Spaghetti and cowboys: part 7

Title: Navajo Joe

Year: 1966

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Inspired by the extreme heat we’ve been having currently in Finland, which has turned the area surrounding my apartment into a near wasteland, I decided to revisit some Western scores. Among them was also Navajo Joe, which is one of the most brutal musical creations for the entire genre.

The album opens with haunting screams of I cantori moderni choir highlighting the voice of one Gianna Spagnulo who creates simultaneously Native American yet jazzy qualities with her performance. The main theme begins with a simple guitar riff which is afterwards heard constantly during the score’s suspense tracks. After a while an array of percussion instruments bang away and the choir starts shouting the name of the titular hero. It’s bizarre to say the least but immensely satisfying. The road to Esperanza starts with a more plain arrangement for the choir and solo percussion with an abstract, short interlude but eventually turns into a hopeful rendition including the unmistakable voice of Edda dell’Orso. Sweet lullaby-like renditions of A dollar a head and Joe’s departure offer some relaxing atmospheres; a musical oasis in the middle of the overall madness. Both orchestral and choral forces are once again released in Ride into town, probably the greatest main theme statement apart from the titles. Joe and his woman offer peaceful orchestral bliss with slight touches from the choir while From Esperanza is another massive orchestral tour-de-force with stunning vocal performances.

Besides the main theme, the album is built around moments of suspense and some source music style pieces. A silhouette of doom starts with the main theme riff on piano which makes way to staccato beats and brutal string and woodwind harmonies clashing with the wailing voice. This music returns later in devastatingly savage fashion in Torture which is the most difficult track to enjoy. Train massacre and Fear and silence offer two different suspense devices, the first concentrating on main theme variations while the other resembles a sneaking-around cue heard in nearly every Morricone Western. You know, the one with solo percussion over only a minimal support from other instruments. While effective in the film, not that much on its own.

The lighter side of the score is heard in The Peyote saloon, a happy duet for piano and strummed banjo. An Indian story is a beautiful, sparse piece which highlights a solitary female voice and an ethnic bass flute. The two harmonica cues are also beautiful in their understated play around the main theme. The following The Navajo escapes is a mournful, dark piece for solo strings which Morricone does so well. While the score is mostly monothematic there is another theme introduced rather late in The demise of father Rattigan with a glorious arrangement for strings, woodwinds and guitar arpeggios. Another version of this tune actually ends the film with a victorious hymn to the fallen called After the end concluding into the majestic vocal performance by Spagnulo. The bonus tracks include Raw hides and dead hides, a piece with sad solo harmonica alternating between raving vocals and percussion, and reprises of the suspense devices. The final two cues contain marvellous main theme and vocal performances and last sendoff provided by the ‘demise’ theme.

Navajo Joe might have the best usage of choir within the whole discography of the composer. Besides that, it is an entertaining album that stands firmly amid the other more well-known scores of the genre. Though some may find it repetitive, its boisterous attitude manages to win over any listener if he can just get over the shocking opening bars.

Rating: *****

Tracklist:

1. Navajo Joe (Main title) (02:50) *****

2. A silhouette of doom (02:54) ****

3. Duncan's plan (00:31) ***

4. The Peyote saloon (02:32) ***

5. Wiping out the town (00:41) ****

6. The road to Esperanza (Main title - Navajo Joe) (01:54) *****

7. The engineer's harmonica (00:09) **

8. Duncan's wild bunch (Goodbye to Brother Jeffrey) (00:27) *****

9. Train massacre (00:42) *****

10. Fear and silence (01:49) **

11. A dollar a head (02:20) *****

12. Joe's departure (End title - Navajo Joe) (02:14) *****

13. An Indian story (Healing the wound) (02:01) *****

14. Ride into town (01:49) *****

15. But Joe say no (01:20) ****

16. To intermission (00:38) *****

17. Torture (The bandit gets the train) (02:01) *****

18. Navajo harmonica, pt. 1 (00:40) *****

19. Navajo harmonica, pt. 2 (00:48) *****

20. The Navajo escapes (01:38) *****

21. A bad childhood (00:26) *****

22. Joe and his woman (01:07) *****

23. The horses set free (00:48) ****

24. The demise of father Rattigan (The demise of Barbara) (02:56) *****

25. From Esperanza (To Esperanza) (01:47) *****

26. Over the mountain (01:13) *****

27. The search for Joe (01:05) ****

28. The confrontation / The return of Joe (01:53) *****

29. After the end (02:16) *****

Bonus tracks:

30. Main title (Film version) (03:01) *****

31. Raw hides and dead hides (01:20) *****

32. Fear and silence (01:49) ***

33. The Navajo's a prisoner (01:40) ****

34. Navajo Joe medley (02:06) *****

35. Sadness (00:33) *****

Need for drama: part 8

Title: La lupa (She-wolf)

Year: 1996

Composer: Ennio Morricone

The last title I reviewed was for Maesto Morricone’s 90s score for Wolf. Based on the title I assumed that She-wolf would be similar to that film but instead of a werewolf flick it is a psychological drama about a woman who seduces younger men, based on a short story written in the 1800s. The two scores are very similar in tone and the score for La lupa would easily pass as the sequel score to Wolf.

One thing I have to warn first is that the score is mostly monothematic and if you don’t like the main theme, you’re not going to enjoy this album. That theme is also very slow-moving so the tracks involving it tend to be quite long. I happen to like the theme. It reminds me of the main theme of Wolf because it too has some darkly tragic qualities while oozing with underlying sexual tension. La lupa adds a classical guitar into the orchestration which brings some rural feel to it. The theme is first heard on staccato high strings and later moves to another instrument associated with the film’s 19^th century setting: a recorder. At the end of the cue there is also a short waltz variation, later developed further in the macabre Triste notte featuring church bell tolls. The great thing is that the melody has great variation in the orchestration. Al fiume reprises the theme with the recorder, judgmental distant drum hits and slowly building pace whereas Cartezza di amare has some sort of swirling figures. Track 10 is the most romantic version thus far but later has a sinister bassline that twists the harmonies around into more suspenseful territory. The final version in La lupa doesn’t deliver a romantic conclusion but ends in some annoying suspense material which is just a disappointingly weak end to the album.

Besides the main theme statements there are cues that break the mold. Jarufalu pumpusu is performed in Italian by the film’s main actress Monica Guerritore in a powerful folk music like vocal performance. The backing orchestral music by Morricone is disturbing suspense material which really gives the cue an unsettling feel. The delivery of both the vocals and the backing also has some Middle Eastern qualities which is an odd choice but works brilliantly. The following La fine continues with the disturbing orchestral material in a short burst of screeching atonality but soon moves back to the main theme with a rather uninteresting version of the melody. The Middle Eastern aspect continues in La mietitura, a weird melody for woodwinds and a keyboard bouncing between a more hopeful horn theme that’s one of the score’s highlight moments. Like track 2 it’s a unique listen and pleasant to hear because of its surprising manner. The great major key theme is reprised in Notturno e alba but instead of balancing with the Middle Eastern melody it features a keyboard version of the main theme. The last odd yet charming moment arrives in La masseria, a medieval or gypsy -inspired dance for ethnic flutes and a tambourine and even an unexpected variation of the main theme.

Very high atonal strings start Notte oscura, notte chiara like a wind moving through a dark forest before a sinister lower string line appears underneath along with some lonely brass. Though a challenging listen it is actually better than the horror music in an real horror film, Wolf. More of that straight-up horror starts Disperazione that also bares some similarities with the main theme but then moves to complex atonal chords with bubbly pizzicato strings on top of which horns play snippets of the main theme. That moment is just ugly because of how shocking it is, but unfortunately the ending with an added drumset and the eventual main theme reprise flatten the mood. Nel profondo is another suspense cue that’s rooted in the main theme but unfortunately it just doesn’t get under your skin like some of the other tracks. Luckily at the end there is some genuine action music to be heard with screeching woodwinds and primal rhythms provided by the pounding percussion. Infatuazione, Diabolica passione and Veglia are the most tedious suspense moments on the album in which almost nothing of interest happens. Luckily Veglia reprises the shocking suspense of Disperazione in a decent final showdown.

Though there are some stellar cues at the first part of the album, the disappointingly dull last third ruins the listening experience for me. The sense of dread is palpable throughout and luckily some of the suspense material is just thrilling. La lupa isn’t one of the classics and the depressive nature of the constant onslaught of minor chord after another won’t make you want to return to this very often.

Rating: ***1/2

Tracklist:

1. La lupa (04:05) ****

2. Jarufalu pumpusu (03:07) *****

3. La fine (04:15) ***

4. Notte oscura, notte chiara (02:58) ****

5. Al fiume (02:52) ****

6. La mietitura (03:02) *****

7. La masseria (02:21) *****

8. Sui campi dolorosi (01:49) ****

9. Certezza di amare (02:24) ****

10. La lupa (03:44) ****

11. Notturno e alba (04:41) ****

12. Disperazione (06:25) ****

13. Nel profondo (05:07) ***

14. Infatuazione (04:18) **

15. Diabolica passione (03:56) **

16. Triste notte (03:34) ***

17. Veglia (04:29) ***

18. La lupa (02:12) **

Oh, the horror: part 12

Title: Wolf

Year: 1994

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Wolf is a modern retelling of the classic werewolf story and stars Jack Nicholson as the protagonist. The score was made by Ennio Morricone at the time when he was attached to many American projects as well as European ones. The score juxtaposes two different musical styles: the  tragic love story with nostalgic, lyrical romance writing, and the animalistic side with urban noir elements and primal percussion.

The opening presents the film’s dramatic main theme that has some tragic romanticism to it. It’s played by the horns over beautifully lush string harmonies and tinkling electronic effects. However in a Morriconean fashion there is also a frantic electric harpsichord ostinato appearing every now and then in a completely different tempo and key that I remember many film music fans hating at the time of the soundtrack’s release. They’re distracting for sure but for me they do depict the animalistic nature of the beast within, waiting to get unleashed. The barn is a more traditionally romantic, beautiful love theme for saxophone and warm strings. The same melody is heard along with crashing percussion and the harpsichord in Laura and Wolf united in a unique track that could only come from the pen of Maestro Morricone.

The first sings of distraught come through in The dream and the deer which begins with the main theme and then starts its developmental section for suspenseful wandering high strings followed by several mournful reprises of the main theme. The harpsichord ostinato also rushes through the nostalgia warning the listener of what is to come. Around 5-minute mark a descending suspense motif appears along with some noirish trumpet playing that comes to play a bit later. From 6-minute mark we’re introduced to fast percussion grooves, woodwinds resembling the forest birds and the mad ostinato running on top of everything. It all builds towards a victorious set of chords but comes crashing down with the suspense motif and final howling brass. An absolutely sublime, descriptive cue! The moon continues where we left off with quieter suspense motif variation along with some main theme that unfortunately then moves to low-key suspense that isn’t as interesting as its predecessor. Luckily at the end some bubbly madness is heard once again. Laura goes to join Wolf includes sparse individual chords which don’t form a coherent narrative.

From track 7 onwards the suspense rises to the main element. The three Transition cues and Laura transformed are all pretty slow-moving, at times tedious experiments in atonal suspense, familiar to the usual style of Maestro Morricone but done better in other projects.  The howl and the city begins with weird trumpet manipulation heard first in track 3 that sounds like some sort of animal howl. It harks back to the 60s with Maestro’s past in avant-garde group Nuova consonanza. Low-speed action follows then with the pounding percussion combined to staccato chords and sleazy saxophone bringing that urban atmosphere. A reprise of the love theme arrives in Animals and encounters that then turns sour with some excellent action writing covering many sections of the orchestra, even some rhythmic harp ostinatos, not a usual instrument for momentum. Wolf on the other hand returns to the main theme riddled with sadness after a horrific orchestral shocker.

Chase is sure to make you wake up in case you found the preceding slow horror boring. It has all kinds of screeching brass and woodwinds and combines them to low piano and percussion that really keep the pace going. Occasionally even the jazzy saxophone comes through the overall chaos. It’s one of the most exciting and brutal Morricone action cues I can think of and really makes your heart race. The abstract main theme variation at the end is just the icing on the cake for me. Unfortunately more slow music follows in Confirmed doubts that tries to bring out the horror but I find it rather tensionless to be honest. The talisman has some fascinating swirling textures that have almost ethnic qualities with effects resembling the Indian sitar and then closing with a twisted major key variation of the main theme. The last two cues return to the darkly romantic material first with the most romantic version of the main theme in Laura and Will which can’t stay away from the suspense and just has to have some of it at the end ruining a perfectly fine moment. Luckily Laura fixes that problem and ends the score with a powerful main theme statement that offers no hope for our main characters and closes the album on a somber note.

Wolf is best at its romantic material and especially in the brutal action cues that aren’t heard that often in Maestro’s overall repertoire nowadays. However where it falls is the middle section and the slow-moving suspense that can’t make the listener feel the desperately needed chills. Hence I recommend approaching this one with caution. However Maestro has cleverly assembled the album to an order that best presents the music and offers a fine listening experience.

Rating: ****

Tracklist:

1. Wolf and love (03:32) *****

2. The barn (01:59) *****

3. The dream and the deer (09:15) *****

4. The moon (05:28) ****

5. Laura goes to join Wolf (02:20) **

6. Laura and Wolf united (01:24) *****

7. First transition (01:28) **

8. The howl and the city (03:21) ****

9. Animals and encounters (04:37) *****

10. Laura transformed (03:36) **

11. Wolf (02:48) ****

12. Second transition (01:17) ***

13. Will's final goodbye (01:31) ****

14. Chase (05:43) *****

15. Confirmed doubts (03:41) ***

16. The talisman (03:27) ****

17. Third transition (00:57) ***

18. A shock for Laura (02:43) ***

19. Laura and Will (02:26) ****

20. Laura (02:36) *****

Oh, the horror: part 7

Title: La corta notte delle bambole di vetro (Short night of glass dolls)

Year: 1971

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Happy Friday the 13th! There have been many literary and film adaptations about a person waking up in a paralyzed state and being mistaken for a corpse. 1971’s La corta notte delle bambole di vetro is one of them, this time taking place in Prague. A man is waiting for an autopsy fully realizing what’s happening to him, trying simultaneously figure out how he ended up there. For this chilling premise Maestro Morricone provided one of his most oppressive film scores.

As with many horror scores, this one opens with a beautiful theme that contrasts with the other material. This time the opening and bookend cues are a romantic waltz, Valzer, with the chromatic vocal solo by Edda dell’Orso and a minimal piano/string arrangement backing it. Its unexpected harmonies and sublime orchestration are just a bliss to hear and an eventual salvation from the nightmares.

That’s where the listenable material ends for the following 40 minutes or so. The listener is transported into nightmare territory with Emmetrentatre which doesn’t hold back even the slightest bit. It consists of nauseating string writing that could make someone physically ill. In a brilliant but disturbing Morriconean fashion that’s not all: the strings are combined to sighing voices that sound like a giant orgy. This is a cue you can’t play if there’s a possibility to get caught listening to it. Yet somehow the effect is so powerful, you just have to admire the creativity behind it. For instance the cue sends shivers down my spine when it reaches a ‘climax’ in which the orchestra drops out for a moment and only a bare heartbeat and sighs are left.

After that shocker Notte e bambole offers a more slow-paced version of the same idea, but there’s still tension building up steadily which results in dramatic, atonal string harmonies. Those reappear in many cues afterwards offering the only identifying thematic thread the score has. The film’s title mentions glass dolls, so there’s a brilliant element of shards of glass tinkling together in Brividi di archi supported only by high strings. Unfortunately the score’s middle portion has mostly pretty uninteresting underscore with wandering atonal strings. A nice little addition is Edda’s ghostly voice at the end of Oppressione. Other exception is Oppressione di mostri, which is the score’s only stab at light action writing, in which intensive swirling strings are combined to fast-paced piano playing with entertaining results.

The score starts to pick up its pace again in Bambole di vetro, in which a simple opening gets more and more twisted and distorted finally being joined by a solitary female voice sighing of agony or pleasure. After a pause the aforementioned string ‘theme’ enters in its most dramatic form eventually cooling down to barely audible strings with underlying electronic effects. Finally everything comes back a full circle ending in an orchestral crescendo. The following two cues reprise some moments from their predecessor. Irrealtà e follia in particular is another effective horror cue, which borrows the opening of track 10 but then lands on a chilling sustained chord on top of which a ghostly voice is singing and strings are playing in a manner that reminds me of crawling insects. The last moment of horror, Sospiri di morte consists of just a heartbeat sound, electric effects resembling some hospital equipment and a heavily breathing voice that goes on for 4 straight minutes. After a pause the beat slows down and the breathing gets fainter finally leaving just the electric sounds left. It’s a descriptive cue but too long and unpleasant to really enjoy.

Maestro’s score for this film is highly disturbing, ugly and thoroughly unpleasant experience. Undoubtedly it was something the film needed and benefited from. Nevertheless it surely makes your hair stand up in many places and makes you question whether to leave the light on tonight or not.

Rating: ***

Tracklist:

1. Valzer (02:23) *****

2. Emmetrentatre (04:07) *****

3. Notte e bambole (02:32) ****

4. Brividi di archi (04:41) ***

5. Oppressione (03:09) ***

6. Depressione (01:18) **

7. Oppressione di mostri (01:20) *****

8. Incoscientemente (02:07) **

9. Incubi solitari (01:43) ***

10. Bambole di vetro (06:48) ****

11. Il bisturi (02:38) ***

12. Irrealtà e follia (02:08) ****

13. Sospiri di morte (04:41) **

14. Valzer (#2) (02:50) *****

Giallo fever: part 8

Title: Senza sapere niente di lei (Unknown woman)

Year: 1969

Composer: Ennio Morricone

After a long break I’m finally getting back to reviewing scores. It’s October and Halloween is around the corner so it’s again time to review some scores from Italian giallos or horror flicks. To start off the month I’m reviewing an album that consists of two scores by Maestro Morricone, one for a noir style investigative story about hunting down a scam artist and the second for a film that never made to the screen.

Senza sapere niente di lei has a pretty unusual score that never develops into straight giallo/horror territory but still creeps into the listener’s subconscious with its intoxicating fumes. The lovely opening title cue introduces the score’s main idea: a simple waltz whose ascending melody and jazz drumset keep the momentum going on. There’s also a more dreamlike B-section that also has some circus qualities to it. From that on the waltz or the B-section appear in every single cue in some form or another. For instance Un strana ragazza begins and ends with the slower version of the B-section transforming it into a restaurant source cue. Track 5 begins rather slowly but in the middle the waltz delivers some punch with a more forceful brass section. There is some lovely tremolo string work in L’avvocato e la ragazza whereas Sospetti e tenerezze has my favourite version of the waltz theme that starts around 1,5 minutes in. There’s something really moving about that intimate instrumentation which then develops into a more exciting conclusion with some added darkness in the backing chords.

A few cues break the mold though. Suspense is offered in form of Identikit di un delitto which has the rhythmic strings from the waltz and Dies irae -inspired harpsichord lines giving the cue that Morriconean giallo flavour. Frammenti d’estasi is a kaleidoscope of all kinds of dancing and tinkling colours that completely camouflage the B-section melody that the cue is actually built around. The final blow comes with Ricordo which isn’t that in-your-face but extremely unsettling with its use of abstract string writing that offers a somber ending that is luckily salvaged by the lullaby-like waltz tune that closes the album.

Is the score repetitive? Yes. Is it boring then? Well, some listeners might call it that but I’m personally captivated by the dreamlike quality that surrounds the music. It is by no means flashy or thematically brilliant but I think it’s wonderful that Morricone showed how you don’t need just atonal shrieks to accompany moments of suspense. A nice little waltz will do just fine.

Rating: ***1/2

Title: Lui per lei

Year: 1970

Composer: Ennio Morricone

As I said earlier, the album includes another score, well at least 19 minutes of it which is apparently all that was recorded for the film before it got cancelled. Maestro was so prolific at the time that he usually prepared cues for the film even before shooting and let the filmmakers move the cues around freely or cut the film to match the prerecorded cues. There is no additional info about the film but judging by the suspenseful score by Maestro Morricone, it was written for a giallo.

The first cue from the film, Stato confusionale is by far the most difficult on the album. There is a repeating musicbox melody similar to one Morricone used a decade later in a famous stairway scene. However this time there are no suspenseful strings or brass breaking the atmosphere but a constant electronic buzz, schizophrenic yet bouncy piano melody, ticking noises and a mourning female voice that sounds a lot like Edda dell’Orso. Though these elements have been used in other lengthy suspense cues during Maestro’s career, this time there is just too little variation and it can’t sustain its 9-minute duration.

The following two cues called In un ricordo include a pretty familiar theme to observant Morricone fans. It’s the same exact melody and orchestration that was used as one of the themes from 1971’s Una lucertola con la pelle di donna, a cue called Che strano to be exact. There is a whistling line that soars over some mellow grooves, nothing that exciting. Luckily it was resurrected to its final form a year later, because in context of that film it really works playing as an interlude to the surrounding brutality. The best cue on the album, Lui per lei was probably written for the main titles. It consists of odd chord progressions over a pop-inspired drum beat. Later a choir joins into the mix which is both spooky yet oddly satisfying when the chords land to a more familiar pattern.

The inclusion of this score is a great one because it breaks the monothematic structure of the first score. Unfortunately besides the main title cue, it remains as a curiosity of cues that would be later developed into more successful ones. Nevertheless as a Morricone fan it is fun to hear where those ideas originate from.

Rating: ***

Traclist:

1. Senza sapere niente di lei (Titoli) (02:03) ****

2. Una strana ragazza (02:59) ****

3. Identikit di un delitto (02:56) ***

4. Stato confusionale (08:53) ***

5. Senza sapere niente di lei (03:26) ****

6. Frammenti d'estasi (03:06) ****

7. In un ricordo (03:25) ****

8. L'avvocato e la ragazza (04:10) ***

9. Identikit di un delitto (#2) (02:26) ***

10. In un ricordo (#2) (03:26) ***

11. Sospetti e tenerezze (04:24) ****

12. Ricordo (03:00) ***

13. Lui per lei (03:08) *****

14. Senza sapere niente di lei (Finale) (02:55) ****

Need for drama: part 6

Title: Padre Pio – tra cielo e terra

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Year: 2000

Maestro Morricone is no stranger to scoring films featuring religious figures. In the 2000s he composed the music for three TV movies about two popes: John Paul II and John XXIII. However the first project of that nature in the new millennium for him was the music written for a TV miniseries about a monk called Padre Pio who, among other things, exhibited stigmata and was later canonized by the Catholic Church. The music offers a kind of religious quality that Morricone has provided to many films over the years. No matter the connotations, it is a pleasant and beautiful listening experience in any case.

The score begins with an absolutely stunning performance of the title theme. The A section of the melody is built around a rising hopeful tune reaching for the heavens and written in the composer’s typical style discussed above. Surprisingly it is followed by a short victorious brass fanfare that is sadly never heard again before the B section melody begins along with heavenly choral voices. This section reminds me of the main theme of The mission with similar harmonies and simplicity of the melody. Eventually the moods that started the piece bring it to a peaceful close. The main theme is reprised in La croce della gloria with another Morricone favourite, a solo oboe not far from the one played in that other religious film. The cue’s ending takes a darker turn to a more sacred direction with melodies and harmonies clearly inspired by ancient Latin hymns. Nel silenzio offers a more playful variation of the B section melody over a pizzicato bassline and an occasional bed of warm strings, eventually performed by the chorus in unison. Some textures heard here remind me of another Morricone score from 2000, Mission to Mars. It’s strange how Maestro Morricone can make similar moods work in completely different film genres. The last full reprise of the theme is for solo organ and strings in track 7 and though the organ sounds somewhat synthetic, the backing strings are at their most moving here.

La sofferenza introduces a different long-lined melody, another one that brings tons of others by Morricone to mind. Yet it is just so delicately gorgeous with its presentation and viola solo, that the familiarity doesn’t ruin the overall experience. The reprise of that theme in Dolore come amore is written just for the strings which have such a wonderful echo that makes the sounds float straight down from above. Yet another solo string piece La verita’ nelle stimmate is clearly a sacred composition that doesn’t reach the heights of the previous themes but is still gorgeous with its somber tone. 10-minute Sia fatta la sua volonta takes the minimalism of the album’s beginning to new directions and features a simple harp tune that plays over and over on top of rather abstract string harmonies which are slowly building up with intensity towards an unseen closure. At 6.5-minute mark however the mood warms up to the glorious strings which guide the cue back to a safe haven. Though there seems to be not that much happening, the cue is all about textures and moods that for me depict spirituality through music. It could be either a moment just before sunrise and the first rays of emerging light or a soul ascending through a layer of clouds depending on what you believe in. Nevertheless its beauty is undeniable. La casa della sofferenza brings a smile to my face because there is a direct quote of Gabriel’s oboe’s opening line hidden in the passionate woodwind solo that plays over the harmonic base of the main theme.

There are a few exceptions to the overall free-floating nature of the cues. Il dolore e l’ira is another version of the doomsday hymn Dies irae, this time performed with a harpsichord over rather pleasant harmonies. As the tune gets going, it also gets brisk accompanying staccato chords that add a sense of lurking danger. 7 raccordi is clearly this album’s version of the trademark long suspenseful track. However this time there is just something about the playing which reveals a spectrum of different moods in addition to suspense: terror, agony and perhaps even remorse or reflection. It’s hard to describe but compare it to other straight up Morriconean suspense cues and hear what I mean. For instance the last two sections feature the hymnal quality heard previously at the end of track 3. Those moments are obviously darker than the other material but far from suspenseful. The album ends with Solo voci which is the most sacred cue of all featuring just the acapella choir singing in Latin. Though there are melodic quotes to Dies irae, it is an original composition that doesn’t sound like a composer trying to imitate a sacred sound but a piece of genuine church music. The modern harmonies are soothing with their meditative quality and the piece is a perfect way to end the album that in itself already consists of mostly slow-moving cues.

Even though I’m not a religious person I can still appreciate what Morricone has created here: a true work of beauty that transcends all prejudices one might have with a title like this. No matter if you are a believer or not, there is no denying that this music truly reaches the very depths of the within. Whether you call it a soul or just emotions, you’ll know after listening to this album.

Rating: *****

Tracklist:

1. Padre Pio tra cielo e terra (04:18) *****

2. La sofferenza (04:10) *****

3. La croce della gloria (03:24) ****

4. Il dolore e l'ira (03:46) *****

5. Nel silenzio (05:10) ****

6. La verita' nelle stimmate (02:27) ****

7. Tra cielo e terra (03:25) *****

8. Dolore come amore (04:12) *****

9. Sia fatta la sua volonta (09:56) *****

10. La casa della sofferenza (03:20) *****

11. 7 raccordi (10:55) ****

12. Solo voci (05:54) *****

WTF (Weird tho' fabulous): part 5

Title: L’harem (Her harem)

Year: 1967

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Another obscure project from the 60s for Maestro Morricone. The film is about a woman who starts her own harem of men and at the end things turn deadly. The score is a unique one and showcases once again Maestro’s chameleon like ability to adapt to any film or situation.

The score was previously paired up with Maestro’s score to Il ladrone but luckily Beat Records released a longer version in early 2017. It’s still a very short one and presented here in a suite clocking just over 30 minutes and divided into 5 sections. But for me it’s the perfect length to discover this hidden gem.

The score consists of two different themes highlighting two extraordinary musical artists, Gato Barbieri on saxophone and Bruno Battisti D’Amario on guitar. These two really are the soul of the score which is otherwise scored for a very small amount of other instruments. This chamber ensemble approach nevertheless works and creates a wonderful feeling of sensual isolation for the film’s remote locale.

A solo saxophone opens L’harem primo and slowly chimes, woodblocks, percussion fills and nostalgic Morriconean high strings enter along with delicate brass chords. The real star is the saxophone which develops from the main melody into more improvisatory verses before returning to the original melody and then moving to another developmental section. The atmosphere lingers at the border of atonality and tonality which gives the cue some needed edge and hence prevents it from becoming boring. The solo sax version of the opening is exactly that, just a 10-minute sax solo in the emptiness. On paper it sounds ludicrous and I wonder who would even manage to listen to it completely. But right from the first notes I was hooked. The intense performance goes through so many emotions and the wonderful echo of the recording elevates it even further. At times the sax sounds like it’s part of a sensual bar scene, sometimes like a soundtrack to some film noir flick and sometimes like a screeching animal howling at the moon. L’harem secondo is built like the opening cue but there is an added woodwind layer in the orchestral section and the brass chords become more prominent as the cue progresses resembling Maestro’s signature ‘urban chords' depicting city life. The atmosphere however stays at a comfortably low-key level and ends the score with mysterious atmospheres and some wonderfully unresolved tension.

D’Amario’s showpiece is called Sei corde (lit. ‘Six strings’) which actually has some Middle-Eastern influences that the film’s title might suggest. It begins rather slowly along with some pounding percussion backing and then turns into a furious dance for the solo guitar and percussion. It’s an extremely groovy yet brutal track which differs completely from the meditative nature of the saxophone-heavy cues. You almost forget you’re listening to a film score rather than some ethnic folk group just jamming in their pagan rituals. The reprise in track 4 skips the cue’s slower opening and goes straight into the dance sequence that doesn’t hold anything back and goes even further into the violent madness. The album ends with a source cue from another Morricone score Menage all’italiana (1965) which is a great, fast party cue complete with twanging surf rock guitars and some needed attitude to end the album with a more positive note.

During the first few listens I had some difficulties with getting into the essence of this score. But the more I listen to it, the more I love it. It just floats so beautifully from one atmosphere to another and then being temporarily disturbed by the ethnic dancing. It might not be for everyone though since some might discard the meditative quality of the music and consider it as boring. A top-quality score by the Maestro and a great addition to your collection if you can bear his writing for smaller ensembles.

Rating: *****

Tracklist:

1. L'harem primo (07:06) *****

2. Sei corde (05:21) *****

3. L'harem primo – solo sax (09:55) *****

4. Sei corde (#2) (02:45) *****

5. L'harem secondo (06:26) *****

6. Bonus track: Fermateli! (boutique scene source music) (02:45) ****

CrimeWaves: part 6

Title: Missus (Vatican story)

Year: 1994

Composer: Ennio Morricone

The 90s is probably my least favourite decade in Italian film music and most Italian albums I own from that period are by Maestro Morricone. Even he seemed to recycle a lot of his old tricks and many scores from that time felt quite uninspired. Luckily there are some exceptions like the score to a TV miniseries Missus which is a project that I could once again find barely any information about. Supposedly it is about a Vatican priest who is recruited to help out the resistance movement in the Soviet Union during the cold war. The score was released over a decade later in 2007 and offers a heavy reliance to Maestro’s previous works but also some ingenious new tricks.

The words that sum up the whole score are meditative and slow-burning. The melodies take their time to develop and are by no means flashy but extremely understated. However this time that’s a complement and the reason why the music possesses such beauty. Take the opening cue Per Olga for instance. It quotes Maestro’s Deborah’s theme from Once upon a time in America almost note to note (which by the way is one of Maestro’s most overrated pieces, not my favourite at all) but after a while goes into its own way, never purposefully trying to milk tears. Instead the mood stays in a comfortable level where the emphasis is on the beautiful orchestrations and their delicate performance. Viaggio verso dove continues in the same vein but it has an even prettier long-lined theme with a heart-wrenching oboe solo (or solo organ in the reprise) which then turns to a more positive B section for warm strings and woodwinds. I also have to praise the performance by the orchestra which sounds so celestial, like the playing is coming from somewhere beyond our time. The first version of Espressivamente umano has just Morriconean romantic string chords and simple piano lines but in its longer reprise the main melody gets some development and there’s a dramatic surge by the whole string section which offers the most beautiful single moment on the album. The last romantic theme is perhaps the most dramatic one, namely Dolcemente espressivo which just aches with suppressed love that tries to break through by rising up into a crescendo but failing with devastating sadness.

Of course among the romantic atmospheres there is time for some action and suspense given the subject matter. Ritorno a Mosca has a surprising electronic tinkling rhythm underneath which gives the piece momentum even though the accompanying dramatic melody isn’t that memorable by Maestro’s standards. The album’s most interesting cue by far is Nel vortice which consists of aleatoric woodwind phrases played independently of each other. They form the basis and then are joined by an electric bass rhythm and later some loud, urban brass chords. The combination of contemporary classical elements and modern electronics sounds weird on paper but works brilliantly creating a rather unique experience. The last action-orientated cue is Senza ritorno where a dramatic melodic line moves first from the trumpets to the woodwinds and then to the strings and finally the brass, simultaneously having a constant movement underneath provided by rhythmic staccato brass and woodwinds.

The two longest cues on the album probably offer the most tedious moments for listeners who aren’t keen on Maestro’s experimental side. The wandering, slow-moving high strings of Missus are used in many other suspense tracks by Maestro, however this time there is a certain transparency to them thanks to the orchestral performance. At times the harmonies might even sound somewhat beautiful even though it is an atonal composition at its core. The 10-minute monster of a cue Nel buio, la solitudine is more melodic though the harmonies sound mostly quite off. The whole cue is built around a repeating 8-note motif (similar to one Morricone used in the film Rampage) which is variated in occasional moments of quieter reflection before the motif returns in a more menacing ostinato-like setting on top of which the rest of the orchestra plays slower, macabre countermelodies.

Missus isn’t the most original Morricone score when you judge its romantic material. However the few moments of movement are handled quite intelligently and uniquely. Nevertheless the dramatic impact of the music can’t be denied, and the understated beauty of the sublime orchestral performance is a good reason for a relisten from time to time.

Rating: ****1/2

Tracklist:

1. Per Olga (04:03) ****

2. Ritorno a Mosca (02:06) *****

3. Viaggio verso dove (05:05) *****

4. Espressivamente umano (02:39) ****

5. Missus (06:52) ****

6. Dolcemente espressivo (03:04) *****

7. Nel vortice (03:26) *****

8. Per Olga (03:48) *****

9. Senza ritorno (03:00) *****

10. Espressivamente umano (04:23) *****

11. Nel buio, La solitudine (10:17) ****

12. Viaggio verso dove (04:29) ****

13. Dolcemente espressivo (03:04) ****

14. Per Olga (04:09) ****

CrimeWaves: part 5

Title: Un uomo da rispettare (The master touch)

Year: 1972

Composer: Ennio Morricone

A heist film about a retired master thief committing one last job in London received another cleverly written score by Maestro Morricone. Quartet Records luckily reissued the old, out-of-print album in 2017 which hopefully makes some new people discover its greatness.

The score begins with its highlight cue which is almost a kind of miniature symphony of at times smooth, at times sinister atmospheres. It’s designed intelligently and forms a perfect arch. The beginning introduces icy-cold piano motif which forms the basis to the muted trumpets’ melodies. These are performed on top of a layer of whistling sounds utilized previously in Maestro’s giallo scores. Next enters Cicci Santucci’s cool-sounding flugelhorn which provides a little comfort with more laid-back tunes. However simultaneously the cue starts to slowly grow into its highpoint which is a sweeping crescendo for the whole orchestra with large brass section, and loud ‘urban’ sounding chords Maestro usually features in his scores depicting cityscapes. The rest of the cue plays the previous material in reversed order beginning with the solo flugelhorn and ending with the same cold atmosphere which opened the track but this time with cooing urban brass chords playing in the background. The reprise of the opening is a more beaten-down version of the more urban aspects of the cue but it still ends the score with a sense of brooding tension.

No matter how cold the opening piece was, the following Un tempo infinito takes things to a completely new level. It consists entirely of noise produced by hissing, rattling and beeping electronics which might work within the film but on the album are completely unlistenable. The suspense of the opening returns in Colpo parallelo which is by far the creepiest piece on the album because there is a constant feeling of unresolved tension made especially by the whistling choir and drum set fills. It’s even more admirable when you actually break down how little the cue has going on, yet how incredibly effective it is. L’incarico begins with a short burst of suspense before turning into a noir jazz club scene with a laid-back flugelhorn solo and the urban brass chords making a more subdued return.

Against the bleak tone which most of the tracks have, there is another theme which is more romantic in nature. It’s introduced in Prima di lasciarla which builds into a rather nice romantic crescendo towards the end. The melody itself doesn’t remind me of other Morricone themes but the chord progressions follow a familiar pattern. Nevertheless the sweet nostalgia the theme possesses is once again a real delight to listen to. A Florinda begins similarly to the previous cue but it ends with the bare accompanying chords. Its reprise is an introverted version for soft strings and solo piano which is just stunning with its fragility. There’s also a short piece of 70s party-music, 18 Pari with groovy keyboard and flute solos carrying the cue forward.

It’s incredible how much anxiety Maestro Morricone has been able to craft with so little. The overall mood is however rather unforgiving and at times even bone-chilling which might be difficult to handle for listeners not familiar with Maestro’s similar writing. Luckily the couple of romantic cues help to relieve the despair momentarily before returning back to the bleak cityscapes.

Rating: ****1/2

Title: Senza movente (Without apparent motive)

Year: 1971

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Senza movente is a film about a marksman murdering the elite of the city of Nice one by one. Over the years this relatively short score by Maestro Morricone has been paired up with many scores from different genres and I think the reason might be because it has its own sound that is somewhat hard to place to one specific soundtrack genre.

The main theme is reminiscent of Maestro’s secondary theme to Una lucertola con la pelle di donna from the same year. There’s a simultaneous feeling of whimsy and ambiguous threat which is created by the odd harmonies and creepy rattling percussion and electronic sounds which lurk underneath. Hence it’s very hard to figure out whether to feel discomfort or joy while listening to it, but nevertheless it’s still 100 % Morricone. No other composer could emulate his voice which shines through from the piece. The trademarks presented here include the whistling by Alessandro Alessandroni straight from Maestro’s spaghetti westerns and a solo mellophone providing a sort of call-answer -type dialogue with the whistling. Unfortunately the theme is a bit too overplayed on the album but it still gets some nice variations throughout. The best version is track 15 where the melody is first reprised with just the whistling and slowly having more and more instruments appearing into the mixture. There’s also some fun stabbing string writing and constant low piano crashes which burst from underneath in a disturbing way. Track 17 has some chilling atonal string chords.

The rest of the score consists of a series of more or less suspenseful cues. Sospensione folle continues the similar electronic noise heard in Un uoma da rispettare over sparse string chords which soon take over completely crating a typical Morriconean dark atmospheres. Il movente begins with a dramatic bell toll and stabbing strings before reprising the main theme in a subtle fashion before the groovy drumbeat changes the atmosphere into a more upbeat direction. Ricerca apparently plays over an investigation montage and has a very in-your-face attitude which becomes almost unpleasant or annoying with its building intensity. The only real action track is In pieno petto which starts with the wandering strings before switching the mood completely to nauseating swirling strings and rumbling rhythmic action writing for low pianos and bass. The reprises of these tracks offer some new variations but nothing worth to mention.

The score is a minor one by Maestro’s standards but nevertheless leaves an impression with its unmistakable style which is somewhat unique compared to his other crime flick scores. There’s a struggle with darkness and light here which creates a disturbing yet intriguing combination of constantly changing moods.

Rating: ****

Tracklist:

1. Un uomo da rispettare (11:34) *****

2. Un tempo infinito (04:19) *

3. Prima di lasciarla (02:36) *****

4. A Florinda (03:04) ****

5. Colpo parallelo (03:46) *****

6. L’incarico (02:01) *****

7. 18 Pari (03:16) *****

8. A Florinda (02:43) *****

9. Un uomo da rispettare (02:45) *****

10. Senza motivo apparente (04:20) *****

11. Sospensione folle (02:35) ***

12. Il movente (02:28) ****

13. Ricerca (02:10) ****

14. In pieno petto (02:23) *****

15. Senza motivo apparente (2) (05:04) *****

16. Ricerca (2) (02:29) ***

17. Senza motivo apparente (3) (01:58) ****

18. Sospensione folle (2) (01:40) ***

19. Senza motivo apparente (4) (01:20) ***

20. In pieno petto (2) (01:41) *****

21. Il movente (2) (02:27) ***

22. Senza motivo apparente (5) (02:29) ****

Spaghetti and cowboys: part 3

Title: The hateful eight

Year: 2015

Composer: Ennio Morricone

February 28^th, 2016 Maestro Morricone finally received an Academy Award for an original film score. In 2007 he was given an honorary award for his lifetime work and surely nobody would expect him of winning another one after that. However circumstances change and luckily they developed into one of the greatest stories in film music history.

The director Quentin Tarantino had previously never had an original film score in his films but he had used Morricone’s compositions throughout his career and expressed a deep admiration for the composer. For Djago unchained he actually asked Morricone to compose an original song, which he did. There had been talks already at the time whether Morricone could score the whole film but the idea was ditched. Luckily his next film was another western, a genre Morricone is most known for, though his latest score in the genre was with 1981’s Occhio alla penna. Miraculously Maestro accepted the job (supposedly by the pressure of his wife Maria) and the rest is history as they say. Already at the time of the announcement and recording of the score, throughout the marketing and at the time of the film’s screenings there was a fuss surrounding the score like no other. Fortunately also the Academy finally acknowledged Maestro’s contributions and gave him the award after all these years.

Maestro's Oscar speech

Morricone has said in the interviews that his desire is to create absolute music and his film music success was at the start of his career means to pay the bills so to say. This is the closest he has given freedom to create something similar to that in film music in many years. You see Tarantino pretty much allowed Maestro to create anything he liked and he certainly wasn’t going to please anybody by offering them a smooth and stereotypical pastiche. The result has almost no resemblance to his previous western scores which was the composer’s intention too. What we ended up with is an extremely brutal theme and variations -type of score with barely any pauses in the bleakness. The way Tarantino also utilized Maestro’s music is very in-your-face and ballsy which just deepens its impact. For instance the film opens with a single long shot with just the savage music creating the atmosphere. In the final film there were also a few cues used from Maestro’s score to 1982’s The thing which didn’t end up in that film. They fuse well with the more mysterious original material, both expressing the feeling of isolation and dread in a restrained fashion.

Before listening to the score or seeing the film I too had no idea of what to expect. Straight at the opening minutes of L’ultima diligenza di Red Rock I was sure that I was in for a thrill ride. The sound of ominous bassoons and a steady percussion track immediately reminded me of a stagecoach riding by. This bassoon melody is the film’s main theme and there’s something truly unsettling about it; like it’s a growling beast stalking its prey and preparing for an attack. This animalistic quality continues throughout the piece with the atmosphere intensifying with each added instrumental line. A nod to Maestro’s previous works in the genre is included too in a form of shouting “wah-wah” voices. Eventually Maestro brings out all the stops in an immense crescendo for the whole string section playing the main theme while the brass answers rhythmically in joint conversation. Ingeniously it’s not the end but there’s time for a silent, sinister coda that tells the listener that the worst is yet to come.

The score’s other theme is Neve which is introduced fully in its 12-minute form in track 8. Even though I adore what Morricone did with his main theme, I actually think this cue is even better than the opening. It is by no means flashy but a slowly developing mystery which ultimately shrouds everything like the falling snow. It begins with an intro melody that is oddly similar to Kylo Ren’s theme from John Williams’ Star Wars episode VII score. However from that on we hear a musicbox melody similar to one Maestro used in Per qualche dollaro in più which forms the basis to the rest of the cue. At first it seems not much is going on but with clever orchestrations like crystal clear solo trumpet which appears from time to time, quotes from the main theme and a sublime feeling of isolation utilized by low woodwinds, Maestro keeps me entertained till the very end. The closing chords are just wonderfully distant, fading into uncertainty.

Recording a special LP album at the Abbey Road studios

Almost everything derives from these two primary themes. Overture begins with a slow string version of the snow theme whose pace thickens along with the musicbox and the underlying faint hints to the main theme. Vice versa Narratore letterario builds around the main theme starting from pizzicato strings and the musicbox melody plays on top of that before moving to dramatic atonal strings. Those also earn their own difficult cue called Sei cavelli. The reprise of the main theme in track 7 starts with brutal percussion and reprises the original cue’s dramatic conclusion. The reprises of Neve take another route and are much more restrained than the long version, the first one just repeating the intro and the second playing the musicbox melody in a beaten down manner along with cooing main theme clarinet. Sangue e neve presents the dual personalities within one cue: it begins with the musicbox building momentum and out of nowhere appears a brutal string version of the main theme that vanishes as abruptly.

There are a few exceptions to the monothematic structure. Raggi di sole sulla montagna is probably the most 'classical' sounding cue with very abstract harmonies formed by the strings and wandering woodwinds which actually create a brief moment of serenity amid the otherwise dark times. The two L’inferno bianco tracks are very similar and the differences are almost nonexistent. They start with some Morriconean action writing with several rhythmic stabs over a layer formed by a martial drum and aforementioned wandering woodwinds. In the second part the rhythmic stabs continue by themselves and are joined by a more intimate bass and drum set and in the first version by a synth brass sound, and by a larger brass section in the latter. The writing is once again challenging but that also makes it rather unique. The last farewell La lettera di Lincoln is an elegy for a solo trumpet, organ and warm strings which is rather lovely though short-lived.

Some listeners might discard The hateful eight for being boring. It’s true that it relies heavily on repetition like many other Morricone scores. However the two long suites which Maestro bases all the music on are probably the two best single compositions he has written in 2010s and once again show his ability to reinvent himself after all these years. The album presentation is a mess, the dialogue sounded okay after seeing the film but now it leans more towards irritating. The songs are nothing special except the guitar ballad Jennifer Jason Leigh sings. Overall it really is a historic score which celebrates Maestro’s whole legacy in both absolute and film music during the time when film music is being overrun by mediocrity.

Rating: ****1/2

Tracklist:

1. L'ultima diligenza di Red Rock - Versione integrale (07:33) *****

2. Overture (03:11) *****

3. "Major Warren meet Daisy Domergue" (00:33) *

4. Narratore letterario (02:02) *****

5. Apple blossom (The White Stripes) (02:15) ***

6. "Frontier justice" (01:51) *

7. L'Ultima diligenza di Red Rock - #2 (02:38) *****

8. Neve - Versione integrale (12:17) *****

9. "This here is Daisy Domergue" (01:02) *

10. Sei cavalli (01:22) ****

11. Raggi di sole sulla montagna (01:42) *****

12. "Son of the bloody ni**er killer of Baton Rouge" (02:44) *

13. Jim Jones at Botany Bay (Jennifer Jason Leigh, featuring Kurt Russell) (04:11) ****

14. Neve - #2 (02:06) ****

15. "Uncle charlie's stew" (01:42) *

16. I quattro passeggeri (01:50) *****

17. La musica prima del massacro (02:02) ****

18. L'inferno bianco - Synth (03:32) *****

19. The suggestive Oswaldo Mobray (00:48) *

20. Now you're all alone (David Hess) (01:31) ***

21. Sangue e neve (02:06) *****

22. L'inferno bianco - Ottoni (03:33) *****

23. Neve - #3 (02:03) ****

24. Daisy's speech (01:33) *

25. La lettera di Lincoln - Strumentale (01:42) *****

26. La lettera di Lincoln - Con dialogo (Ennio Morricone, Walton Goggins) (01:47) ****

27. There won't be many coming home (Roy Orbison) (02:45) ***

28. La puntura della morte (00:28) **