INFERNO (OST)

Actually I got this one by coincidence: the purpose was to buy 'Honky', another album by Keith Emerson, while I've been in London in a vacation, back than. It turn out that I got this one, and never felt sorry about that.

The soundtrack is made for an Italian movie called 'Inferno', written and directed by Dario Argento. Years after I've learned via internet, that this is a horror movie. The music is not exactly of the kind you expect for in a horror movie, because most of the time it sounds more solemn than frightening. Still it's dark, somber, and got some 'horror' moments. On the opposite, there are few tracks that rocks very well.

The soundtrack is constructed from short pieces, which describe the movie scenes and got names such as 'Rose leaves the apartment', 'Mark's discovery' etc. It is performed mainly by orchestra and piano. The orchestration and conducting made by Godfrey Salmon, and he did a great job. Also he is credited for the arrangements, along with Keith Emerson himself, and maybe done even more; but it's just a guess.

On the piano, our good old Keith Emerson. Try to imagine his fast and virtuosic playing on electric keyboards slow down dramatically, and performed seriously on acoustic piano, and you got an image of how this album sounds like. In about the middle, (in fact, side 2 of the vinyl version), things start to move faster and more dynamic, probably according to the movie script. There is really one 'horror' picture in 'A cat attic attack' piece, with very loud orchestra chords, performed by the brass section.

But don't get the wrong impression that you'll get here just acoustic piano and orchestra pieces. In addition to some electric keyboards that appear occasionally, there are three rock pieces: 'Taxi ride' features a screaming synth solo a-la Chick Corea. As I learned later, the main motif is taken from 'Nabuko' by the Italian composer Verdi, so its Chick Corea and Verdi combined together by the hands of a wizard. 'Cigarettes, ices, etc' features a fast, funky bass, with distant woodwinds. 'Mater tenebrarum', written in the best Emersonian tradition, features a choir chanting in Italian, a church organ, and Bach-like passages performed by Emerson and the choir.

All in all, in my opinion it is a great soundtrack, with superb music, and great orchestration and performance. It is very rewarding to follow Emerson at the 80's, at his post glory days with ELP, and to discover a great musician, who had still a lot to offer.