Italian composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino’s work on three Orson Welles films is highlighted in a limited edition CD due later this month from the Germany-based Alhambra Records.
Limited to 300 copies, The Orson Welles / A.F. Lavagnino Collaboration is devoted to Lavagnino’s collaboration with Welles on Othello, Chimes at Midnight and the unfinished TV production The Merchant of Venice. (Audio samples can be heard at the conclusion of this post.)
The score for The Merchant of Venice is presented as the complete original recording in stereo and as a re-recorded suite, which was performed live at the Venice Film Festival in September 2015 by the Orchestra Classica di Alessandria conducted by Roberto Granata.
Lavagnino wrote and recorded the 15-minute score for The Merchant of Venice in two to three days. The composer did not want any fee from Welles, but in the end received 12 paintings of various Shakespearean characters which Welles had drawn on the back of his cigar boxes – a few of them can now be seen on the cover and within the booklet of the CD.
The disc also contains unreleased excerpts from Chimes at Midnight and three tracks from Othello.
The common denominator of these three works is that all of them were Shakespeare adaptations. Each of these assignments was an exciting challenge for Lavagnino as besides incorporating authentic musical sounds and colors of the historical periods it gave him the chance to experiment and to find unconventional and often quite unique musical solutions with great artistic creativity, according to Alhambra Records.
The composer’s three daughters Bianca, Iudica and Alessandra Lavagnino reportedly provided Alhambra Records with the original master tape of The Merchant of Venice.
The CD contains a 20-page booklet with extensive liner notes and numerous stills from the movies, as well as a translations of interview segments contained on the disc.
Several online retailers are offering the CD, including Alhambra Records in Germany, Music Box in France and Screen Archives in the U.S.
Samples can be heard on the YouTube video below
Track listing:
The Merchant of Venice (1969)
01. Jessica‘ s Theme 1:01
02. Tarantella 2:25
03. Carnival of Venice 1:26
04. Jessica‘ s Theme (Lute Version) 1:54
05. The Harpsichord in Antonio‘ s House – Sunset in Venice 2:13
06. The Garden at Night – Jessica‘ s Theme 0:48
07. Acrobats 2:00
The Merchant of Venice (1969) – BONUS TRACKS
08. Percussion Source Music #1 1:06
09. Percussion Source Music #2 1:10
10. Percussion Source Music #3 1:15
The Merchant of Venice (1969 / 2015)
11. “The Merchant of Venice” Suite (new recording) 22:20
Chimes at Midnight/ Falstaff (1965)
12. Intermezzo Grottesco (Alternate Version) (from “Falstaff”) * 1:05
13. Apertura Festosa (from “Falstaff”) 1:20
14. Intermezzo Agreste (from “Falstaff”) 3:07
15. Ricercare Rusticano (from “Falstaff”) 2:47
16. Falstaff (Attack on the Pilgrims) * 1:34
17. Battaglia e Campo di Morte (from “Falstaff”) 4:45
18. Falstaff (The King´s Soliloquy) * 2:42
19. Falstaff (Antica Cantica D’Amore – Alternate Version) 1:09
20. Falstaff (The King´s Funeral) * 1:40
21. Falstaff (End Cast) * 0:59
* = previously unreleased
Othello (1951)
22. Funeral 3:28
23. Main Title 1:08
24. Finale 1:04
Interview Segments with A. F. Lavagnino
25. About the collaboration with Orson Welles 0:50
Randall Larson‘ s interview recorded by Alessandro Panuccio in Rome on June 26, 1984
26. About the first encounter with Orson Welles 3:30
Interview recorded 1980, musicista per film, interview by Enrico Ghezzi/Marco Giusti
27. About the music for the battle sequence in „Falstaff“ 3:53
Interview recorded 1986, interview by Enrico Ghezzi
28. About the music for „Merchant of Venice“ 6:44
Interview recorded 1986, interview by Enrico Ghezzi
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