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Posted: |
May 23, 2016 - 9:08 AM
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By: |
blue15
(Member)
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"We are pleased to release for the absolute first time on CD the OST by Renzo Rossellini from the film “The Sign of Venus” (“Il segno di Venere”). With the publication of the complete OST for the 1955 comedy "The Sign of Venus", we continue our series dedicated to the Golden Age of Italian comedy (already out on CD is music by George Fabor, Piero Piccioni, and Armando Trovajoli for the trilogy by Risi "Poor But Beautiful" (U.S. title “Poor but Handsome), "Pretty but Poor", and "Poor Millionaires."
Incredibly, after sixty years, the mono master tapes of the original recording session have survived in excellent condition. We’ve used every note recorded to assemble the entire OST (37:14 minutes). The main score is cheerful, but also vaguely contemporary in orchestration. The music reflects a Roman setting and the relationships between the characters involving love, jealousy and loneliness. The master tapes also contained two danceable mixes by Felice Montagnini. To the delight of fans we have included a rare suite lasting 7:03 minutes with extracts from the 1955 recording session with the sound of people talking in the studio, one of whom is Maestro Rossellini."
"We are pleased to release the complete edition OST by Francesco De Masi for the Peplum film “Seven Slaves Against Rome” (“Gli schiavi più forti del mondo”). C.A.M. originally released an LP with 26 tracks selected by the songwriter (CAMCDR 33-9) lasting about 43 minutes. In 1987, the same material was later rereleased on vinyl in a limited edition series Phoenix (PHCAM 09). The first appearance on CD was in 1992 in the C.A.M. Soundtrack Encyclopedia series (CSE 026) paired with selections from the OST of the movie "Revenge of Spartacus”. For our CD (60:33 minutes total time) we used the master tape that half a century ago was assembled for the release of the LP and we have added new previously unreleased material, including a rare stereo mix which has been properly restored and remastered. A dutiful homage to artistic music by the unforgettable Maestro Francesco De Masi."
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IL SEGNO DI VENERE is a wonderful surprise and a particularly charming and lovely symphonic score by Rossellini. It is from 1955 and therefore one of the oldest titles in the Italian CAM catalogue. It is almost a miracle that the tapes have survived till now.
I am sure that this would be a CD which also this board's US Golden Age fans PFK and cody1949 would like very much. But where are they when they are needed? 
If another label like Kritzerland would release such a CD, it would quite certainly get much more attention on this board.
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Where are the golden age fans? All busy on the Twisted Nerve thread?
Well, what do you expect? It is probably very hard for US Golden Age collectors to connect with such an Italian score from 1955. And in addition, there are so few of them on this board nowadays.They are not familiar with the name of the composer, with the film or with the score. So they have no relation at all with such a CD release. And I can tell you that Rossellini is a really hard sell on CD because there are so few soundtrack collectors nowadays who know anything by him. With Lavagnino you have a bit more luck because there are at least some fans of his music all around the world.
So if you want to market IL SEGNO DI VENERE, you can do this probably only through its stars Sophia Loren and Alberto Sordi. And I suppose that in Italy there may at least be some fans of the actors who for this reason will buy this CD. But with soundtrack collectors it is a much more difficult matter.
And even when you tell the US collectors on this board that there are touches of romantic Kaper and Young music from the 50s coupled with an Italian operatic sensibility to be heard in IL SEGNO DI VENERE, it will be probably not of much use because quite simply this is not an US movie and not an US score and therefore not their area. How should someone be interested in something about which he knows nothing at all and which he has never heard before?
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They are not familiar with the name of the composer, with the film or with the score. So they have no relation at all with such a CD release.
What Stefan has said above is unfortunately true.
I wish to add that American soundtrack buyers might be interested in European albums in so far as their composers had (at least for a period of time in their careers) worked on English-language films or else the European productions were circulated within the U.S. via theater distributions or television broadcasts.
If a film has never been shown in the U.S. at all at any time, then there are no U.S. customers who have experienced viewing the film and as such 'pass over' these items whenever they become available on disc.
Exposure is the key here, because some folks may purchase an Italian peplum simply due to nostalgia (they remember seeing the flick as a youngster so they buy the album even if they don't recall much of the musical material).
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Hard to get excited when there's no sound samples.
That's logical. Some patience is needed as the sound clips for the new Digit titles are in most cases available only about two weeks after the announcement of the CD. For example, their last Savina and Nascimbene titles from end of April now have sound clips at SAE.
The complete SEGNO DI VENERE film was on Youtube (of course in the original Italian version) about one or two years ago, but unfortunately it isn't anymore. Otherwise, I would have given you a Youtube link.
Nevertheless, if you have already heard a few of Rossellini's scores, symphonic poems or operas, you know his style and what to expect.
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Posted: |
May 27, 2016 - 11:49 AM
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By: |
The Thing
(Member)
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I don't even need sound samples for myself; if it's from the decades I like the most, then I'll most likely get it.
Wow, that really is blind buying!
I myself need to hear samples at the very least, but I do check out a great deal of releases that I've never heard of, since good music is good music regardless of whether or not I've seen the film.
One of the issues I have, however, is with these really obscure titles (both old and new) that don't generate many posts on this board. Once you get an initial advance PR announcement, the thread can soon disappear off the main page, and by the time it is released, and samples are made available, its "moment" may have passed. I need to hear samples as soon as a PR announcement is made, so that I can decide if I'm going to make a note of its release date to purchase it. Otherwise it's a case of "yeah, whatever" unless it gets bumped back to my attention.
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Hard to get excited when there's no sound samples.
Actually, I've never gotten excited listening to samples.
Excitement comes to me when I initially learn of an upcoming release featuring a composer whose music I already appreciate and/or a so-called 'obscure' title never-before available.
I fear that sound samples may have an unintentional negative affect; after sampling music written/performed/recorded in older styles, people might decide to NOT purchase something because the music falls outside their comfort zones.
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Posted: |
May 27, 2016 - 2:32 PM
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By: |
slint
(Member)
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For the first few years of Digitmovies and Beat records, I also didn't buy without sound samples, unless it was Morricone, and then I got to know most other composers, so I can certainly understand that. I remember for example listening to Franco Micalizzi on Screen Archives, figuring out he exactly had the Nicolai/Morricone sound that I liked, and then bought all of his soundtracks!
These days, like Zardoz, I almost always know very very well the composer, or have even the old vinyl, so it is easy to be excited. If it was Swedish soundtrack from the 60s, from an unknown label and unknown composer, to give a random example, I would certainly request some sound samples.
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How should someone be interested in something about which he knows nothing at all and which he has never heard before?
Because it's Italian... what else?
What else? If it's from the 1950s or 1960s, then the music will be idiomatic from those eras - of the sort 'they don't make 'em like that anymore'.
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