ACCORDING TO PEREIRA Sostienne Pereira Emotional Morricone #10
This series is inspired by a controversy thread where someone posited the idea that besides THE MISSION and some Sergio Leone westerns Ennio Morricone hasn't written anything great. Rather than making my usual comment that most of Morricone's great scores are from Italy and trying to get Americans to listen to them is like getting them to see movies with subtitles, I decided to take another tact. Since I am at an age where I will only be able to make my case a finite number of times I decided to turn this into a series presenting each great score one at a time, sort of like recordman.
It all came together. Marcello Mastroianni in one of his last great screen roles. Robert Faenza, the writer-director, doing the last of 8 films in a row with Morricone. Their collaboration included JONA CHE VISSE NELLA BALENA, THE BACHELOR, COPKILLER, SI SALVI CHI VUOLE, FORZA ITALIA! H2S and ESCALATION which was back in 1968! Plus a story that Morricone, late in his career, could connect with and bring an emotional charge to. The story takes place in 1938 Portugal which has just turned fascist. Pereira is an old jounalist who lives in the past having conversations with his deceased wife's picture. He gets involved with a young couple who force him to open up and take a stand about what is going on around him. He also renews himself in the process. Another absolutely unique score results with a powerful vocal as it's centerpiece. Some fans here like their music away from the film so for those inclined here is Morricone conducting Dulce Pontes for the video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWFKJQvoqtI&feature=related
But I like to see how the music integrates into the imagery itself. To see how it was originally conceived gives it an emotional power that enhances it. Here is the main theme:
Marcello won the Donatello (Italian Oscar) for best actor for 1995.
Thanks for reminding me what a wonderful score this is. I saw the film when I was living in Rome for a few months in the early 1990s, and even though my Italian is not very good, I found the movie to be engrossing and moving. The song from the score is one of my favorite Morricone vocal tracks. Great movie, great score.
Now this is an EM score which I do like ... very much. Again, I've not seen the film (though it does sound interesting) but the melodies ... repetitive as they are ... grab me and make me listen. This is addictive Morricone! I like the song but it's the score which makes its mark.
I got a copy of the film with English subtitles from European Trash Cinema. I believe it was under a slightly different title (Pereira Declares or something similar).
Sounds interesting never even heard of this one before and do like Dulce Pontes always wondered what it would have been like if Aura Urziceanu the Romanian jazz singer with an amazing vocal range had of hooked up with Morricone in the 70s.
Henry have you anything that is emotional heavy by Morricone , I have been enjoying The Prisoner (Il prigioniero) you can feel this sense of weight on your emotions it does not have nowhere near the power of Piccioni's Chronicle Of A Death Foretold(Cronaca Di Una Morte Annunciata) but when you consider both the film's subjects seems that they both scored them perfectly.
Sounds interesting never even heard of this one before and do like Dulce Pontes always wondered what it would have been like if Aura Urziceanu the Romanian jazz singer with an amazing vocal range had of hooked up with Morricone in the 70s.
Henry have you anything that is emotional heavy by Morricone , I have been enjoying The Prisoner (Il prigioniero) you can feel this sense of weight on your emotions it does not have nowhere near the power of Piccioni's Chronicle Of A Death Foretold(Cronaca Di Una Morte Annunciata) but when you consider both the film's subjects seems that they both scored them perfectly.
You're my man! Since "emotional" music is very subjective and practically all film music is an emotional reaction to a scene it is hard to say what is more emotional for an individual. Burt by giving me your ideal CHRONIQUE D'UNE MORT ANNONCEE by Piero Piccioni I got something very specific to work from. This will be hard, not because Morricone didn't go there but because it ain't my favorite place to go musically. After looking throught quite a few scores the first one I came up with is, of all things, HAMLET. Morricone's score to the Zeffirelli version. This is the only clip on youtube:
You're my man! By giving me your ideal CHRONIQUE D'UNE MORT ANNONCEE by Piero Piccioni I got something very specific to work from. This will be hard, not because Morricone didn't go there but because it ain't my favorite place to go musically. After looking throught quite a few scores the first one I came up with is, of all things, HAMLET. Morricone's score to the Zeffirelli version. This is the only clip on youtube:
BTW This isn't Morricone. It is City of Prague doing him but it is close enough.
Thanks I had forgot all about that score I even have it in my collection bought it in a real music store a long time ago.Knew little about Ennio then other than a few of his famous westerns,saw his name on the cover of the cd and thought I'd check it out. Have not listened to that in almost two decades yikes that was years before I really got hooked on Ost's.
Edit: Have just finished listening to this one again it is on similar kind of lines but not quite what I was hoping don't feel the magic,those other two scores I'd mentioned make me feel an almost crushing sense on my emotions. Still feel pretty much the same as when I first listened to Hamlet many years ago just lukewarm,will give it a few more listens to see if I can get anything out of it though.Seems like Ennio my have been trying to have a similar kind of effect though it's not coming across,or I'm just not feeling it yet.
Many thanks for pointing that one out your certainly on the edge of the neighborhood I'd like to visit.
You have great taste Mikael I own and love many of those ones,never even heard of I promessi sposi before and there is a few others I still would like to check out,not sure if your post was aimed at me or Henry's thread in general with his Emotional title. Think all those samples seem to share one thing which is a sense of hope,I was hoping to discover some new music by Morricone that had a similar feel to his Il Prigioniero where there seems to be no sense of hope.Tried looking for a sample of Morricone's Il Prigioniero was unable to find one,some Piccioni instead.
1987 Cronaca Di Una Morte Annunciata - Piero Piccioni
You have great taste Mikael I own and love many of those ones,never even heard of I promessi sposi before and there is a few others I still would like to check out,not sure if your post was aimed at me or Henry's thread in general with his Emotional title. Think all those samples seem to share one thing which is a sense of hope,I was hoping to discover some new music by Morricone that had a similar feel to his Il Prigioniero where there seems to be no sense of hope.Tried looking for a sample of Morricone's Il Prigioniero was unable to find one,some Piccioni instead.
1987 Cronaca Di Una Morte Annunciata - Piero Piccioni
Which is why I appreciated your mentioning that Piccioni piece. Not my favorite place to go but HAMLET had that bleakness plus a certain beauty. It is a tragedy after all. Morricone went there more than a couple times but I gotta do more digging.
1987 Cronaca Di Una Morte Annunciata - Piero Piccioni
Which is why I appreciated your mentioning that Piccioni piece. Not my favorite place to go but HAMLET had that bleakness plus a certain beauty. It is a tragedy after all. Morricone went there more than a couple times but I gotta do more digging.
You are certainly on the right track I'm sure there must be a lot more works like this from Piccioni and Morricone that remain unreleased,probably just down to the fact that the labels my just think that there is not enough people out there that want to listen to this kind of stuff.
Keep digging Henry furiously until you find something that fits the bill.
Henry and Wayoutwest, the discussion of bleak and emotional Morricone themes could take us into very dark waters! Like Henry, I don't often dare go into them, even though the sound can be quite envolving. Morricone is a master at this kind of writing. I wouldn't call "The Thing" emotional as it is, in fact, one of the most UNemotional scores I know, but it has got to be the most despairing score ever written for an horror movie. There is not a single ray of light, no sense of resolution, no comfort zone. And I find it a masterpiece (on CD). Please keep your suggestions coming! Still, it is rather amusing to read about "Hamlet" and "Pereira" on the same thread, for the two couldn't be further away from each other. Sure, there are dark moments in "Pereira", but the luminous song towers above everything! I like the guitar work from this score and wish Morricone would write more often for the instrument.
You have great taste Mikael I own and love many of those ones,never even heard of I promessi sposi before and there is a few others I still would like to check out,not sure if your post was aimed at me or Henry's thread in general with his Emotional title. Think all those samples seem to share one thing which is a sense of hope,I was hoping to discover some new music by Morricone that had a similar feel to his Il Prigioniero where there seems to be no sense of hope.Tried looking for a sample of Morricone's Il Prigioniero was unable to find one,some Piccioni instead.
Thank you! As for I PROMESSI SPOSI, I highly recommend that you check it out. It's a wonderful score!
My post was aimed at this thread in general with its 'emotional title', but after having listened to IL PRIGIONIERO again I think I understand what kind of music within Morricone work you're looking for ...slow, sombre, plaintive music full of despair and hopelessness.
HAMLET is indeed a good example of this
You may want tp check out the following scores if you haven't already, several tracks in there have a similar feel to PRIGIONIERO.
UOMINI E NO RAMPAGE PASOLINI UN DELITTO ITALIANA WHITE DOG (After the murder, Sorrowful Julie etc.) CASUALTIES OF WAR ("Elegy For Brown" in particular) MISSUS (Dolcemente espressivo, Espressivamente umano, Viaggio verso dove etc.) PADRE PIO (excellent score btw)
THE THING also fits into this category I think.
There are more, especially from the last decade or so, but I can't think of any at the moment.
Thank you! As for I PROMESSI SPOSI, I highly recommend that you check it out. It's a wonderful score!
My post was aimed at this thread in general with its 'emotional title', but after having listened to IL PRIGIONIERO again I think I understand what kind of music within Morricone work you're looking for ...slow, sombre, plaintive music full of despair and hopelessness.
HAMLET is indeed a good example of this
You may want tp check out the following scores if you haven't already, several tracks in there have a similar feel to PRIGIONIERO.
UOMINI E NO RAMPAGE PASOLINI UN DELITTO ITALIANA WHITE DOG (After the murder, Sorrowful Julie etc.) CASUALTIES OF WAR ("Elegy For Brown" in particular) MISSUS (Dolcemente espressivo, Espressivamente umano, Viaggio verso dove etc.) PADRE PIO (excellent score btw)
THE THING also fits into this category I think.
There are more, especially from the last decade or so, but I can't think of any at the moment.
Wow thanks for that great list Mikael and also to Dan for mentioning The Thing have wanted to hear that one for quite some time as for the others I will very much look forward to checking them out I do own Casualties of War must give it a listen. Have never even heard of the last two on your list.
That piece in the first clip seems similar to Il Prigioniero not feeling the same sort of emotion,think maybe the music was to short in that clip to really tell though.White Dog is another release that I have been intending on checking out.
