Canto Morricone Songbook

VOLUME 4: THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES

BCD 16247-AH

Into the Next Millenium

The Ennio Morricone phenomenon seems to involve the composer often being a few steps ahead of the majority of his peers. Presumably the man is able to tap into a personal cornucopia of futuristic and innovative ideas. Paradoxically, and somewhat mysteriously, his numerous and intense modifications to entrenched compositional and orchestral tendencies seldom neglect the cultural identity of music in Italy.

Volume 4 of the Canto Morricone Songbook series is dedicated to Morricone's contemporary songwriting successes from the '80s and '90s. Instrumentation and arrangement methodology have continued to evolve in this later work. For instance he seems to have now turned away from his earlier fascination with jazz/rock fusions. In terms of raw numbers, the bulk of Morricone's songwriting occurs during the Beat Era of the '60s, and lasts into the '70s. The most recent decades, as of this writing, see him devoting more of his time to "serious music", or pieces in a contemporary classical vein. Given these circumstances, we're lucky that, from time to time, the Maestro returns to the song format, and with still stunning results. What remains constant is Morricone's unique ability to be inimitable.

This CD is an entertainingly eclectic anthology of performances by long-familiar artists mixed with lesser known, yet worthwhile, discoveries such as actor/songstress Pia Zadora. Miss Zadora received harsh critical response to her acting debut in BUTTERFLY, 1982, directed by Matt Cimber. Whatever one may may think of her thespian qualifications, no one can deny that the young lady does a commendable job of breathing the tender spirit of feminine longing into her performance of BUTTERFLY'S heartbreakingly wistful main theme It's Wrong For Me To Love You (text: Connors).

Unknown singer Cathy Cole performed the title track (words by Fishman) for SAHARA, starring Brooke Shields and directed by Andrew McLaglen. The glittering, spacious composition is atypical for Morricone in that it has a decidely late '50s Hollywood flavor, in keeping with the best of Newman, North, or Friedhoffer.

In 1985, concert hall soprano Katia Ricciarelli recorded C'era Una Volta La Terra Mia, the internationally reknowned theme from C'ERA UNA VOLTA IL WEST (ONCE UPON THE TIME IN THE WEST). The 1969 film is without question Sergio Leone's ultimate Italian Western statement, and it's score is arguably Morricone's finest within the same genre. The song, with an adapted text by Maria Travia, was originally released on the B-side of an RCA single PB 6807. Ricciarelli's marvelous rendition of this epic theme deserved a better fate than to be lost forever on a now totally obscure 45. The Canto Morricone series retrieves from the shadows this praiseworthy work of art.

Into the '90s, Bmg Ariola released the remarkable album PEARLS (Bmg BL 74808), which solo-showcased the talents of Miss Ami Stewart. To date this is the last of only three albums which have been conceived so as to have a powerful female vocalist devoting all of her skills to the realization of Morricone compositions. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to have ever seen Miss Stewart perform could attest to her extremely dynamic presence. Included here from PEARLS are Sean Sean (words by Gane/Stewart), Morricone's exceptional theme from the final Leone Western, GIU' LA TESTA (Duck, You Sucker); and a new version of Hurry To Me, theme from the film METTI UNA SERA A CENA (LOVE CIRCLE). Hurry To Me is the English version of the identical song that Milva sings on Volume 3 of this series, where the piece goes by the same title as the film.

The TV drama VOYAGE OF TERROR -THE ACHILLE LAURO AFFAIR, directed by Alberto Negrin and starring Burt Lancaster in one of his last roles, contained the dark, almost dirge-like Could Heaven Be (text: L. Gane - Ariola soundtrack album Bmg OST 101). This very strange love song has appeared twice, first on the 1990 soundtrack album, and later on the PEARLS disc. Also from PEARLS is Amy Stewart's rendition of My heart And I from the very popular TV drama LA PIOVRA, parallel released by Fonit Cetra, 1990, on CDL 263. For her wonderful PEARLS collection, Ms. Stewart also recorded the title theme to the TV series IL SEGRETO DEL SAHARA, Saharan Dream, words by L. Gane. Although this is a fine interpretation, we have instead opted to offer the very rare French recording of the mystical Saharan Dream, titled Les Secrets Du Sahara and sung by Debbie Davis.

K.D.Lang, currently one of the great American voices, recorded the Morricone composition Love Affair (lyrics by Alan & Marylin Bergman) from the 1994 Warren Beatty film of the same name. This vocal did not appear on the soundtrack CD. For some unfathomable reason it was included two years later on the Warner Sunset release 9362-46254-2, a song compilation that was supposed to have something to do with the box office hit TWISTER.

French superstar Gerard Depardieu performed two versions of the main theme Ricordare (Italian), or Effacer Le Passe' (French), from Giuseppe Tornatore's UNA PURA FORMALITA'. The burly actor admirably treats Morricone's melancholy composition with all the delicacy and dignity he can muster from his heavy voice. The bittersweet elegy was co-written by Morricone's son Andrea, with lyrics by the film's director Tornatore and P.Qulgnard. The original Sony soundtrack release has been out of print for a number of years, but this collection salvages the precious theme from undeserved obscurity.

Portugese vocalist Dulce Pontes executed two versions of the epic ballad A Brisa Du Coracao (lyrics by Francesco De Melis and Emma Scoles) from SOSTIENE PEREIRA, 1995. This somber film, which elicited from Morricone a very deliberate and serious score, starred the late Marcello Mastroianni in one of his last roles, and was directed by Roberto Faenza (soundtrack CD: Epic EPC 480383 2).

Italian rockstar Zucchero wrote, in partnership with Morricone, the short but potent Libera L'amore. This joint effort benefited the singer's immensely successful solo CD, ORO INCENSO & BIRRA. The piece serves quite nicely as a grand conclusion to our journey through four decades of fabulous songs by the world's greatest film composer - Ennio Morricone.

Finally, we must consider our Songbook open, bearing in mind that Morricone is on his way to the year 2000, and, though now in his '70s, he seems to be as active as ever - Pablo Picasso lived into his '90s and was working on a painting the evening before he passed away! We look forward to Morricone scores and songs far into the next millenium - may the Maestro live and compose for another hundred years!

JOHN BENDER, CLAUDIO FUIANO, STEFAN RAMBOW

Rome/Nuremberg/Pittsburgh, March/May 1998

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