ENNIOMORRICONE.IT

Mr. Giuseppe Tornatore informs that BAARIA will be out in italian cinemas on 25 September 2009. He is still working every day from 7.00 a.m until 10.30 p.m (sundays included) to the last details in the postproduction final phase.
As previously announced, Morricone has finished to mix and record all the music on 6 May.

I take this opportunity for those who are interested in, also to say that on 21 May, the official CEFALONIA dvd has been issued in a very beautiful edition. More unpublished RAIUNO tv films dvd (due to the late change of the whole RAIFICTION/MADE IN RAI management) will follow up shortly.
Regards.

Both good news

do you know if the Cefalonia dvd has english subtitles prehaps?

No, sorry, it doesn't. It also has a 12 pages monographic brochure, but in italian. The second dvd with the second part of the film has a photographic gallery and the backstage too.
Regards.

So finally we can know the release date, great news! I guess, the soundtrack CD will be out close to the release date of the movie, won't it? I'm looking forward to it!

Dear Keky, behind that "won't it?", I see you're dying for news. So, hoping to please you, this time I'll tell you a little bit more, but just a little bit...
Yes, the cd could be out the same day or also before the premiere of the film: it happened with MALENA.
In November the soundtrack was almost completed, but Morricone, having seen some scenes of the film and thinking to be in presence of an absolute masterpiece, wished to add something special never written before to the already very beautiful composition and so the themes with their variations became more than 30 (I mean only the most important themes and variations). He worked hardly until the beginning of April.
It's clear that just one cd cannot contain all the music written, but you know that in this period labels are in a deep economic crisis (think that it's still under discussion which one label - at 80% it will be an american one - should publish I DEMONI DI SAN PIETROBURGO) and the possible issuing of a double cd isn't a so easy choice. We think that just one cd will be out in September, and after some months the second one (Christmas?), but all this is still under discussion and at the moment nothing has been decided about. All solutions are possible.
This is the widest and most difficult composition in Morricone's career. You know that this film is the story of Giuseppe (Francesco Scianna) and Mannina (the super-wonderful Margherita Madè) and crosses 3 generations: besides the leading characters' one, their parents' and their sons' ones too from '30 years to '70 years. Somebody has already renamed the film ONCE UPON A TIME IN SICILY...
The film in its integral version lasts 3 hours and 20 minutes. Some scenes will be cut for cinema version (not those concerning the second mondial war period) but a dvd will be available in the integral version like already happened with NUOVO CINEMA PARADISO.
I guess, for sure, that your curiosity in knowing something about the music is big and I can understand it, but I can't meet your wishes. For the material I've heard, I can tell you that BAARIA is 100.000 Kilometres far from LA SCONOSCIUTA. BAARIA expresses more than a composer can usually ask from himself: the musical perfection. This explains the 20 months that Morricone has devoted himself to this work.
If you have some more not "very specific" question, I'll be pleased to answer you.
I hope that these lines have been welcome everybody not only our hungarian friend.
Best regards and have a nice evening.

Dear Altnikol

Thanks for your answer. Yes, you were right, I am very curoius of both the film and the soundtrack. - so it's always nice to hear the latest news of both. Please keep us informed if you have anything new to tell!

Is there any official news about which label will release the soundtrack CD?

Dear Keky,
I imagine that your question is addressed to me. I'm not a press agency, but I willingly answer you.
Your hunger for news is amazing. Sure not to be a white shark? It's too early to have an answer like this: it all depends on the royalties...matter of money, a lot of money. I don't understand why you are so interested in knowing which one label will publish the cd, but...there is no accounting for tastes.
You live in Hungary. Right? Have you read my post in ANNA FRANK section that Negrin shot the film in Budapest?
In these days Morricone is in the middle of a tropical twister. He had a concert last Friday in Bergamo (30 Km. far from Milano): it happened half a revolution. The location chosen by the organizers was indecent: a place 50 metres far from railway. And so, while the orchestra was performing the well celebrated notes of C'ERA UNA VOLTA IL WEST, a new musical accompaniment made its debut: the train's noise one. You can imagine what happened...people who had paid 120 Euro for a ticket. All the most important italian news papers expressed their opinion about and some of these...better not to read them.
I only ask myself if Morricone, at least in Italy, can't check the various locations before having a concert.
About this, on italian forum, you can see several complains. What I think about, I wrote it in few lines in the post about ANNA FRANK. But it's only my opinion...
Why he doesn't stay, at 80 years old, in his personal studio in Roma to do the only one thing for what, nowadays, he is known and esteemed all over the world? To compose music. Besides this, I'm very worried for his health.
When I'll have some more infos about BAARIA, I'll let them know everybody.
Regards, Altnikol

Thanks for the infos, again!
Yes, I am really looking forward to this project, Baaria, movie-wise and music-wise as well. I'm only interested in the record label because I'm curious if it will be an Italian label, like, say, Image Music, or an international one (Sony, etc.)
Anyway, hopefully we will get to know soon!

The fever is growing up, day by day and not only in Italy, awaiting BAARIA. Bagheria (this is the true name of the small town where Giuseppe Tornatore was born) is preparing itself for the forthcoming premiere in the italian cinemas on 25 September. Three different events will take place on 18 and 19 September. The kermesse under the high patronage of italian Minister Council Presidence and the Presidence of italian Republic will start on 18 September at Villa Cattolica with a photographic exibition going along all the stages of BAARIA's making story. Then, in the evening, at Villa San Marco, there will be a concert directed by Mo. Caruso where all the most important soundtracks which bind Sicily to the cinema will be performed. On 19 September there will be the preview of the film: Tornatore , Morricone and most of the cast will join this third event.
This week italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, whose family is the owner of Medusa Cinematografica - the major which has produced the film ( 28 millions of Euro!!!) together with Tarek ben Hammar) - was in Tunisia to visit together with the tunisian president the set of the film.
"The astronomic amount of money spent for BAARIA - he said - has been well spent and something else will follow up...".
Because isn't yet clear if THE LADY ( a film about Aung San Suu Kyi's life) will be Tornatore's next film, those web sites which had already included this assignement, are kindly requested to remove it. For the moment Tornatore is only talking with japanese producers for the film while Morricone is resting himself close to Roma in a cottage on the hills.
Some weeks more of patience and then the absolute masterpiece will reveal to you in its full glory.
Meet you after BAARIA's premiere for a short comment about the film and, above all, about the music.
Regards,
Altnikol