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Alhambra Records in Germany is very proud to release two lovely romantic scores by famous Italian composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino which have never before been available on CD:
SOLEDAD from 1958 is a love story set in Spain and L'OCEANO CI CHIAMA from 1957 a Cinemascope documentary in colour about an Italian fishing expedition to the Northern Seas.
This wonderful CD project - our fourth Lavagnino CD - has only been possible thanks to the generous support of the three daughters of the composer - Bianca, Iudica and Alessandra Lavagnino -, who still had open reel tape copies of the original mastertapes in mono in their personal archive.
SOLEDAD was an Italian-Spanish co-production from 1958 where Lavagnino was reunited with Enrico Gras and Mario Craveri, the same documentary directors who a few years before had also made CONTINENTE PERDUTO and L'IMPERO DEL SOLE. This new project was their first venture into the feature film genre and starred Spanish actors such as Fernando Fernán Gómez, Germán Cobos and Pilar Cansino The story deals with the love affair of the young couple Manuel and Soledad, who are in love with each other, but Soledad's father gives her hand to the wealthy suitor Don Antonio Torres.
SOLEDAD represents the middle part of Lavagnino's unofficial Spanish trilogy which was preceded just a few months before in 1958 by the famous THE NAKED MAJA and would be followed in 1960 by LA SPOSA BELLA (THE ANGEL WORE RED), another US movie with Ava Gardner in the leading role. In all three scores Lavagnino incorporates splashes of Spanish folklore and typical instruments of the country like guitars and castanets into his compositions, but whereas the two other scores also have their fair share of somber and dramatic suspense tracks, SOLEDAD can be described more as a lyrical symphonic poem full of heartfelt melody and glowing romanticism. It is a musical feast of beauty and a sensual celebration of love. The exquisite love theme, which is sung by the then still young Italian singer Jula De Palma in the Main Title, dominates everything in the score and may be one of Lavagnino's most inspired melodic creations. Our CD presents the complete SOLEDAD score with more than 40 minures of music.
The second score on our CD comes from the 1957 documentary L'OCEANO CI CHIAMA which was co-directed by Giorgio Ferroni and Giovanni Roccardi and is almost unseen today.
The movie describes the various stages of the fishing of the cod which is effectuated in the Northern Seas by a ship prepared for this aim by a big commercial company.
Throughout, the music by Lavagnino plays an important part in underlining the feelings of the isolated men on board and in creating a maritime musical atmosphere. All in all, there are certainly more than 60 minutes to be heard in this quite short 75-minute movie, but only about 27 minutes of them have survived in very good condition in the Lavagnino estate. The 12 tracks with about 25 minutes (for listening purposes we have moved the jazzy jukebox source music "Night Club" to the bonus section at the end of the CD) form a delightful and diverse symphonic tone poem about the sea with wonderful musical seascapes.
This CD edition with 12-page booklet will be limited to 500 copies and will be available next week during mid-November.
Pre-orders can now be made at SAE where you can find tracklisting and very soon also a few sound clips:
http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/22478/SOLEDAD-LOCEANO-CI-CHIAMA-PRE-ORDER/
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Many thanks for this great news Stefan, cannot wait to hear these scores. Dave
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Many thanks for this great news Stefan, cannot wait to hear these scores.
and from me .
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I can say that they are happy and that they had originally not thought that nowadays there would be such interest in the music their father had written such a long time ago. And it is a great luck that all those tapes have survived. Otherwise the scores would be lost forever.
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To answer your question, filmo: HEROD THE GREAT or rather ERODE IL GRANDE (the Italian title) from 1959 is owned by Sugar/CAM where we at Alhambra don't have any access. So this would be a suitable score for example for Digitmovies' peplum series in the future and maybe it would be the best way if you write them personally on their website. I am quite sure they would be able to release this Savina music on CD if there is sufficient interest.
If THE NAKED MAJA is one of your personal Lavagnino favorites, I can assure you that SOLEDAD will also be to your liking.
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Having now received this I can recommend this cd to all readers who love symphonic, melodic film music. For me one of the releases of the year so far. SOLEDAD has superb music throughout and great variety, Lavagnino really catches the flavour of Spain, the period and bullfight music is wonderfully woven into the score, the orchestration superb and his main themes moving and romantic.
Not only that but L'OCEANO C CHIAMA is also a marvellous listening experience, the recording is good for such an obscure score from so long ago. Again really soaring symphonic themes, that will surely appeal to the golden age fans.
Don't miss out on this one!
Dave
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The CD is now in stock at SAE (as well as Alhambra's 6 CD set dedicated to German composer Rolf Wilhelm who is now 85 years old).
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"....This wonderful CD project - our fourth Lavagnino CD - has only been possible thanks to the generous support of the three daughters of the composer - Bianca, Iudica and Alessandra Lavagnino -, who still had open reel tape copies of the original mastertapes in mono in their personal archive...."
What a refreshing change to see the offspring of one of the great Italian composers showing some interest in getting their father's work out there - heartwarming that they are committed to a proper legacy for getting published otherwise forgotten gems. Bianca, Iudica and Alessandra are to be commended.
Compare this to the attitude of some sons and daughters - who will remain nameless - who have shown scant interest in their deceased father's work and are only interested in money and more money and if there isnt enough, wont even put themselves out and would rather see the work die with them. Scandalous.
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My own feeling - and that Im sure of many on here - is that such historical work is special and, at all costs, even for little or no profit, should have every effort made by the families of composers to be helpful and supportive to CD producers. Getting the work out there is paramount and they have a duty, if not to securing their father's legacies - that alone should be enough, but at the very least to the work itself. This is not the case, it seems. Not my own experience, no, but that reported horror stories of friends of mine after several attempts to deal with the children of an Italian composer.
Lets hope this message gets to all the sprogs of Maestros everywhere - now that the wonderful children of Maestro Lavagnino have shown the right path.
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Yes, Tone, still children technically, but the sons and daughters of composers, from 45 to 70, whatever age they are, need to take a bite of unselfish pie, stop suspecting that CD producers are making millions off them and be more devoted to the work.
Well there is 2 you have taken off the list!!
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