LA CLASSE OPERAIA VA IN PARADISO (aka THE WORKING CLASS GOES TO HEAVEN) Music By Ennio Morricone Limited edition: 500 units
Quartet Records, in collaboration with GDM and Universal Music Publishing Italia, presents a remastered reissue of the ultimate edition of Ennio Morricone’s score for Elio Petri’s 1971 social drama LA CLASSE OPERAIA VA IN PARADISO (aka THE WORKING CLASS GOES TO HEAVEN), a robust social drama about a conscientious factory worker who becomes a political activist after accidentally cutting off his finger while working on a machine. Starring Gian Maria Volonté, the film won the Palme d’Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, with a special mention for Volonté as Best Actor.
As he had done for other filmmakers, Morricone created a particular sound for Petri’s social cinema, based on grotesque forms and adding profane elements to the music itself. In LA CLASSE OPERAIA VA IN PARADISO, Morricone composed one of his most famous main themes: a grotesque, cartoonish march that defines the alienated work of a factory, to which he added sound effects, electric guitars, violin, piano and the noises of machines and drills.
Released on a limited promotional LP in Italy in 1971 and reissued in France in 1982, the soundtrack was later released on CD by RCA in the 1990s, and an expanded edition containing virtually the entire score recorded by Morricone was released by GDM in 2009. This is a reissue of that, but freshly remastered by Chris Malone from the original master tapes and supervised by Claudio Fuiano. The package includes, for the first time, the original cover art of the coveted promotional vinyl and an essay by Miguel Ángel Ordóñez discussing the film and the score.
Tracklist The Original Album (stereo)
1. La classe operaia va in Paradiso 5:23 2. Metamorfosi 2:13 3. Sinfonia dell’ottimista 8:22 4. Inventario 3:02 5. Tempi di lavorazione 4:10 6. Il sogno 4:42 7. Pazzia di lavoro 2:28 8. Alienazione 3:51
Film Versions (mono)
9. La classe operaia va in Paradiso (#2) 3:43 10. Metamorfosi (#2) 1:59 11. Sinfonia dell’ottimista (#2) 10:35 12. Alienazione (#2) 5:48 13. Inventario (#2) 2:30 14. La classe operaia va in Paradiso (#3) 6:29
Whenever I hear this I am immediately taken back to the Ennio concerts that I attended where he used to perform this. A great score, very interesting.
Yes, same here. He liked to include a theme from this in his shows, as part of the "social cinema suite" or whatever it was called. Not familiar with the score otherwise, though....I'm not really sure his Petri efforts are the kind of Morricone I'm attracted to.
I don't have the previous expanded CD and will take this opportunity to upgrade this score. It's clear that Quartet are now exploiting the RCA vein. I wish they could release an expanded MOSES someday if the complete tapes survived.
Thor, if you are not fond of the main theme, you certainly can ignore the whole score which is very repetitive and chiefly revolving around this rather harsh and disturbing sound. I find it fascinating how creative the Maestro was on such movies.
Although I've mellowed a bit, as the years have passed, towards Morricone in general and some of his 'off-the-wall' noises, this one would never sit in my Morry CD Collection. I remember asking a mate (Roy-D) what it was like, when he first bought it years and years ago, and he said 'ya know when you are woken up by the sound of workmen noisily digging up your street...it's a bit like that' lol
Thor, if you are not fond of the main theme, you certainly can ignore the whole score which is very repetitive and chiefly revolving around this rather harsh and disturbing sound. I find it fascinating how creative the Maestro was on such movies.
Definitely fascinating, although not always very listenable on its own. I had to look up my old concert report of his 2019 concert here in Oslo, which featured this theme, to trigger my own memory of it:
"Morricone’s “collision philosophy”, in which tonal lyricism is often countered with odd meters or orchestrational alienation effects, is on display in the next selections: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970), a satirical look at corruption, employs grunting woodwinds and staccato flutes, while the obscure journalist drama Sostiene Pereira (1995) features wood blocks and aborted chords over a beautiful, descending vocal line. Perhaps most interesting is the communist commentary The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971) with prerecorded industry “noise” and electric guitars countering gorgeous melody lines for strings and flutes."
Sounds like one of those things that are cool for a theme, but perhaps not for a score as a whole.
It’s not my kind of music, but I am still happy for more Morricone. Haven’t there been a lot of releases of more difficult Morricone in recent years? I am waiting for more melodious scores like La Venexiana.
You are right Mathias. Each time there's been an recent ennio release more often than not I'm replying to friends who ask about it "it's interesting but a difficult listen".
I guess labels can only release whats available to them but an overview might think "if we wanna encourage more new Ennio fans, we should push for more melodic releases.
It’s not my kind of music, but I am still happy for more Morricone. Haven’t there been a lot of releases of more difficult Morricone in recent years? I am waiting for more melodious scores like La Venexiana.
Count me in for La Venexiana as well! One of the most gorgeous scores of the Maestro and one where I'm actually very much interested in an expansion and sound improvement.
As for The Working Class... I bought the latest GDM release a couple of weeks ago. I have always feared (based on the piece in Morricone's concerts) that the score is mostly experimental but it is actually quite good and - dare I say - melodic.
But the question remains -- are there many completely unreleased Morricone scores left that are in a primarily melodic style? (I say 'completely unreleased' because I'm not interested in expansions).
But the question remains -- are there many completely unreleased Morricone scores left that are in a primarily melodic style? (I say 'completely unreleased' because I'm not interested in expansions).
Thor, I guess ARABELLA would possibly qualify. No track has ever surfaced. It's the first collaboration between Bolognini and Morricone back in 1967. The movie which seems to be a comedy is available on YT, I shall maybe check it...
But the question remains -- are there many completely unreleased Morricone scores left that are in a primarily melodic style? (I say 'completely unreleased' because I'm not interested in expansions).
Many of his later tv-scores such as Mi ricordo Anna Frank and L’Isola are melodic and beautiful. In older scores we have Labbra di lurido blu, but in that case the tapes are missing from what I have read.
But the question remains -- are there many completely unreleased Morricone scores left that are in a primarily melodic style? (I say 'completely unreleased' because I'm not interested in expansions).
Many of his later tv-scores such as Mi ricordo Anna Frank and L’Isola are melodic and beautiful. In older scores we have Labbra di lurido blu, but in that case the tapes are missing from what I have read.
Mathias, I also thought of LABBRA DI LURIDO BLU but I think that most of the score is abstract music save for the love theme featuring Edda. As for MI RICORDO ANNA FRANK and L'ISOLA, you're definitely right but they belong to the RAI and there's alas no chance they get a release someday...
Worth pointing out the rather crucial sentence in the press release "GDM in 2009. This is a reissue of that, but freshly remastered by Chris Malone from the original master tapes " - which invariably makes it worthwhile straight away.
Worth pointing out the rather crucial sentence in the press release "GDM in 2009. This is a reissue of that, but freshly remastered by Chris Malone from the original master tapes " - which invariably makes it worthwhile straight away.
Why? Was there a particular issue with the 2009 release that now we have tools to fix?
