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Quartet Records is proud to present its 100th release!..
SUNFLOWER
Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in a 2CD set
Music Composed and Conducted by Henry Mancini
World premiere release of the complete Henry Mancini classic, one of his most romantic scores.
In 1970, legendary actor-director Vittorio De Sica and famed producer Carlo Ponti joined forces to make Sunflower (also known by its original Italian title, I Girasoli). Set mostly in the wake of World War II, the film follows an Italian woman named Giovanna (Sophia Loren) as she searches across Russia for any trace of her vanished husband, Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni). What she discovers will change her life forever. The film received notable praise for the impassioned performance of Sophia Loren (who won a David di Donatello Award in Italy for Best Actress) and its breathtaking, Oscar-nominated score from composer Henry Mancini.
At the time he was asked to score Sunflower, Henry Mancini (1924-1994) was a legend in his field. His unforgettable melodies for director Blake Edwards, in particular, had brought him international renown. The composer was specially sought after by De Sica and Ponti—who agreed on little but that Mancini was the perfect choice for their film. Mancini fully justified their confidence by producing one of his most beautiful and dramatic scores. Its twin love themes, capturing the rich flavors of both Italy and Russia, are exquisitely balanced between romantic longing and painful melancholy; while powerful themes for the characters’ journeys add depth and pathos. Sunflower earned Mancini an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Score, and inspired the hit song “Loss of Love,” with lyrics by Bob Merrill. It was especially successful in Japan, where Mancini’s celebrity rose to new heights.
Although Sunflower was a very famous score, and the LP released at this date was an incredible success (having been reissued several times on CD, though always in Japan), this is the premiere release of the complete score, including every note written by Mancini for the film (even several cues that ultimately were not included in the final cut of the film). For this definitive presentation we have included the complete score on disc one, carefully mastered by Claudio Fuiano from the first generation mono tapes -the film was mixed in mono- recently found in Italy. On disc two we have included the remastered album version in full stereo, from its original sources courtesy of Studio Canal. The package includes a 20-page booklet with liner notes and track-by-track analysis by film music specialist John Takis
Enjoy one of the most unforgettable and melodic works of Henry Mancini, it is also our 100th release!. And many more on the road…
For more info and listen audio samples, please visit www.quartetrecords.com
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Fabulous news, Sunflower in all it's glory.
I've been waiting for years for the complete score, one of my favourite Mancini scores.
Congratulations Quartet on reaching 100 not out.
Long may you continue.
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How different personal tastes are, even in the niche wold of film music. I think it is a wonderful score, the 2 main themes are gorgeous, one very romantic and the other more haunting, while the dramatic theme is very ominous but still very melodic. I love the orchestrations by Mancini, which are very European in style and orchestration. In the expanded score programme there is repetition, but it is repetition of superb themes in my opinion. The LP programme is perfect. I am not a Mancini die hard, and I would recommend this score very highly, it has become one of my favourites, certainly of the Mancini scores I own
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