Cassandra Voices

Tag: Ennio Morricone

  • Cassandra Voices Music Podcast II

    Welcome to the second Cassandra Voices podcast introduced and written by Nicola Bigatti, and produced by Massimiliano Galli. This podcast was recorded in the heart of Dublin 8 in what used to be the studios of the 2014 indipendent project Radio Liberties.

    This podcast continues a journey through Italian ‘Library Music,’ a vast catalogue of records composed mainly in the 1960s and 1970s by some of Italy’s finest musicians, with Rome and Milan becoming centres of excellence.

    Although recording artists associated began with generic soundtrack music, this provided a springboard for an innovative music scene. From a commercial base in T.V. series and advertising jingles, musicians forged unique styles, and developed distinctive sounds such as that associated with Spaghetti Westerns, a genre known as Film Poliziesco-groove.

    Ennio Morricone in 2015

    Foremost among these composers was Ennio Morricone, who achieved global fame for soundtracks to films such as ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984) and ‘The Good the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966). Morricone passed away in July of this year at the age of ninety-one, and this Podcast is dedicated to his memory.

    This Italian Library encompassed avant-garde composition, classical harmony, psychedelia, and funk with brash horns, guitars, and futuristic synths prominent. It was a fertile ground for experimentation and creativity, strongly influenced by the social, economic and political dynamics of that epoch.

    Composition occcurred under the shadow of political and social turmoil in Italy – ‘the Years of Led’ (Anni di piombo) as a succession of bombings and assassinations by extremist groups shattered an uneasy post-War consensus.

    Voice and writing: Nicola Bigatti

    Podcast Editor: Massimiliano Galli

    Playlist

    Riccardo Luciani: ‘Chanson Balladee, (1977)
    Alessandro Alessandroni: ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964)
    Alessandro Alessandroni: ‘Afro Darkness’, (2019)
    Gianni Ferrio: ‘fai presto’ (1974)
    Piero Umiliani: ‘Nel Villaggio’ (1975)
    Daniela Casa: ‘giochi perduti’ (1975)
    Giuliano Sorgini: ‘Iniziazione’ (2018)
    Dindi Bembo orchestra: ‘Tangenziale Ovest’ (1977)
    Piero piccioni: ‘Charms’ (1969)
    Egisto Macchi: ‘Il Canto Della Steppa’ (1983)

  • The First Cassandra Voices Podcast – Italian Library Music

     

    Without music, life would be a mistake. Friedrich Nietzsche

    ‘Library Music’ is a vast catalogue of Italian records made mainly in the 1960s and 1970s by some of the finest musicians in the country, with Rome and Milan the centres of this exciting scene. Generally commissioned by RAI, Italy’s state broadcaster, musicians of the calibre of Piero Piccioni, Egisto Macchi, Alessandro Alessandroni –  to mention a few – were hired to score background music to accompany TV shows, advertisements, and documentaries.

    Although this phenomenon began life as generic soundtrack music, it was the genesis of a fertile music scene. Many of the musicians carried on their careers outside RAI, pursuing different styles, breaking new borders, forging a peculiar spaghetti western or polizziescogroove. Or like Ennio Morricone achieving worldwide recognition for scoring soundtracks like Once Upon a Time in America (1984) and The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

    This Italian Library — while sometimes referred to as obscure — encompassed avant-garde composition, classical harmony, psychedelia, and funk with brash horns, guitars, and futuristic synths prominent. It was a fertile ground for experimentation and creativity, strongly influenced by the social, economic and political dynamics of that epoch.

    Voice and writing: Nicola Bigatti

    Podcast Editor: Massimiliano Galli