I found CD"Death in Venice" in varesesarabande. I am going to buy this one.But I once listened to the soundtrack score of "Death in Venice" on radio, I heard the line(conversation) with music. Does this varesesarabande CD include the line(conversation) ?
What I own on CD is a reading of Thomas Mann’s novella (in German) that also features excerpts from the movement of Mahler’s Fifth that was so extensively used in the Visconti picture. Maybe you’ve heard a similar adaption on the radio?
Whatever, it's an amazing film. Dirk Bogarde gives an account of its filming in one of his autobiographies. Although I suppose that we have to take an account written by Bogarde with a pinch of salt, as his books are semi fictionalised, it is beautifully written. A couple of years back, they showed Death in Venice one evening at several of the major cinemas in London, and I thought Bogarde and Visconti would have been proud to know that in spite of all the difficulties with the film, they did ultimately succeed in making something that had lasted.
Edit: In fact, Bogarde talks about Visconti choreographing his filming to the music in his head, which is a different way around to how most of what we appreciate here happens, I think.
Bogarde talks about Visconti choreographing his filming to the music in his head, which is a different way around to how most of what we appreciate here happens, I think.
When using pre-existing music to score a film, a director could hardly do other than what Visconti did, unless he wants to edit the music beyond all recognition. And if the pre-existing music isn't to be used for the associations and recognitions that it already brings to the film, what would be the point in using it in the first place?
A double-disc release from Digitmovies has Franco Mannino's music for Death in Venice on CD #2, with the first disc containing the music for another Visconti-directed film (Ludwig).
For the film “Death in Venice,” Visconti chose a classic type soundtrack, inserting pieces of classical music by Gustav Mahler, Modesto Mussorgsky, Ludwig van Beethoven and Armando Gil. He also had the composer Franco Mannino create the transcriptions for the piano, orchestra and other instruments for some songs by the above-mentioned composers.
For the film “Ludwig” Visconti chose a classic soundtrack, inserting classical music songs by Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach, Robert Schumann and Frank Mendelssohn. He also had the composer Franco Mannino create the transcriptions for the piano, orchestra and other instruments for some songs by the above-mentioned composers.
Franco Mannino (1924-2005) was an opera composer and orchestra conductor who made adaptations of the most notable composers of classical music. As a soundtrack composer he won the David di Donatello award for the music from “The Innocent” (“L’innocente”) by Visconti. Together they also created the music for “Ludwig,” “Death in Venice,” “Bellissima,” and “Conversation Piece,” (“Gruppo di famiglia in un interno”). His other soundtracks include “Woman of Rome” (“La romana”) by Luigi Zampa, “Beatrice Cenci” by Lucio Fulci, “Lust of the Vampire” (“I vampiri”) by Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda, and “Identikit” by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi.
Whatever, it's an amazing film. Dirk Bogarde gives an account of its filming in one of his autobiographies. Although I suppose that we have to take an account written by Bogarde with a pinch of salt, as his books are semi fictionalised, it is beautifully written. A couple of years back, they showed Death in Venice one evening at several of the major cinemas in London, and I thought Bogarde and Visconti would have been proud to know that in spite of all the difficulties with the film, they did ultimately succeed in making something that had lasted.
Edit: In fact, Bogarde talks about Visconti choreographing his filming to the music in his head, which is a different way around to how most of what we appreciate here happens, I think.
Last week it was on TCM and I happened to pick it up somewhere like a half hour in. Big mistake. But in the sense that I misled myself. Thought it was an artsy film along the lines of some middle-aged guy's lurid infatuation with a youngster. But the visuals with the music were stunning. So I went to IMDB and educated myself. And then went to the library and took out the DVD.
Mistake corrected. It is brilliant all around. Infatuation not lurid. Bogarde's performance incredible. Haunting finale that stays long after viewing. Never into Mahler, per se, but now I want more. Brother.
