Francesca Ortolani, (also known as Aufidena and Viking) is an Italian songwriter/producer/sound engineer and recorder player. She sings pagan and nationalist folk music.
Francesca Ortolani was born on 25th June 1982 in Rome. Her stage name Aufidena is named after a region of Italy. Student in Electronic Engineering she has interest in technologies and she becomes sound engineer for her musical works. She has recorded demos and cheap albums at her "Secret Lab Recording Studio", a little home studio, for years. Francesca starts writing music when she's 11. She had studied a little bit of recorder at school and she teaches herself how to play guitar and piano. The recorder study becomes harder when she's 12 and she attends the conservatory, where she will never get her diploma. She buys herself music sheets with her little money but when she has no more money she leaves the music school and she starts the scientific lyceum. Among her ambitions are engineering and planes piloting.
In the meanwhile she keeps on writing music, undertaking, at the age of 15, her first great solo project. Between 1998 and 2006 Francesca will sign her own music with the name Viking, a name, or persecution (as the singer says), she will carry in good and bad fate. The reasons why she chose this name are several and different but we could summarize them in Francesca's words: "I represent the ambiguity, the uncertainty and the instability you would never like to see in Italy and in Europe. Yes, I'm a sort of monster. I represent the reality you would never love to see. We are all a bit "Viking" here in Europe."
Among the themes in her songs there are love for the homeland and her heathen religion. Francesca gets closer to the right wing scene and her hymns become battlesongs. In spite of that Francesca doesn't like being called "right-wing singer", because "she doesn't want her music to belong to any political and temporary group or party (even if she's a supporter). She plays for her own folk and for all the ones who want and don't want to listen. She hates all mental constraints and culture must be independent from any political party"
Francesca released her first album in 2000 under the name Viking. It was called Welcome to Scandinavia. The album tells the story of a hypothetic character called Viking who looks for his own roots in the chaos. The story of Viking goes on in 2002 with the release of Askungen. The same year Francesca founds the label AshTree Records. In 2003 Viking releases a full album in Italian, L'eco della Battaglia, containing hymns and marches from the Fascist Era, arranged with recorder, voice, guitar and piano. In 2005 she takes part to the international project For Faith, Folk and Europe, recording four tracks, such as L'ultimo soffio dell'inverno, The Warriors Call and My Lord. 2005 is a productive year for the young Italian. In fact Gloucester Road is released, an introspective album. We mention the songs Pro Aeterna Paganitate, Towards the Light, London Trains, Under the Train. This album is dedicated to London Underground, where Francesca will play live. A framed copy of this cd is stored at London Transport Museum.
The same year Francesca joins the Canadian black metal band Geimhre, giving the folkish character to their work Mollachd. In the meanwhile, in 2004, Francesca falls ill from anorexia nervosa first and binge eating later. Eating disorders and intolerances keep her away from concerts and friends. In 2006 Francesca starts the project The Power Station, dedicated to Battersea Power Station in London. The Scarecrow, from this project, is one of Francesca Ortolani's most appreciated songs ever.
Eating problems get worse and Francesca tries to commit suicide several times between 2006 and 2007. The hardest episode dates back to March 2007, when Francesca is taken unconscious to hospital after a poisoning caused by benzodiazepines. A long hepatitis caused by medicines taken at the hospital will follow. In Spring 2007, after a long period of crisis, desease and solitude, Francesca decides to change her name Viking in Aufidena. This new name represents her land. 2008 waits for the release in Autumn of the album Z80 and a new cd with Geimhre.
Band Members & Instruments:
Francesca Ortolani plays all.
Similar Artists:
Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield
Influenced by:
Jethro Tull
Origin:
Europe
-  Italy
- Rome
Homepage: http://aufidena.ashtree.org
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