This was one of the first non-western Morricone LPs i bought, probably with Sicilian Clan and Battle of Algiers. My first experience of it was an early midweek evening premiere screening in the uk on bbc2 in mid70s. Id spotted it in the Radio Times (somewhere i have the cutting, with a picture of Marlon Brando) and although i didnt know the film - listed as Burn - it stated italian production and the year meant it "might be an Ennio" - i was thrilled when i started recording off the TV when Ennio's name came up. And i got the score within a few weeks. I also managed to get the paperback book.
"Carry your bags, Sir?"
This was my favourite track. Always found it a great listen and i love the Nicolai organ.
Regarding qiemada /cannibals. There was a programme on the radio about EM. A story was related that cannibals was being recorded down the corridor from Pontecorvo. He liked what he heard and pinched the music and told Ennio that that was what he wanted .Cavani was curious so EM had to smooth things over.And ended up writing something similar for Pontecorvo.So the tale went.
Morricone: "...The Story of Queimada is set on an imaginary island in the Antilles, where a young revolutionary, Jose Dolores, is trying to overthrow Portugues rule. I associated the slave revolt with a massive use of percussive instruments. I also decided to include some classical music - Bach's Cantata 156 - in the scene in which Walker (Marlon Brando) looks at himself in the mirror and recognises the emptiness of his own life without ideals, compared to that of Dolores, who is ready to sacrifice himself for freedom.
After the fine experience of The Battle of Algiers i had Pontecorvo's total trust when working on Burn! In fact he left me carte blanche with regard to the music in this film. I used a rifle shot during the opening credits to transmit a powerful sense of energy and expressive urgency..."
This was one of the first non-western Morricone LPs i bought, probably with Sicilian Clan and Battle of Algiers. My first experience of it was an early midweek evening premiere screening in the uk on bbc2 in mid70s. Id spotted it in the Radio Times (somewhere i have the cutting, with a picture of Marlon Brando) and although i didnt know the film - listed as Burn - it stated italian production and the year meant it "might be an Ennio" - i was thrilled when i started recording off the TV when Ennio's name came up. And i got the score within a few weeks. I also managed to get the paperback book.
"Carry your bags, Sir?"
This was my favourite track. Always found it a great listen and i love the Nicolai organ.
Yeah, that's a great track indeed and I too love the organ. However, according to Giorgio Carnini, it was he who played the organ on this score as well as on most other EM scores up to 1976.
Nicolai was Ennio's organist until Carnini's arrival around 1967-68, after which Nicolai dedicated himself completely to the conducting of the orchestra and composing soundtracks. He played on Nicolai's soundtracks too, as well as on compositions by others musicians such as Piccioni, Rota, Trovajoli, Bacalov, Ortolani , De Masi, Cipriani, Savina, Lavagnino and others.
Trovajoli and Gianni Ferrio often used Antonello Vannucchi on the Hammond RT-3 or C3 for their jazz music on film, because he was a specialist of jazz improvisation. However, when they needed something more "classic", more "organistic", they always called Carnini. Piccioni usually played the organ on many of his own scores but he too used Carnini on certain occasions.
If you haven't done so already I recommend you to check out the 2-part Carnini article/interview which was published in the issues #13 and #14 of the Ennio Morricone online magazine at www.chimai.com
Cheers mikael, beyond his credit for using the Thomas 900 on Face to face, im sure i read somewhere - cant remember who - said that Nicolai was often conducting but playing solo organ sequences for morricone whenever the organ music was dominant, but equally i bow to your info provided by mr Carnini, he would know better. It does indeed sound an interesting interview and i really must sort getting my backlog of Maestro.
So it was probably Georgio on the wonderful Desert of Tartars then?
Cheers mikael, beyond his credit for using the Thomas 900 on Face to face, im sure i read somewhere - cant remember who - said that Nicolai was often conducting but playing solo organ sequences for morricone whenever the organ music was dominant, but equally i bow to your info provided by mr Carnini, he would know better. It does indeed sound an interesting interview and i really must sort getting my backlog of Maestro.
So it was probably Georgio on the wonderful Desert of Tartars then?
As far as I know Bruno is not credited with playing the organ on FACE TO FACE, neither in the film credits nor on the LP/CD. The opening titles does mention the use of the Thomas 900 though. Carnini could not say with 100% certainty that he played on that score although he did mention that he introduced the use of the big Thomas 900 electronic theater organ in '67 - he even released a solo LP that year "Giorgio Carnini all'organo Thomas" - and according to himself he was normally the unique player of that instrument.
Giorgio at the Thomas 900 organ, late '60s.
Having said that, there's still a possibility that Bruno was the organist on FACE TO FACE because this soundtrack was recorded around sept/oct '67, maybe too early for Carnini who dates his arrival as a soundtrack/session organist circa 1968. Furthermore, Bruno's name is also linked with the Thomas organ; he's credited as the soloist on some recordings by Carlo Rustichelli from the late '60s and -according to Stefan Schlegel - Rustichelli let him play the Thomas organ on quite a lot of his scores and appreciated him for this capability very much. This is what Rustichelli had to say about Bruno (again according to Stefan Schlegel): "He was mainly a great conductor and excellent at the Thomas organ. For this I always appreciated him very much."
As for the organist on IL DESERTO DEI TARTARI, it is indeed Carnini on the Vincenzo Mascioni pipe organ. He used the same organ on a lot of other Morricone and Nicolai scores, for example MADDALENA and L'ANTICRISTO, both of which are usually ascribed to Bruno.
Fascinating stuff Mikael. Thank you my friend. And you are right, opening credits do not specifically state Nicolai played the Thomas organ on Face to Face, i thought they did. Perhaps it was Lionel Woodman or Professori Zamori who told me that he did. Not sure.
The key moment is the 2 credits from 2.42 (apart from the fact its a great opening sequence and music!! - any excuse to highlight it!!)
QUEIMADA is a great movie, very political. Morricone's score fits it like a glove. I have the 31 tracks release and love it, specially "Abolição" and the "José Dolores" theme.
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