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1
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My life has always
revolved around music.
2
00:00:13,855 --> 00:00:18,564
When I was a child, I was part of the
prestigious Cappella Giulia choir.
3
00:00:19,355 --> 00:00:23,189
We performed at St. Peter's
Basilica for every solemn function.
4
00:00:23,689 --> 00:00:26,480
Me and the other choirboys wore
those classic white and red robes.
5
00:00:27,022 --> 00:00:30,855
I had a soprano voice. Music was
already influencing my life.
6
00:00:31,564 --> 00:00:36,147
I knew I wanted to work with music
before I was even ten years old.
7
00:00:36,730 --> 00:00:39,105
When I started
studying the piano,
8
00:00:39,564 --> 00:00:41,939
I realized there was
something more than singing.
9
00:00:42,439 --> 00:00:44,605
Piano became the
real deal for me.
10
00:00:45,605 --> 00:00:49,355
Then I enrolled at the Pontifical
Institute of Sacred Music,
11
00:00:49,647 --> 00:00:51,689
which is located at
Sant'Agostino in Rome.
12
00:00:52,022 --> 00:01:00,022
That's where I studied to get the
most out of my passion for music.
13
00:01:01,230 --> 00:01:08,355
All this is to give you an introduction on
how I started working in films.
14
00:01:08,814 --> 00:01:14,022
My first contact in the
industry was Luchino Visconti.
15
00:01:15,272 --> 00:01:16,564
A huge name, indeed.
16
00:01:17,064 --> 00:01:19,689
Visconti was doing DEATH IN
VENICE, and he needed someone
17
00:01:20,064 --> 00:01:27,814
who could write down some partitions
resembling the symphonies of Mahler.
18
00:01:28,397 --> 00:01:33,439
The main character of the film
was somewhat based on Mahler.
19
00:01:33,814 --> 00:01:38,480
So, after being approached
for the job by some friends,
20
00:01:38,980 --> 00:01:42,855
I started writing partitions that
resembled Mahler's style.
21
00:01:43,647 --> 00:01:47,272
Visconti was really impressed
by the final result.
22
00:01:48,230 --> 00:01:53,939
There was another issue
to solve, though.
23
00:01:54,355 --> 00:01:57,480
I don't know if you
remember this detail,
24
00:01:57,939 --> 00:02:05,814
but both the young boy and one
of the leading actresses
25
00:02:06,272 --> 00:02:09,564
had to play FUr
Elise on the piano.
26
00:02:10,397 --> 00:02:12,730
But they were not good
pianists in the slightest
27
00:02:13,105 --> 00:02:16,064
so Visconti asked me to
play it badly on purpose.
28
00:02:16,397 --> 00:02:18,189
"Don't worry, I'll do
my worst," I told him.
29
00:02:18,647 --> 00:02:23,522
It was really amusing to make
one mistake after another.
30
00:02:23,980 --> 00:02:27,147
Then Visconti asked
me to write
31
00:02:27,689 --> 00:02:32,689
the partitions for the main
pieces of music in the film.
32
00:02:33,355 --> 00:02:35,230
As everybody knows,
33
00:02:35,605 --> 00:02:39,064
the most important one is the Adagietto
from Mahler's Fifth Symphony,
34
00:02:39,522 --> 00:02:42,647
which is played by one of the
leading characters in the film
35
00:02:43,147 --> 00:02:47,272
during a scene where they
debate the aesthetics of music.
36
00:02:47,814 --> 00:02:50,272
Beautiful dialogue in
that scene, by the way.
37
00:02:50,939 --> 00:02:54,814
So, I was climbing the ladder, doing
more and more important jobs.
38
00:02:55,314 --> 00:03:01,480
I also worked on Visconti's following
film LUDWIG, a four-hour epic.
39
00:03:02,147 --> 00:03:04,355
Music is a key element
of the story,
40
00:03:04,939 --> 00:03:07,897
which includes Richard
Wagner among the characters.
41
00:03:08,439 --> 00:03:13,314
I actually appear in
one of the scenes,
42
00:03:13,730 --> 00:03:17,189
conducting the orchestra during
the famous staircase scene.
43
00:03:17,689 --> 00:03:21,189
I conduct the orchestra
as Wagner admires
44
00:03:21,772 --> 00:03:25,355
the first performance of the
Siegfried ldyll he composed.
45
00:03:26,605 --> 00:03:30,730
It wasn't a bad career start for
the twenty-something kid I was.
46
00:03:31,314 --> 00:03:33,397
I could say I
started at the top.
47
00:03:49,355 --> 00:03:52,355
Someone suggested my name
to Polanski for WHAT?,
48
00:03:52,939 --> 00:03:55,314
as he was looking for some
younger, fresher names.
49
00:03:55,855 --> 00:03:57,647
The same thing happened
with Paul Morrissey,
50
00:03:58,022 --> 00:04:01,730
who was also looking for some
new talents to work with.
51
00:04:02,855 --> 00:04:09,314
So I met with Polanski,
and after a brief chat,
52
00:04:09,814 --> 00:04:14,189
he announced I'd score his film.
He said it there on the spot.
53
00:04:14,605 --> 00:04:18,064
I was over the moon. Polanski
was one of my idols.
54
00:04:19,189 --> 00:04:22,147
I mean, he was the mind
behind ROSEMARY'S BABY.
55
00:04:22,605 --> 00:04:27,564
I obviously said yes and
put myself to work.
56
00:04:27,939 --> 00:04:34,605
WHAT? widely featured arrangements
of pieces of classical music.
57
00:04:35,064 --> 00:04:40,022
Mostly a selection of Schubert,
Mozart, and Beethoven.
58
00:04:40,564 --> 00:04:43,605
It was an enthralling
experience,
59
00:04:43,980 --> 00:04:49,814
and I could only describe Polanski
as an omnipresent genius.
60
00:04:50,397 --> 00:04:53,022
He never lost track of anything.
61
00:04:53,772 --> 00:04:56,772
It was like he had
12 ears and 48 eyes.
62
00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:58,564
It was truly uncanny.
63
00:04:59,814 --> 00:05:04,272
A kind man, also, which made for an
exquisite professional relationship.
64
00:05:04,647 --> 00:05:06,147
He had a fantastic
sense of humor, too,
65
00:05:06,522 --> 00:05:11,397
something I'd have never expected
after watching ROSEMARY'S BABY.
66
00:05:12,189 --> 00:05:14,772
He was an all-around
lovely individual.
67
00:05:15,147 --> 00:05:17,189
I guess that's how
true geniuses are.
68
00:05:17,605 --> 00:05:23,314
I must admit I have a
really romantic nature,
69
00:05:23,855 --> 00:05:30,314
so I couldn't stop seeing that side
despite all the madness in the film.
70
00:05:30,855 --> 00:05:34,189
"Why don't we make a love
theme?" I asked Roman.
71
00:05:34,814 --> 00:05:41,647
Something to captivate the audience
aside from all the shenanigans.
72
00:05:42,064 --> 00:05:45,064
He said he'd think about it,
73
00:05:45,689 --> 00:05:49,230
but he remained adamant about
74
00:05:49,939 --> 00:05:54,939
the classical music bits
being a pivotal part of the story.
75
00:05:55,647 --> 00:06:02,105
Schubert, Mozart, they were
as classical as it gets.
76
00:06:02,855 --> 00:06:05,439
I couldn't convince him
about the love theme,
77
00:06:06,022 --> 00:06:09,397
even though he liked the
pieces I submitted to him.
78
00:06:09,772 --> 00:06:15,814
As a matter of fact, he was adamant
in helping me find those pieces a home.
79
00:06:16,272 --> 00:06:22,314
That's when he introduced
me to Warhol and Morrissey.
80
00:06:22,647 --> 00:06:28,272
They were shooting a movie in Rome a
short time after Polanski's film.
81
00:06:28,855 --> 00:06:36,855
And that's how I found myself working
in those other weird, surreal pictures.
82
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:38,647
All thanks to Polanski.
83
00:06:39,105 --> 00:06:40,355
I couldn't have asked for more.
84
00:06:40,772 --> 00:06:47,022
Polanski had an exuberant personality,
and he spoke Italian fluently.
85
00:06:47,605 --> 00:06:55,439
We understood each other perfectly, down
to the tiniest requests and motivations.
86
00:06:55,855 --> 00:06:58,605
Working with him was a pleasure. It
was a bit harder with Morrissey.
87
00:06:59,105 --> 00:07:01,439
We both had a language
barrier, unfortunately.
88
00:07:01,814 --> 00:07:04,772
We always needed an interpreter
to properly communicate.
89
00:07:05,439 --> 00:07:08,105
Morrissey basically
gave me free rein.
90
00:07:08,439 --> 00:07:12,189
After approving the score
I wrote for the film,
91
00:07:12,564 --> 00:07:16,814
he gave me free rein when it
came to the orchestrations.
92
00:07:17,147 --> 00:07:23,022
I wrote, orchestrated, and conducted
both scores for those two films of his.
93
00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:29,772
Polanski's WHAT? was different, as it was
just me arranging other composers' music.
94
00:07:30,439 --> 00:07:34,730
Well, Morrissey and Warhol
had a villa here in Rome,
95
00:07:35,147 --> 00:07:37,064
so they also had a local
branch of the Factory.
96
00:07:37,439 --> 00:07:42,314
There were several different people
giving suggestions, ideas and so on.
97
00:07:43,439 --> 00:07:45,064
There was a lot of activity.
98
00:07:45,605 --> 00:07:52,939
But, of course, Morrissey and Warhol
were in charge of the project,
99
00:07:53,355 --> 00:07:57,147
with those two films that were
scheduled to be filmed in succession.
100
00:07:57,855 --> 00:08:02,022
FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN first,
followed by BLOOD FOR DRACULA.
101
00:08:03,022 --> 00:08:10,355
Warhol left a real impression on
me. He was the guru of pop art.
102
00:08:11,355 --> 00:08:15,189
Every time we held a
production meeting,
103
00:08:16,022 --> 00:08:22,022
he wandered around the room snapping
pictures of everyone with his Polaroid.
104
00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:28,314
I bet he had a few
pictures of me as well.
105
00:08:28,772 --> 00:08:32,355
Who knows what they look
like. I really wonder that.
106
00:08:32,897 --> 00:08:35,939
At the same time he also
recorded everything on tape,
107
00:08:36,314 --> 00:08:39,522
probably to ponder
over it later.
108
00:08:40,022 --> 00:08:42,189
He was such a
peculiar character.
109
00:08:42,730 --> 00:08:48,189
We met so many times but I
believe I never heard him speak.
110
00:08:48,772 --> 00:08:52,397
My relationship with Morrissey was
quite the opposite, obviously.
111
00:08:52,730 --> 00:08:55,272
We often had some technical
issues to solve together.
112
00:08:56,355 --> 00:08:59,730
We even played the
score together a bit.
113
00:09:00,564 --> 00:09:07,564
And of course we talked a lot about the
flow of the score, the timbres and such.
114
00:09:08,105 --> 00:09:13,480
A very technical collaboration
between director and composer.
115
00:09:13,897 --> 00:09:15,439
We really got along well,
116
00:09:16,022 --> 00:09:22,064
especially since he liked the music I had
originally written for Polanskis WHAT?
117
00:09:22,647 --> 00:09:29,147
He really fancied my gloomy,
romantic personal touch.
118
00:09:29,647 --> 00:09:31,272
I was fresh out of school,
119
00:09:31,647 --> 00:09:39,522
and every time he told me about
those two quasi-comedy films,
120
00:09:40,522 --> 00:09:45,189
both so elegantly refined when
it came to visuals and costumes,
121
00:09:45,647 --> 00:09:50,230
we both believed
my score would be
122
00:09:50,730 --> 00:09:58,397
a good parallel to the more
light-hearted mood of the films.
123
00:09:58,980 --> 00:10:01,314
Take BLOOD FOR DRACULA's
main theme, for instance,
124
00:10:01,689 --> 00:10:03,439
which plays over the
opening credits.
125
00:10:04,730 --> 00:10:09,480
It plays as we see a pensive Udo Kier,
the actor portraying an aging Dracula,
126
00:10:10,064 --> 00:10:17,022
standing in front of a mirror as he
dyes his hair and puts on some lipstick.
127
00:10:17,689 --> 00:10:21,439
My theme was rather simple
but quite effective
128
00:10:21,897 --> 00:10:24,855
in its melancholy
and sadness.
129
00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,314
As I said, we thought it made a
great parallel with the tone of the movie.
130
00:10:29,980 --> 00:10:32,897
Of course, the score also
offers some more technical,
131
00:10:33,314 --> 00:10:39,605
thrilling, or even
pastoral pieces,
132
00:10:39,980 --> 00:10:43,355
all suited and selected for the
tone of the various scenes.
133
00:10:43,897 --> 00:10:51,855
We stuck to the initial idea of having
a gloomy score with classical echoes.
134
00:11:30,147 --> 00:11:37,647
As far as I know, Antonio Margheriti
mostly handled special effects.
135
00:11:38,064 --> 00:11:42,147
Dealing with technical things
Morrissey didn't know much about,
136
00:11:42,772 --> 00:11:45,939
whereas the director would focus
on the elegance of the shots.
137
00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:48,605
Margheriti was already
an industry veteran,
138
00:11:49,105 --> 00:11:52,564
and his special effects were
simple yet effective.
139
00:11:53,355 --> 00:11:55,772
Morrissey made good use
of his experience.
140
00:11:56,439 --> 00:12:03,689
The film was Morrissey's, but we owe the
effects and some visuals to Margheriti.
141
00:12:15,189 --> 00:12:17,272
We had a brainstorm
for the old song
142
00:12:17,855 --> 00:12:22,439
when we found out we could
use an old gramophone,
143
00:12:23,397 --> 00:12:27,272
so we came up with
a 1920s-style song.
144
00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:33,189
I'm very satisfied with
the melody I wrote.
145
00:12:34,189 --> 00:12:42,147
During mixing we even "aged" the audio by
adding scratches, noises, and other flaws,
146
00:12:43,022 --> 00:12:46,689
all in order to replicate the
sound of an old gramophone.
147
00:12:47,189 --> 00:12:55,189
The final result was flawless. It gave
the scene this whole old-style feeling,
148
00:12:55,647 --> 00:12:57,397
which of course was
perfect for the film.
149
00:13:10,689 --> 00:13:14,689
This is Polanski's cameo
during the tavern scene.
150
00:13:15,605 --> 00:13:23,605
It's a cute scene with Polanski as a
crafty guy playing a game with another man.
151
00:13:24,147 --> 00:13:29,439
The film is set in Italy, so I thought an
Italian tune would fit perfectly.
152
00:13:30,022 --> 00:13:31,814
For those who haven't
seen the film,
153
00:13:32,272 --> 00:13:37,439
Dracula has left Romania to
find new blood in Italy.
154
00:13:38,105 --> 00:13:41,522
So we're already in Italy
during this tavern scene,
155
00:13:41,980 --> 00:13:48,105
and I wanted to underline the setting with
a very Italian, old-style accordion sound.
156
00:13:48,647 --> 00:13:54,230
It creates a very, let's
say, rustic feeling.
157
00:13:54,897 --> 00:13:59,022
The perfect mood for a scene
set in a small village tavern.
158
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:05,189
The film is not only set in the villa
owned by Vittorio De Sica's character,
159
00:14:05,689 --> 00:14:08,939
but also in this tavern and
the surrounding countryside.
160
00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:10,939
I love this aspect of the film.
161
00:14:11,564 --> 00:14:14,814
Both films fared
acceptably well here,
162
00:14:15,189 --> 00:14:21,855
although I certainly can't say
they were commercial hits.
163
00:14:22,564 --> 00:14:27,272
However, moviegoers liked them,
especially the many genre aficionados.
164
00:14:28,022 --> 00:14:30,939
There are a lot of
horror fans around,
165
00:14:31,605 --> 00:14:37,689
and I still get emails from fans asking
questions about the films to this very day.
166
00:14:38,272 --> 00:14:42,647
I mean, we're talking about two films
that are more than three decades old.
167
00:14:43,022 --> 00:14:49,105
After starting my career with the
likes of Visconti and Polanski,
168
00:14:49,814 --> 00:14:53,022
my perception of cinema was
that of a big fairy land.
169
00:14:53,522 --> 00:15:00,855
I felt I had found myself in a land of
geniuses and incredibly talented people.
170
00:15:01,605 --> 00:15:06,314
It was more than learning the trade. I
felt I was in an oasis of pure creativity.
171
00:15:06,980 --> 00:15:12,605
I then discovered that the film industry
wasn't limited to that paradise.
172
00:15:14,022 --> 00:15:16,480
There were many other genres,
directors, actors, composers.
173
00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:18,480
Alas, I felt I had
started at the top.
174
00:15:18,772 --> 00:15:20,314
I was on the highest cloud.
175
00:15:20,814 --> 00:15:26,105
As I already said, my involvement with
cinema began as a chain of events
176
00:15:26,439 --> 00:15:28,855
which I believed
would never end.
177
00:15:29,314 --> 00:15:30,980
It wasn't the case,
unfortunately.
178
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:35,939
The chain broke for many different reasons,
and because of many different people.
179
00:15:36,439 --> 00:15:40,939
Visconti died before we had the
chance to work together again,
180
00:15:41,397 --> 00:15:42,939
and then Polanski left Italy.
181
00:15:43,522 --> 00:15:48,689
Even Ponti, who had produced some
of these films, left the country.
182
00:15:49,105 --> 00:15:53,605
The chain suddenly broke and I found
myself stumbling in the dark.
183
00:15:55,105 --> 00:15:59,689
It felt like I'd been booted out of that
paradise I was telling you about.
184
00:16:00,272 --> 00:16:05,230
Besides, it's not easy working
as a film composer in Italy.
185
00:16:05,772 --> 00:16:11,022
You need to be both talented
and skilled at networking.
186
00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,939
My career stalled somewhat and I didn't
get back on track as I should have.
187
00:16:17,439 --> 00:16:21,772
That's when I started working
in the easy-listening field,
188
00:16:22,355 --> 00:16:24,855
becoming an executive
for EMI Music.
189
00:16:25,439 --> 00:16:28,814
We've scored a lot of hits
on the Italian music scene,
190
00:16:29,564 --> 00:16:32,647
especially with younger
talents like Pino Daniele.
191
00:16:33,939 --> 00:16:39,439
He was quite a big name here, and he began
to gain notoriety back in the early 1980s.
192
00:16:39,897 --> 00:16:42,814
I also started experimenting
with instrumental music,
193
00:16:43,272 --> 00:16:47,689
managing to fare quite well internationally
under different pseudonyms.
194
00:16:48,522 --> 00:16:55,897
Even that music bears my, let's say,
signature gloomy, romantic touch.
195
00:16:56,980 --> 00:16:58,272
A rather romantic sound.
196
00:17:10,272 --> 00:17:14,314
Automat was another
EMI production.
197
00:17:14,772 --> 00:17:19,522
It became a smashing success because
it was really ahead of its time.
198
00:17:20,022 --> 00:17:26,397
We were two musicians, and it's
an instrumental electronic album.
199
00:17:27,814 --> 00:17:33,064
Every track was made using a
single monophonic synthesizer.
200
00:17:33,522 --> 00:17:37,147
To record it today like we did
back then would be totally insane.
201
00:17:37,605 --> 00:17:41,897
Imagine recording a whole album
using a monophonic synthesizer.
202
00:17:42,689 --> 00:17:50,605
It was long, strenuous work,
assembling every track bit by bit.
203
00:17:52,064 --> 00:17:57,814
Basically, the album served to showcase
the capabilities of then-new tech.
204
00:17:58,314 --> 00:18:01,647
It became an international
hit about 25 years ago,
205
00:18:02,647 --> 00:18:06,689
especially in countries
like Brazil.
206
00:18:07,897 --> 00:18:15,105
Despite being considered quite ahead of
its time, it remained a one-shot project.
207
00:18:15,855 --> 00:18:20,439
After that I kept working
in the easy-listening field.
208
00:18:21,272 --> 00:18:24,355
Very simple, catchy tunes,
that sort of thing.
209
00:18:25,064 --> 00:18:30,980
Then, as a sort of throwback to
my classical music interest,
210
00:18:31,397 --> 00:18:37,272
I've also produced some pieces
done in that very style.
211
00:18:37,772 --> 00:18:41,022
Quite sophisticated sounds,
212
00:18:41,564 --> 00:18:49,564
and obviously suited
for many documentaries.
213
00:18:50,105 --> 00:18:53,189
I was essentially asked to
compose and orchestrate
214
00:18:53,814 --> 00:18:57,772
something in the vein of
the great classical composers.
215
00:18:58,230 --> 00:19:01,064
It was also a throwback to
my WHAT? score, of course.
216
00:19:01,939 --> 00:19:03,189
To my beginnings.
20410
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