Soundtrack Apocalisse

The British/Italian label Hillside has released two much anticipated scores; Stelvio Cipriani’s La Lunga Notte Dei Disertori and Poitevin’s Killer Cailbro 32.

It is amazing to me that so many excellent scores from Italian movies keep being unearthed in various recording company vaults. LA LUNGA NOTTE DEI DISERTORI comes originally from the vast CAM archive, and was only ever issued on a CAM promo Lp (LP CAM PRE S) back in 1971.

Cipriani is a composer that is well know to many collectors because of his numerous Italian western scores and also because of the composers gift for melody and his ability to infuse so much emotion into his music for romantic films that he has scored. I think I am right when I say that the war movie is a genre that the composer rarely frequented, and maybe that is why I was not familiar with this title at first look. I am glad to report that Cipriani produced a wonderfully powerful and suitably martial sounding work for this 1970 release. But there are also moments within the work when the Cipriani spaghetti western style filters through which is for me at least a real treat. Then there are slower more tender sounding interludes which are full of poignant and sensitive sounding tone poems which haunt and also delight the listener.

The score opens with the principal theme for the movie, MASA MATRUH, this is a grand and very commanding composition with aggressive neo- classical sounding strings heralding timpani and rumbling percussion, this combination builds with the utilisation of swirling strings that introduce an urgent sounding piano backing which enhances and keeps tempo for more strings that take on the theme giving it a good workout supported by brass and excellent dark sounding choral work courtesy of Nora Orlandi.

Track 2 is a soft and gentle sounding cue, TEMA ARABO:DIALOGO, is performed on subtly placed woods underlined with guitar and delicate use of strings that together create a poignant and mesmerising composition. Track three DESERTO is also rather low key in its sound and style, but this time Cipriani adds to the mixture more romantic sounding strings and choir along with flute, again the overall effect is stunning. Track four, TEMA ARABO: CAVALCATTA is something that would not be out of place in either a western movie or maybe an adventure yarn, Cipriani using upbeat percussion and also flyaway sounding strings in a composition that borders on being pop and classical orientated, think Hannibal Brooks and you will know what I am trying to say, there is also a choir within the work that enhance the theme by crooning in the background and adding the occasional grunt or bark here and there.

This is certainly a surprise of a release, and one that you should have in your collection, art work is very 70,s in its appearance and looks like something one found on CAM LPS back in the day. Sound is very good, and the cd is presented and packaged very well indeed, another hit from hillside, you will regret it if you don’t get it.

For a number of years now I have often wondered why composer Robby Poitevin, has not been mentioned a great deal within discussions about music in Spaghetti westerns. He has made a number of worthy contributions and these deserve to be issued on recordings for collectors to savour and enjoy. Thankfully Hillside cd productions have begun to put this oversight to rights. Last year they issued HIS NAME CRIED VENGEANCE which is an excellent score and later they released LITTLE RITA OF THE WEST the score minus the songs, which was also memorable stuff.

Now they have issued KILLER-CALIBRO 32, a western score from 1967 which in my opinion is even better. This score includes more of the musical trademarks that we associate with the Italian western genre, where as HIS NAME CRIED VENGEANCE was a more conventional sounding western soundtrack. KILLER-CALIBRO 32 contains, whistling courtesy of the one and only Alessandro Alessandroni, solo trumpet, the obligatory saloon piano tracks, plenty of highly charged action cues, a poignant and delicate sounding love theme, choir from Il Cantori Moderni, racing timpani, harpsichord, a great title song by Maurizio Graf and some pretty impressive electric guitar work.

It is probably one of the composers best works for a spaghetti western, and has a sound and style to it that is very infectious. Again this is a limited edition of just 500 copies, so I would suggest that you invest in a copy as soon as you can. The sound quality is excellent and the CD cover and booklet includes some striking images from the movie. I am so pleased that Hillside are continuing their release programme and more or less concentrating on westerns, we are told that there are numerous more spaghetti western scores laying around in vaults in Italy I just hope that these too see the light of day very soon. KILLER-CALIBRO 32 is a must have CD.