FILM MUSIC IS AN ART.
By John Mansell. (Movie music international). © 2019. not to be re-printed without permission of the author.
Art is something that can be purveyed in various ways, there is art as in the form of the drawing or painting of images, art as is the written word or the creation of poetry and verse, art as in sculpture and pottery or the musical works of the great Masters, art comes in many shapes and personas, and at times one does wonder is this really art? There is also an art form which is sadly overlooked and has always been and this is the composition of music for the specific purpose of enhancing or supporting the moving image on screen, in other words film music as we know it. There are an abundance of styles and sounds which are utilised within the film music arena, but the one purpose no matter what style or direction artistically the composer chooses to focus upon or take, is that the music he or she writes underlines, supports and above all compliments and elevates the scene or scenarios that are being acted out on screen, and the composer has to do this without being intrusive or overwhelming, in fact he or she writes music that maybe at times is not even noticed by a watching audience, this I suppose is the purpose of music in film, to be there in the background to add to a scene but it must not be heard in a way that we as an audience or a listener would hear it in their home or via a recording they have purchased. There are numerous composers that work within the film music fraternity, but there are but a handful that stand out and shine via their innovative or distinctive compositions. One of these is Maestro Remo Anzovino, his music for feature films, documentaries and television projects, may or may not be familiar to you, but there is little doubt that he is a talented musician and a composer that adds colour, light and shade to a movie just as a painter adds textures and images to a canvas. Anzovino, personifies the word chameleon-like with his varied and versatile compositions and has created numerous soundtracks that not only ingratiate the projects he has worked upon adding atmosphere and depth to each one in an individual way, but also he has written affecting and mesmerising tone poems that have much appeal and contain a hauntingly beautiful quality which can be appreciated and savoured by many who listen to them away from the images they were intended to underline and punctuate.
The composer’s music is a synthesis of styles, that encompasses and embraces numerous musical sounds and employs a mixture of textures and colours. There are delicate and intricate nuances within his works that evoke emotive and poignant senses, intimate piano solos that fixate the listener because of their charming and expressive sound, dark and brooding passages that are intense and gripping and lavish and luxurious themes that are vibrant and tantalising. But, every project is different, yes there is a sound or a style that is present throughout each of his musical journeys whether this be for a studio album or for TV, Film etc, but when one listens to music by this composer every new recording and new composition is filled with an astonishing vitality and energy which beguiles and enthrals.
Remo Anzovino, was born in Pordenone, Italy on February 12th 1976. He began to take piano lessons in his early years and then as a teenager studied privately harmony and jazz and then moved onto counterpoint. He began to compose music at the age of 11, aged 18 the composer began to work on writing music for commercials, and at around the same time started to contribute musical scores for the theatre. He was always attracted to creating music for the moving image, and aged 26 the composer wrote his first score for a silent movie, an area in which he has since exceled and become known for in recent years.
“I have always imagined a silent film with screenplay and sounds, to me silent films are just films. Therefore, it was a matter of commentating them musically rather than making didactic choices or a simple accompaniment. This requires a greater preparation on the film and a greater respect of the narrative. I cannot stand the idea of extemporizing music especially for a silent film. In fact, a greater rigor is expected. Obviously, there is no chance to discuss the music with the filmmaker and thus you need to convey modern emotions and feeling from a film shot almost a century ago”.
(Remo Anzovino).
In 2006 the composer began to devote most of his time to composing music for film.
“I think a musician can work for a film only if he loves the cinema deeply and knows its basic language. I feel comfortable in doing this because I work as if the music was not mine, I love cinema to the point that I personally strive for finding the most suitable solutions for the film. In my concerts I always put some themes from soundtracks that I rearrange in different forms to make it even more autonomous in the relationship with the audience”. (Remo Anzovino).
This music collection includes five examples of the composers work for film, VAN GOGH OF WHEAT FIELDS AND CLOUDED SKIES, GAUGAIN IN TAHITI-PARADISE LOST, WATER LILIES OF MONET, HITLER VERSUS PICASSO and THE OTHERS and the composers score for FRIDA VIVA LA VIDA. Each one has its own individuality, its own voice and its own musical fingerprint. It is evident when listening to these superb scores that there is a glimmer of genius within each of them, with a light of excellence that shines through them and radiates from them.
Many critics often remark when discussing composers and they want to draw a comparison between them and a more established or well-known artist. “This is the new Ennio Morricone” or “This could be a modern-day Bernard Herrmann”. Yes, Remo Anzovino, does have certain qualities and little nuances and quirks of orchestration that one could easily compare to other composers that work in film, but to draw any comparisons with other composers I think would be pointless as he is a music-smith who has created his own incredible sound and fashioned his own original style, he is Remo Anzovino.
VAN GOGH-OF WHEAT FIELDS AND CLOUDED SKIES.
The Sedona International Film Festival, presented the Great Art on Screen series with “Van Gogh: Of Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies”. This was screened in Sedona on Wednesday, Feb. 13th, at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Great Art on Screen is a series of seven documentaries featuring an in-depth look at the most extraordinary and ground-breaking art masters of their time. Take a fresh look at Van Gogh through the legacy of the greatest private collector of the Dutch artist’s work: Helene Kröller-Müller (1869-1939), one of the first to recognize the genius of Van Gogh. In the early 20th century, Kröller-Müller amassed nearly 300 of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings now housed at her namesake museum in Holland.
The Basilica Palladina exhibition in Vicenza, “Amid Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies,” with 40 paintings and 85 drawings on loan from the Kröller-Müller Museum, lends the basis of this program, revealing Van Gogh’s art and his genius, while allowing audiences to understand the importance of drawing as part of his craft. Van Gogh’s seemingly instinctive canvases were the result of long, preparatory studies very rarely exhibited – not just sketches but stunning works of art in and of themselves, where the broken flow of lines that characterize the style and strokes in Van Gogh’s paintings can already be seen. Composer Remo Anzovino, wrote a soundtrack that is sublimely beautiful and alluring attractive, the Maestro creating wonderfully lyrical musical poems that not only enhance the images on screen but also bring a sense of emotion and poignancy to the proceedings.
His music gives the artistry and stunning imagery as created by the Master Vincent Van Gogh an even greater life and vibrancy, the musical score purveys an aura of vulnerability and fragility and weaves an intricate and compelling musical web, that itself could be seen as a brush of sorts that is applying colour and giving life to an empty canvas. The composer utilises solo piano and strings that at times soar or entwine to bring to fruition a heartfelt and highly emotive conclusion.
The gracious and eloquent themes the composer has written seem to engulf the listener and surround them; they are emotionally affecting as just music as well as being effective in the context of the film. The style is at times classical but there is also present a slightly more contemporary sound which although is fleeting proves to be attractive and powerful. The score is filled with a vibrant but at the same time poignant persona which has touches of splendour tinged with melancholy. The piano performances are haunting and spellbinding and create a mesmerizing and delicate air. Accordion is also utilised and adds much to the proceedings, the instrument fades in and out of cues adding an even greater atmosphere to the score. The instrument is then given a greater role and is centre stage in a handful of cues, LOVING PEOPLE being one of them. ARLES SYMPHONY is another outstanding piece which has subdued but simultaneously driving strings that are a background to additional strings which perform the central melody, this is also enhanced by use of percussion and punctuated by Accordion. But it is the piano performances within the score that tantalise and entertain, they are not only delicate and fragile sounding, but via their achingly beautiful pure sound become hypnotic.
HITLER VERSUS PICASSO and THE OTHERS.
“I was involved in scoring Hitler Versus Picasso and the Others from the producer Didi Gnocchi (3d Produzioni) with whom I previously worked for some television projects. She co-produced Hitler versus Picasso with Nexo Digital as distributor. From that moment on we started an ongoing partnership collaborating particularly with the CEO Franco Di Sarro. I composed 3 scores VAN GOGH OF WHEAT FIELDS AND CLOUDED SKIES, HITLER VERSUS PICASSO and WATER LILLIES OF MONET one after the other since all the films were released in 2018, one every two months in approximately six months”.(Remo Anzovino).
HITLER VERSUS PICASSO and THE OTHERS, has a score that is certainly filled with drama and urgency, but, it also contains many passages and interludes that contain a rich and melodic style, Remo Anzovino, has written a powerful soundtrack that is overflowing with themes which have varying styles and definite appeal. The music is an entertaining entity alone, as well as perfectly supporting the film. The composer manages to create so many fresh and lingering thematic properties throughout the work. It is a more thematically led score with strong motifs that lend a considerable weight to creating a greater atmosphere and setting the mood of the film. Directed by Claudio Poli, HITLER VS PICASSO and the OTHERS is set in 1937 when the Nazi’s held two exhibitions in Munich: one was in order to denounce what was termed as “degenerate art,” the other, was curated by Hitler personally, and was said to be staged to glorify “classic art.” The film is presented and Narrated by Toni Servillo, and is a journey through four exhibitions, where masterpieces by Botticelli, Klee, Matisse, Monet, Chagall, Renoir, and Gauguin are on display. With each exhibition a story unfolds and each of these are interesting and fascinating.
The cast includes, Timothy Garton Ash, Jean-Marc Dreyfus, Edgar Feuchtwanger, Simon Goodman and Berthold Hinz. After a period of seventy years since the declaration of war, HITLER VERSUS PICASSO AND THE OTHERS is a film that reveals many of the secrets of the so-called Fuhrer treasure. Paintings by numerous revered artists are hidden, looted from galleries and museums with many of them thought destroyed by the Nazi’s and lost forever. These are un-earthed and reveal the Nazi’s obsession with art. The four exhibitions which the film revolves around are.
“Degenerate Art” Munich, July 9, 1937
The Nazi hierarchy organized this exhibition in Munich, it consisted of 650 works of art seized from over 30 German galleries and works that were confiscated from private collections. The works were chosen from modern movements in the world of art that were not in keeping with what the Nazi’s considered to be things of beauty.
“21 rue La Boétie”, Paris, March 2017
Anne Sinclair, director of the Huffington Post, reveals the story of her Grandfather, Paul Rosenberg, who was to become known as one of the most interesting gallery owners and art dealers in the early part of the 20th Century. He was a French national and Jewish, who was good friends with Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Henri Matisse, and an extraordinary art collector, who opened a gallery at 21 rue La Boétie, in 1910, where he collected works of ‘degenerate art’. In 1942 he was stripped of his French nationality and part of his collection was stolen by the Nazis.
“Gurlitt Collection”, in two locations:
The last chapter of the films story is set in September 2010. A train hurtles along a track with an elderly Gentleman on board, he is German, and we soon discover that he is art collector Cornelius Gurlitt. His Father, Hildebrand became known as ‘Hitler’s Merchant’. Cornelius was hiding some of the most priceless art treasures of the century, among them “Portrait of a Lady” by Matisse, the painting belonging to expert and lover of Impressionism, Paul Rosenberg.
The music for the movie is an essential component of the story telling and an integral and important part of the film and the film making process, it would be difficult to imagine this movie without the subtle underscore or the more dramatic and driving pieces that the composer created for this production, the thematic quality of the compositions are evident and the score heightens the mood and atmosphere within every scene, the composer underlining and punctuating without being intrusive. The score is a fusion of symphonic, choral and electronic elements. Anzovino fashioning and creating via use of the full range of the instruments within the orchestra and by way of samples.
HITLER VERSUS PICASSO AND THE OTHERS, contains a score that is a truly haunting affair, one example of emotive writing within the soundtrack is the cue, VIOLIN FOR THE INNOCENTS, which is filled with so much emotional sentiment and a musical passion that is immediately affecting, it is not just a heartfelt composition but a heart breaking one, that invades the listeners soul. The same can be said for CELLO FOR THE INNOCENTS which recalls the same theme, in a slightly briefer duration, but has to it an air of melancholy and a rather more sombre aura, but again brimming with yearning and poignancy.
“My scores for film and also television always involve musicians. My team is made up of people who get along and of high expertise. For string instruments, we have developed a special technique that mixes pieces played by musicians for every section of the orchestra and samples. This combination makes the sound tenser and more modern without giving up to the kind of expressiveness only musicians can add. Brass instrument, woods, percussions and string instruments are rigorously played by musicians. Piano pieces are of course played by me. I like using electronics in expressive and analogue fashion. I usually conduct my film scores but am also supported by my assistant the Maestro Federico Mecozzi. While one conducts the other supervises in the recording booth with the sound technician Cristian Bonato”(.Remo Anzovino).
WATER LILIES OF MONET (The Magic of Water and Light).
This film tells the story of how a huge piece of art came into being and also of how it essentially broke with convention and also of the artist Monet who’s life was reconstructed and invigorated via painting. It is a story that shows the obsession the artist had with light and water, an obsession it seems he could not get away from, but putting it to wonderful use by transforming his paintings into magical and beguiling Masterpieces that were to revolutionize modern art. The artist had one goal and that was to transfer his first impression onto the canvas and paint so it appeared as an image that he had not seen before every time he looked at it. The documentary also does this and shows the watching audience THE WATER LILIES by Monet as they have never been seen before. This is a uniquely special cinematic experience, with exclusive footage of Monet’s masterpieces which are housed at the Orangerie Museum, the Marmottan Museum and Giverny. Masterpieces that would be the artists final legacy to France and ultimately the world, being a symbol that is associated with peace and hope for all.
The score for WATER LILIES OF MONET is an accomplished and richly melodious work. It has to it an intimacy and purveys a sense of hopefulness and joy that is resounding and vibrant. The composer makes effective use of synthetic and sampled sounds within the score and creates a collection musical landscapes and moments that are coloured with mesmeric and lilting musical sounds and textures which he achieves by combining the synthetic with the symphonic, the choral and solo voice interludes. The composer fashions uplifting and energetic themes that are filled to overflowing with exuberant and harmonious sounds. The score may not be grandiose, but it is a work that is tantalising and haunting, the combination of Soprano and strings is stunning, and the use of electronics and conventional instrumentation is a stroke of genius, each section complimenting and giving support to one another.
GAUGUIN IN TAHITI-PARADISE LOST.
In 1891 artist Paul Gauguin had become disillusioned with life in Europe, his wife had left him and taken his children with her, his friend Vincent Van Gogh had passed away and his life as a painter was in the doldrums. In the same year the artist decided that he would leave Marseilles and head for the South Seas, it was this decision that took him to Tahiti. French Polynesia and The Marques Islands where he was to experience so many beautiful and wonderous sights in the form of landscapes, seascapes and also life experiences through the local populations of the islands. These inspired him to create images and vibrant colours that were to change his approach to painting forever, seeing the use of colour and light in a very different way from when he was in France.
The film takes us to simple island dwellings which the artist built out of leaves and bamboo whilst in the Pacific and to modern day Paris, New York, Boston, Chicago and Edinburgh where many of his masterpieces are now preserved. This is a film that follows this master’s journey on which he grasps the essence of life and art. To enhance the beauty of Gauguin’s surroundings Remo Anzovino has written one of his most touching scores, it is a work of immense beauty itself, the composer again performing piano on the soundtrack. There are it seems an endless collection of heart-warming and wonderfully affecting themes present within this score, and at times it is hard to take in that all this superb music comes from one movie. The opening cue, OVIRI, is a short lived but brooding and powerful introduction to the remainder of the score, with the composer creating a dark and shadowy sound, via piano, low strings and breathy woodwind, tremolo strings are introduced also which bring a sinister sound to the proceedings, it is a uneasy style that is employed, with brass being added at the conclusion.
Track number two, NOA NOA is a lighter affair with soft strings and lilting piano performance which compliment each other perfectly, the composer also utilises wood wind as in flute which has to it a slightly jazz style, but the combination of the strings, piano woods and electronic support is ingenious and also entertaining and evokes memories of Italian film music from the late 1960’s and into the decade of the 1970’s, its film music but also could be categorised as new age or easy listening exotica styles. Track number four on the recording is LES JOURS PERDUS, this is in my opinion one of the most beautiful melodies on the score, piano again takes centre stage whilst being underlined by strings, and laced with additional string performances giving the piece a rich and wonderfully lavish style and persona. The tender nuances composed by Remo Anzovino within this cue are in a word stunning, they are filled with a delicate and affecting style that is romantic but at the same time purveys a mood or atmosphere that is fragile and totally consuming.
Track number five, I WILL LEAVE , is a more downbeat cue with strings introducing the track, but the low key and near sombre atmosphere, alters as the composer brings into play more strings and the gentle use of percussion and solo violin, the music gains pace slightly but never reaches its crescendo as it reverts back to a more calming and tranquil piece as it reaches its conclusion. Track number six, PARADISE LOST is the piano solo version of the piece, again it is a beautifully executed performance by the composer, the seven-note motif is lovingly played and oozes with elegance and charm. Track number seven, BACK TO THE ROOTS, is another cue that is slow builder, the composer again turning to the string section to create the foundation and introduction, whilst adding other elements both electronic, percussive, choral and symphonic as the composition unfolds and progressively builds. Electronic and conventional instrumentation working in unison to fashion a melodic and powerful track which has to it an inspiring sound. The score features a handful of soloists, these include, flautist Fabio Mina, percussionist Marco Zanotti, cellist Anselmo Pelliccioni and Violinist Federico Mecozzi. The score is a delightful and sophisticated collection of themes which underscore, support and enhance the production and add to it a greater atmosphere and depth.
FRIDA VIVA LA VIDA.
This is a movie that explores both parts of Frida Kahlo’s personality. We see her human side as in a person who is a victim of her tortured body and of her tormented and difficult relationship and also the film focuses upon her pioneering artistic career and her involvement with feminism. Asia Argento narrates and as the film progresses, we begin to understand the dual personality of this complicated but brilliant individual. The film utilises Frida’s own words and makes use of her letters, which are mixed with interviews and other documentation. Of, course it also shows many of her paintings, which are on display and stored in many of Mexico’s amazing museums and galleries. The score for this movie in particular is I think one of the composers most varied, it also is one that sounds as if it contains more synthetic than symphonic, but this adds to the impact and also the entertainment value when listening to it away from the movie. There are rich and vibrant pieces and also Latin flavoured passages scattered throughout the soundtrack as well as vocal performances and jazz orientated tracks performed by an easy sounding trumpet which is punctuated by piano as in YO ME PINTO or accompanied by strings in the impressively rich and emotive, FRIDITA (Adagio for trumpet and strings) classical guitar performances also bring much to the overall sound of the score, as in the track MEXICAN LANDSCAPE. It is a score that is filled with such a wealth of thematic properties, the composer being highly inventive in his approach to the subject matter. There are delicate musical poems such as HOW FAR I. LL FLY, CHILDREN WE WONT HAVE and PEONY, with apprehensive but touching compositions that include, EACH TIME I WAS BORN. and upbeat pieces such as WALKING IN MEXICO and BROKEN HEART TANGO.
No matter which way you view film music or music in film, there is very little doubt that Maestro Remo Anzovino is a master at his craft and I for one look forward to more from him. MMI/JOHN MANSELL(C) 2019.
Last Summer composer Daniel Pemberton was talking about a movie he was working on, it turned out to be KING ARTHUR-LEGEND OF THE SWORD which hits the screens in the UK on May 19th. At the time the composer remarked, “Yes like the world needs another movie about King Arthur”. However, I am sure seeing as it is directed by Guy Ritchie this will be unlike any other movie version of KING ARTHUR. Listening to the score, is something of an experience, it’s not the traditional type of Knights of the Round Table musical fare. Although saying that there are a few musical moments that verge upon the sound that was accepted to be music for an epic adventure some years ago, as in track number, 7, THE LEGEND OF EXCALIBUR, with its low almost growling strings and brass, opening the cue, but these fading away and giving way to a musical presence that is at first sinewy sounding, but very soon becomes something that is not only powerful but has about it a sound and atmosphere that is grand and commanding. Daniel Pemberton is in my opinion one of film music’s brightest stars, I love the way in which the composer experiments and basically bucks the system musically achieving so many great effects and sounds, which maybe one would ordinarily think. “That won’t work” the thing is it does. His score for THE MAN FROM UNCLE for me was the best thing in a long while, it was filled with thematic material and vibrantly inventive and wonderfully supportive of the movie, matching the action superbly and at times working in an almost operatic fashion, very much like the way in which Ennio Morricone used music in the Dollars Trilogy and other Italian westerns. The same can be said for his work on JOBS, maybe this score was a little less in your face, but via its intimate and somewhat fragile sounding passages it worked, elevating and enhancing, supporting and underlining without being intrusive, but instead becoming an integral and important part of the movie as if it were an actual character within the storyline. As I have not yet seen KING ARTHUR I cannot comment on how the music works within the context of the movie, however, I can say that this is a score that is great to listen to and one that is varied and infectious. I think the attraction of the score is the quirkiness and the at times unconventional orchestration that gives it an even greater appeal. Pemberton, combines bold brassy sounding flourishes with breathless voice, urgent sounding strings and percussive elements with choral support to arrive at a crashing and exciting solution, synthetic and symphonic styles meet, they clash and then combine and fuse within the score to create something that is rather special, with the composer also utilising various solo instruments to purvey an atmosphere of solitude, apprehension, fear and melancholy, all of which are tinged with a rawness and even a savage aura, the sound achieved is certainly Gaelic influenced, but is Gaelic with shall we say a contemporary feel to it.
MOVIE MUSIC INTERNATIONAL. (MMI) . 