Mikko Härkin

Italian “cinematic” metallers LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY have recruited Mikko Härkin (SONATA ARCTICA, SYMFONIA) to play keyboards on the band’s upcoming “Ascending To Infinity Cinematic World Tour 2012”.

Commented LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY guitarist/mainman Luca Turilli: “It is surely a great honor to have Mikko playing with us, in November and December, on the stages of all Europe. I know him since the first tour made together with SONATA ARCTICA as special guests of STRATOVARIUS in 2000. He is a wonderful and spiritual person, the perfect brother to work with!”

Support on the European tour will come from FREEDOM CALL and ORDEN OGAN from Germany and VEXILLUM from Italy.

For a list of currently confirmed tour dates, see the poster below.

After a summer devoted to work, work and more work, LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY guitarist/mainman Luca Turilli and singer Alessandro Conti recently came back from the Backyard Studios in Kempten, Germany where they recorded a new session of epic choirs exclusively for the upcoming trek.

Explained Luca: “As in our shows we will also play some of the very old RHAPSODY songs, rarely or never played until now, we decided to re-record the choirs for those same songs in order to present them on stage with the best sound quality possible. Moreover, we decided to add a great choral impact to some songs that originally were not featuring a choir.”

Added Alessandro: “A couple of days ago, we met in Germany some of the singers who already performed on the new album ‘Ascending To Infinity’, and, thanks to their unique vocal power, we gave new energy and new life to those glorious and legendary tracks that made the history of RHAPSODY!”

The singers who took part in the new choral recordings are Conti, photographer Johnny Eisprung; Matthias Stockinger, singer and actor from the musical “Evita”; and the AOR legend Dan Lucas, who sold 1.4 million copies with the single “Heart Of America”.

In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.

Due to legal reasons, Staropoli is continuing under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, is making his efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE‘s original name), in which he is joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, singer Alessandro Conti (TRICK OR TREAT) and drummer Alex Landenburg (AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR, MEKONG DELTA, STRATOVARIUS).