 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saimel Records proudly presents on this CD the world premiere release of Carlo Rustichelli´s complete original score for the 1959 historical adventure movie LA NOTTE DEL GRANDE ASSALTO (THE NIGHT OF THE GREAT ATTACK) which was a French-Italian co-production directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese and starred a cast of French and Italian actors such as Agnès Laurent, Sergio Fantoni, Kerima, Fausto Tozzi, Giacomo Rossi Stuart and Alberto Farnese.
The action takes place in 1488: The ruthless commander Cesare Borgia wants to extend his reign in Northern Italy. He instructs his Captain to seize the castle of Count Fabio in the Apennine Mountains by subterfuge in order to conquer the territory of Forli owned by Countess Caterina Sforza. Together with a band of vagabonds Caterina´s nephew Marco - under the pseudonym Marco Volterra - tries to prevent Borgia´s plans and all ends in a large-scale impressive night attack on the castle from which the film´s Italian title originated.
Rustichelli who literally scored hundreds of films during his long career was one of the most versatile and distinguished Italian film composers, he had an inimitable lyrical symphonic style and an immense melodic gift. The score for LA NOTTE DEL GRANDE ASSALTO was composed around the same time at the end of 1959 as his masterful one for the peplum ANNIBALE – a few striking similarities between both works can be heard in some of the battle music tracks – and with a duration of more than 70 minutes must be one of the longest of his career. It is music of great vitality, with a wealth of thematic ideas, lush, passionate and often in an almost operatic tone.
The Main Title which underscores Marco´s flight from the Borgia henchmen on horseback immediately grabs the listener´s attention due to its pulsating drive and is followed by the bold, and brassy motive for Marco himself which will be extensivelly developed in the battle scenes during the last third of the film.
For the band of thieves Rustichelli provides a catchy and jaunty little march in his immediately recognizable style which gets all kind of variations whereas the love theme has a slight Renaissance flavour and is even a bit reminiscent of similar melodies later on composed by Georges Delerue in France. Another delicate tune is the Spanish song “Mora Moraima” wich is heard in vocal and isntrumental versions throughout the score.
There is quite a lot of rugged and rhythmically agile music for the various knife and sword duels , but Rustichelli pulls out all the stops for the lengthy attack on the castle near the end of the movie which has a duration of more than 10 minutes and is almost continuously scored with breathtaking dramatic power.
Although the film itself may be little-known among soundtrack aficionados today, the epic, rich and varied score written with such commitment and enthusiasm by the Maestro Rustichelli is worthy to be rediscovered on its own on this CD as a large-scale symphonic poem from the Italian Golden Age of film music.
The CD will be available on September 23rd at Rosebud in Spain.
Here the track listing:
https://rosebudbandasonora.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=27238
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fantastic news Stefan, cannot wait to hear this score. Another great release for Italian film music fans, and well done to Saimel for preserving this music!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Can't wait
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The score for LA NOTTE DEL GRANDE ASSALTO was composed around the same time at the end of 1959 as his masterful one for the peplum ANNIBALE – a few striking similarities between both works can be heard in some of the battle music tracks – and with a duration of more than 70 minutes must be one of the longest of his career.
Does this emerge from Gruppo Sugar's C.A.M. archives?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does this emerge from Gruppo Sugar's C.A.M. archives?
Yes, it does. As well as a second score from a 1964 melodrama - by another Italian composer who is probably more to ZardozSpeaks´ liking - which will also be soon released on Saimel and which we will announce during the next few days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does this emerge from Gruppo Sugar's C.A.M. archives?
Yes, it does. As well as a second score from a 1964 melodrama - by another Italian composer who is probably more to ZardozSpeaks´ liking - which will also be soon released on Saimel and which we will announce during the next few days.
Wow. Not one but two Saimel CDs of Italian soundtracks within the same month.
Very encouraging.
Why are these being announced prior to Alhambra's imminent disc of Lavagnino offerings?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does this emerge from Gruppo Sugar's C.A.M. archives?
Yes, it does. As well as a second score from a 1964 melodrama - by another Italian composer who is probably more to ZardozSpeaks´ liking - which will also be soon released on Saimel and which we will announce during the next few days.
I must say I have no idea what ZardozSpeaks likes, but I'm curious about that one.
Carlo Rustichelli is certainly very much to my liking!
Ah - perhaps Stefan is referring to a 1964 Piccioni title?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ah - perhaps Stefan is referring to a 1964 Piccioni title?
No, not Piccioni.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why are these being announced prior to Alhambra's imminent disc of Lavagnino offerings?
There was some delay with the mastering for this new Lavagnino CD in July/August and now unfortunately with the German pressing plant. It is also a bit annoying for me, but I hope that I can announce the Lavagnino disc at least next week. Everything is ready concerning this release, just waiting for the pressing plant´s delivery date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three releases in September by Rustichelli, Lavagnino and ?? (1964, maybe Lavagnino as well?) is great!
Could it be Gino Marinuzzi jr.'s '64 Le voci bianche, or La sfinge sorride prima di morire - stop - Londra by Mario Migliardi, or Egisto Macchi's L'ultima carica?
There is also a number of Carlo Savina titles from '64 still unreleased, as well as a few by Trovajoli, too.
If the next Saimel is also from the historical genre, then G. Fusco's I pirati della Malesia might be another possibility?
[Don't know if any of the above are from the C.A.M. vaults, though, ... I'm just guessing at 1964 titles by my favorite Italian composers.]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stefan mentioned a Melodrama. I have a list of unreleased scores by the main composers downloaded from IMDB, but identifying a Melodrama is much more difficult than a Western, Adventure or Peplum score. So I really have no idea.
Yes. A list of those C.A.M. titles from 1964 would be even more helpful than data from IMDB.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
