled period for Russo, who was struggling with depression at that time, and its recording took nine months. It sold 200 thousand copies little after its release.
Russo mentioned the project for the first time to keyboardist Carlos Trilha (who toured with his main band, Legião Urbana, and who had participated in his solo debut, The Stonewall Celebration Concert) after a Legião's show at Metropolitan, in Rio de Janeiro.
Following a suggestion by label EMI-Odeon, Russo traveled to Italy to deepen his researches for the album. Initially, he was reluctant because he feared being mistaken for a terrorist due to his looks – indeed, he was randomly picked for a search at Milan's Airport.
He ended up accepting the proposal after he had the opportunity to invite Gilda Mattoso to come long. Mattoso had been a press agent for labels Ariola Discos and PolyGram and in 1989 she had opened an office with her business partner Marcus Vinícius to do PR to artists such as Gilberto Gil, Cazuza, Caetano Veloso, Elba Ramalho, among others. Previously, she had lived and studied in Italy, helping producer Franco Fontana take Brazilian artists to the country. She eventually married one of them – Vinicius de Moraes.
In the comuna of Sesto ed Uniti (more precisely in the municipality of Sesto Cremonese[2]), Russo learned his ancestors were peasants, and not noble people as he believed. He was less disturbed, however, after he was informed that it was there that the Stradivarius violins were created.
The trip, which consisted in four nights in Milan and another four in Rome,[1] resulted in visits to Italian musicians and a big quantity of acquired albums – over 200. He also took the chance to obtain some necessary documents from his great-grandparents Maria and Piero to acquire Italian citizenship for him and his son.[1]
The chosen repertoire, according to Italians Russo approached during his researches, does not represent Italy. On the other hand, names such as Laura Pausini gained some popularity in Brazil after being revealed on the album.
The album's recording took place throughout 1995,[2] and was done by computer and then transferred to magnetic tapes, since the arrangements involved more instruments and the channels at that time were limited.
The first recording problems involved the bass guitar. Russo wouldn't approve Marcos Pessoa's work. Trilha found a solution in Arthur Maia, who would refine the desired parts. Bruno Araújo, another Legião Urbana supporting member, also played the instrument, apart from Russo himself.
Besides, Trilha recalls having to deal with the unpredictability of Russo, never being able to predict whether he would like something or not. The vocals became another problem: not used to that kind of music (compared to his work with Legião Urbana), Russo disliked the first recording, abandoned the studio for some time and cancelled sessions. He was also lacking confidence due to the accent he believed he had. In order to work his way around it, he took private Italian lessons.
By the time of the album's release, however, Russo said in an interview with International Magazine that "their [Italians] singing style is very similar to mine" and that their thematic was similar to that of Legião Urbana, "which is that thing of speaking about ethics, love songs that have a social background... Always that thing of the subject confused with the world, trying to solve the matters of the world".
"Passerà" was one of the first songs Russo showed Trilha. About it, the keyboardist commented:
Many other songs were recorded (a total of 21 were conceived for the album[3]), however, they didn't have their arrangements ready and were cut from the final track list. They were later finished and released on O Último Solo, his first posthumous solo album.
Equilíbrio Distante came out in December 1995, a month before Russo had to return to the studio to commence work on those which would be the last Legião Urbana albums.[1]
The album cover features drawings by Giuliano Manfredini, Russo's son (who was 6 around that time[2]), in textured paper. They depict the Sugar Loaf, the Maracanã Stadium, the Colosseum and the Tower of Pisa (spelled Tower of "Pizza").[2]
The booklet came shaped as a small book per Russo's idea, containing initial letters inspired by 19th century typography. It also had pictures of Russo's ancestors and pictures resulted from his research. The artistic director Egeu Laus said that was the first time a Brazilian album featured such a graphic project. Only one printing company in Rio de Janeiro had the necessary equipment to print that booklet.
In a brief review, Folha de S.Paulo said the album "fails to repeat the delicate lyricism of The Stonewall Celebration Concert" and defines it as "tacky", listing as possible reasons "the language, the mellow arrangements and the repertoire choice".[4]
Adapted from the booklet[5] and from FUSCALDO, 2016: