Lost Issue: Gary Radovich Reviews Part Four

La Musica di Armando Trovaioli per il Cinema di Ettore Scola ****

ARMANDO TROVAIOLI

RCA 74321328082(2)

(2 CDs). Disc One: 22 tracks - 71:50; Disc Two: 19 tracks - 78:22

This deluxe 2CD soundtrack set from Italy collects 41 selections (all original soundtracks) from 17 different films scored by Trovaioli for director Ettore Scola from 1964 through 1995. Their collaboration is considered among the most important in Italian cinema and this anthology is most welcome (and is currently the best Trovaioli compilation available on CD).

The discs also present the music in chronological order and use between one and five selections from the original soundtrack for each film. Many of these films were comedies and Trovaioli (along with Carlo Rustichelli) has a high reputation in this genre. The early films generally use either light jazz or easy-listening pop. When required, Trovaioli can also provide wonderful, classically styled compositions with full orchestra and chorus, especially in the period and costume dramas.

Disc one really begins to generate interest with the three tracks from the masterful L'Arcidiavolo score from 1966. All the tracks feature a great pop sound with period instrumentation and chorus (a full reissue of this score is due from Point shortly). An extended version of the main title from Il Commissario Pepe (1969) has a great melody with whistling, while the second theme from this score mixes a wordless female vocalist with the easy-listening music to give it a very 1960s feel. The first selection from Dramma Della Gelosia (1970) also uses female vocalist to nice effect...but two of the five cuts from this score feature Italian dialogue by Marcello Mastroianni and Monica Vitti which may bother non Italian speaking listeners. The music from La Pui' Bella Serata Della Mia Vita (1972) is all of interest. The first theme includes a musical simulation of a motorcycle (according to the composer's comments in the booklet) done with electronics. The second cut has a female voice altered electronically and echoed while the final track begins with a poignant flute before adding synthesizers and the electronically altered voice again (not unlike Wendy Carlos' work in A Clockwork Orange). Another top-notch film score is Brutti, Sporchi e Cattivi (1976), here represented by two tracks. Less comic than the preceding tracks, these selections are more edgy and moody, particularly the second cut which has a contemporary sound to the arrangement and uses a chorus to perform the title song.

Nearly every track on the second disc is worthy of mention as Trovaioli uses a more serious approach, and relies less and less on synthesizers as time goes by. Il Mondo Nuovo (aka La Nuit des Varennes, 1982) is a period drama with an appropriately classical score, regal and elegant. The two tracks from 1984's Maccheroni are pleasant and easy-going, the first using light jazz and the second piano and strings. The lengthy La Famiglia (1987) theme is one of Trovaioli's best-known efforts and is overtly sentimental.

Splendor (1989), here represented by two tracks, is reminiscent of Nino Rota in its playful keyboards (the second selection adds tender strings) while Che Ora E' (1989) has two versions of the main theme: the first is a nice piano and strings rendition while the other is a more jazzy interpretation.
One of Trovaioli's greatest scores of recent years is 1990's Il Viaggio di Capitan Fracassa and this anthology provides three exquisite selections. All are classical in style with a great arrangement which shows off the thematic material. The initial track is a bit melancholy while the second is more playful and melodic. The third and final cut recaps all the themes and also uses a chorus (seek out the complete Italian CD of this score -- it's one of Trovaioli's most underrated and melodic). The music for Mario, Maria e Mario (1993) is well represented by three lengthy selections. The second theme is a calliope/carousel composition while the other two are classical in nature and add a touch of melancholy to the mix. Finally, three cuts from Romanzo di un Giovane Povero (1995) end the second disc; these themes are lighter and more easy-going, quite enjoyable.

These discs feature great sound and are a wonderful introduction to Armando Trovaioli, who is still going strong as he nears his 80th birthday. These films for Scola are among his best-loved and the tracks have been sensibly chosen by disc producer Sergio Bassetti...who has also written the extensive and highly informative liner notes (with a nicely illustrated booklet) but, unfortunately, they are solely in Italian!
 
 
 

L'Uomo Delle Stelle ***

ENNIO MORRICONE

Epic EPC 481463 2

16 tracks - 52 36

For his latest collaboration with director Giuseppe Tornatore, Morricone has written a pleasant score full of nostalgia and melancholy which returns to the spirit of Cinema Paradiso, rather than the more difficult psychological music for 1994's A Pure Formality. L'Uomo Delle Stelle, a period drama taking place in the 1930s or '40s, will please most fans of the Maestro but the wonderful orchestral arrangements cannot hide the fact that some of the tracks seem to repeat themselves interminably. On the other hand, the rich nostalgic atmosphere and touch of sadness throughout the score is appealing and there are no jarring suspense compositions to interrupt the flow.

The first selection, "L'Uomo Delle Stelle," sets the tone for the overall score. It is a playful theme performed by flute and violin with a sense of nostalgia. The melody, while pleasing, is not particularly memorable, and a second rendition of it can be found on "Maciste e i Suoi Fratelli," this time performed by keyboards, strings and flute. The score's primary theme is first heard on "Tra le Stelle," a slow-developing and melancholy composition played by acoustic guitar, flute and strings and which will appear on at least six other tracks. It is the heart and soul of the music and evokes a feeling of yearning. The best versions of this composition are "Beata," with a gorgeous arrangement of acoustic guitar, flutes and beautiful violin, and "Provino," whose shimmering orchestral accompaniment adds clarinet. Some of the other renditions of this theme add the Jew's harp to the proceedings, and this traditional Sicilian instrument lends greater authenticity to the music. (Tornatore is Sicilian and there is some connection in this film to Sicily as well.)
Morricone has also composed some fine cocktail music in "L'Hollywood dei Poveri" and mixes the piano, clarinet, accordion and strings in an easy-going, but repetitive, theme. A romantic love theme is heard in "Beata e Joe," with prominent acoustic guitar. Rounding out the recording are two pieces of source music arranged by Morricone, the old standard "Stardust," given a lengthy romantic interpretation, and "Marcia Funebre," a brassy Sicilian style march (often heard in either religious or funeral processions).

L'Uomo Delle Stelle, while trying hard, does not match the high musical standards Morricone reached in previous collaborations with Tornatore like Cinema Paradiso and Everybody's Fine. But it's a highly lyrical and nostalgic score with absolutely gorgeous orchestrations. In fact, there are five individual credits for soloists in the liner notes (two for flute, one for violin, one for clarinet and one for guitar). The use of the flutes especially add a semi-classical air, and Franco Tamponi's superb violin solos are another highlight. The sound quality is excellent and the liner notes adequate (a description of the film's storyline would have been welcomed).
 
 
 
 

Romanzo di un Giovane Povero *** 1/2

ARMANDO TROVAIOLI

RCA 74321-31989-2

23 tracks - 59:23

This score represents another continuing composer/director collaboration in Italy, Trovaioli and Ettore Scola. Trovaioli, like fine wine, seems to be getting better with age as he cuts down on his scoring assignments and gives special attention to the one or two projects he does work on each year. Romanzo di un Giovane Povero is an all-orchestral score with a lot of woodwinds, beautifully arranged and recorded. The score is built around a nice main theme with two distinct melodies which appear on 19 of the 23 selections.

The primary theme is first heard in "Ti Piace Questo Provino Sig. Scola?" (track 1) and it is a comic yet bittersweet composition performed by keyboards, strings and mandolins. A more romantic version follows ("Romanzo di un Giovane Povero") with woodwinds. Other highlights include "La Biblioteca," a piano, strings and flute theme with a gently nostalgic atmosphere which includes one of the primary theme's melodies (a second variation on this is "L'Anellino Di Latta," with poignant violin added to the arrangement); and "Karline Ananas," which is a nice Brazilian samba composition with a female vocalist singing in Italian.

The score is filled out by many variations on the main theme plus a few light suspense or mystery tracks played by strings or flutes. A light jazz version of the main theme pops up on "La Gita in Motoretta," with a saxophone and piano accompanied by a contemporary beat, showing off Trovaioli's talents in arranging popular music. Backed by a strong main theme, Romanzo di un Giovane Povero shows 79 year-old Armando Trovaioli in fine form.
 
 
 
 

Il Bacio **

PIERO PICCIONI

Beat CDCR 30

20 tracks - 48:21

Il Bacio (The Kiss) is a lightweight Piccioni score to a recent drama which is overly reliant on strings. On top of the dull orchestral arrangements, the bulk of Il Bacio's music is somber and mysterious, with little joy or exuberation in the themes. Five of the 20 tracks feature Middle Eastern-flavored music, nearly always performed by flute and strings; "The Wicked Dancer" (track 8) is probably the best example. An all-too-brief romantic rendition of the main theme can be heard on "The Kiss" (track 6) played by strings and flute. The remaining selections are mainly bland reworkings of the thematic material (there are four tracks entitled "The Kiss") or mysterious/suspense type music with strings dominating.

Piccioni's main theme slightly reminded me of the bland "Saharan Dream" melody in Morricone's Secret of the Sahara TV score, a minor composition hardly worth emulating. The small orchestra tries its best to perform well but the uneven and below-average material is beyond redemption. Beat has provided a nice booklet with informative notes on the storyline but fails to mention what year the film was actually made, so I'm assuming it was a 1995 release. As usual, there is also a nice picture disc.
 
 
 
 

Lo Squartatore di New York/Una Tomba Aperta... Una Bara Vuota *** / ** 1/2

FRANCESCO DE MASI/PIERO PICCIONI

Beat CDCR 23

20 tracks - 58:00

In 1981-82, Italy's Beat Records issued a series of LPs containing horror scores, a genre which had been woefully ignored by most of the Italian labels. Following the great commercial success of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead in 1978, a large number of splatter and zombie films were produced in Italy and the cycle lasted for several years. Beat has now decided to repackage some of their earlier LP releases as CD two-fers, offering a good value and some interesting music as well.

Lo Squartatore di New York (aka The New York Ripper) is an early 1980s slasher film by genre specialist Lucio Fulci, responsible for directing several gory thrillers (most notably Zombie 2, the Italian "sequel" to Romero's Dawn of the Dead). The 12 selections presented duplicate the same tracks originally available on the 1982 Beat LP and were composed by Francesco De Masi. The score has a surprisingly pleasant main theme and the music is written in a contemporary vein with rock and jazz elements. The main theme is heard in five of the cuts and is perhaps best showcased in "New York One More Day" (track 6), with a trumpet, saxophone, electric guitar and bass jazzy arrangement. "Fay" is a pretty love theme performed by trumpet, acoustic guitar and harmonica, while a Latin contemporary sound is featured in the two themes entitled "Puertorico Club," one with voices and the other without. The remaining selections include variations on the main theme, non-jarring suspense music, atonal suspense music and a pleasing mixture of light rock and jazz. Beat has paired The New York Ripper with a Piero Piccioni horror score to Una Tomba Aperta... Una Bara Vuota (which translates into "An Open Tomb... An Empty Coffin") also from the early 1980s. The music is strings dominated and primarily atmospheric; the thematic material is weak and fails to impress. Beat has expanded the score to eight tracks (there was just one cut released previously on the 1982 Beat compilation Manhattan Baby/I Film Della Paura). The most noteworthy theme is a romantic love composition which is recorded twice on the CD, "It Means Love," performed by strings and piano on the first version and strings and harpsichord on the second. The other selections are generally suspense music played by strings. The score overall is bland and inferior to The New York Ripper.

Beat's sound is good and the presentation a nice one. The liner notes provide a synopsis of each film's story and the coupling of two complete scores makes this an excellent value. Both De Masi and Piccioni are considered heavyweights among the Italian film composers and it is interesting to see their different approaches to contemporary horror film scoring.
 

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