L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 4 BARBARA MINAFRA NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS O s c a r - w i n n e r N i c o l a P i o - v a n i d e f i n e s h i m a s " a g r e a t e x c e p - tion to all rules." "The most creative music cinema has e v e r h a d , " a d d s B r u c e Springsteen. Giuseppe Tornatore's documentary E n n i o , p r e s e n t e d o u t o f c o m p e t i t i o n a t t h e l a s t V e n i c e F i l m F e s t i v a l a n d currently in cinemas across Italy, has just won the Nas- tro d'Argento 2022 for best documentary. It narrates the story of a musical genius, a u t h o r o f u n f o r g e t t a b l e s o u n d t r a c k s : f r o m O n c e Upon a Time in America to Bertolucci's Novecento, from C i n e m a P a r a d i s o t o T h e Untouchable. In Tornatore's last work Morricone, the music giant, reveals a composer's tor- ment, thoughts that can't stop and pages to be filled with the ambition of giving t o t h e w o r l d a n i n d e l i b l e m e l o d y . A n i n t i m a t e a n d choral work all at once, root- ed in 30 years of friendship, collaboration, and 10 movies t o g e t h e r . T h e R o m a n orchestra conductor, who passed away in 2020, tells the story of his life in the first person, revealing some of his private and profes- sional self. But the docu- m e n t a r y , w h i c h t o o k f i v e years to be produced, is also an audiovisual novel filled with the thoughts of interna- t i o n a l a r t i s t s a b o u t Morricone's personal, innov- ative, knowledgeable, infi- n i t e m u s i c a l i n s p i r a t i o n . Among them, Alessandro De Rosa, composer and co- author of the autobiography where Morricone put him- self into words: "Without a doubt, the best book about me, the most authentic, the most detailed and studied. The most real," the compos- er– star no. 2.574 on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame – once said. E n n i o M o r r i c o n e : Inseguendo quel Suono. La mia Musica, la mia Vita. C o n v e r s a z i o n i c o n A l e s s a n d r o D e R o s a (Mondadori Libri, published i n E n g l i s h a s E n n i o M o r r i c o n e : i n H i s o w n Words, by Oxford University P r e s s ) r e a c h e d i t s t h i r d reprint in Italy. The book is structured like a dialogue w h e r e t h e m a e s t r o t a l k s about his life and work, and how the two mix, influenc- ing one another. After the b o o k , i n 2 0 2 0 , t h e p o d c a s t I o e E n n i o Morricone was released by Amazon Audible. Born in Milan in 1985, Alessandro De Rosa has j u s t r e l e a s e d h i s n e w album Flesh and Soul (Pele e A l m a ) . H e s a t d o w n with L'Italo-Americano t o t a l k a t l e n g t h a b o u t Morricone, a true musical genius of the 20th century. Can you tell us a per- sonal memory of yours of the Maestro, and the g r e a t e s t l e s s o n h e taught you? The memories I have of Morricone are of great affec- tion and connection. Our identities, our souls, res- o n a t e d t h r o u g h m u s i c immediately. Music of his, which I of course knew, and music of mine, which he got to know because I had given him a CD with some early compositions when I was 19, d u r i n g a c o n f e r e n c e i n Milan, in 2005. His answer was immediate: "You have great qualities. You must s t u d y c o m p o s i t i o n , b u t I c a n n o t g i v e y o u p r i v a t e lessons." I had asked him to be my teacher, and his atti- tude didn't only start my r e s e a r c h p a t h b u t a l s o opened a third dimension that developed in time and became a friendship. The biggest lesson he gave me? Perseverance, dedication, commitment, persistence, b e c o m i n g f r e e f r o m a l l h a b i t s , t h a t i s , b e t t e r i n g y o u r s e l f a l w a y s . A i m i n g continuously at something new, authentic, pure. You can't ask anything of others if you haven't asked yourself first. What passages in the book better represent Morricone as a compos- er and as a person? W h i l e w o r k i n g o n o u r b o o k , w h i c h d e v e l o p e d through many phases and w a s m a n y y e a r s i n t h e w o r k s , I u n d e r s t o o d Morricone wanted to focus on his legacy, he wanted to r e f l e c t u p o n t h e m u s i c a l part of his life. In his case, music and life, the book's subtitle, go hand in hand. As I am myself a composer – I was still studying at the time but you never really stop learning – he felt he was understood also musically a n d t h a t h e c o u l d r e v e a l more of himself, as well as pondering anew, as he said i n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n , o n m a n y e v e n t s o f h i s l i f e . Through our conversations, he changed his perspective on many memories. To give y o u o n e a n s w e r t o b o t h questions about Morricone's life and work, I'd say we are i n t h e r e a l m o f d y n a m i c immobility, which brings together the immobile and the dynamic, what is and what becomes. Both in his life and in his music, in this s t i l l n e s s t h a t t u r n s i n t o time, Morricone shows his deepest identity: that of a man who, always respecting his past, loves and studies, m o v e s i n t o t h e p r e s e n t , transforms a score in com- munication with its baton, while he conducts. And then walks into the future, into new challenges. You could define Morricone in many a way, both as a man and as an artist, but at the heart of a l l o f t h e m , t h e r e i s a n immense coherence. B a s e d o n y o u r c o n - versations, how would y o u s a y M o r r i c o n e defined his music and w h a t w a s h e m o s t attached to? Well, first of all, music was his life, quite literally. It was his life's main commit- ment. He'd wake at dawn, e x e r c i s e , a n d t h e n w r i t e until noon. In the afternoon, he'd either go recording for movies or keep on writing, until late in the evening. He used to work a lot, so music was a truly strong presence in his existence. With it, he had a peculiar approach. We'd all like to w o r k i n c i n e m a , b u t n o t Morricone. In the begin- ning, he wanted to be recog- n i z e d a s a n a v a n t - g a r d e c o m p o s e r , j u s t l i k e Stockhausen, Boulez, Nono, Ligeti, Bartok, Mahler. But then, little by little, he had to adapt to the industry that g a v e h i m m o n e y . H e arranged many Italian songs by some of the most famous RCA singers, like Morandi, Paoli, Vianello. Then it was cinema, but the passage was almost conflictual because he felt he was losing time, as that wasn't his true ambi- Continued to page 6 Ennio Morricone jokingly hides behind a copy of his autobiography, written with Alessandro De Rosa (Photo courtesy of Alessandro De Rosa) Ennio Morricone, "the great exception to all rules"

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