MUSICHE PER IL FILM SU BENVENUTO CELLINI

'Una Vita Scellerata' (eng: 'An Evil Life')... A definition for Benvenuto Cellini or Battiato's Music?

This album is the O.S.T. of a film about Benvenuto Cellini ((Florence, 3 November 1500 - Florence, 13 February 1571, a goldsmith, sculptor, Italian writer and artist) that is one of the most important Italian artist. In a certain sense Cellini and Battiato have too common points and for these reasons this album is extreme good also, if as me, you don't have see this film.

The music contained in this album is a mix between the experimental phase of Battiato's music (the 70's) and Vangelis. the song lenght are between 0'35'' and 3'12'' but most of them do not reach 2 mins. Battiato use the spirit of Vangelis and his style for to create the right climax, also if the songs present, in most cases, a single musical phrase. It is true that this album is very enjoyable, although not easy, and flows like a river when it arrives in the plain. In this album is the more serious and true Battiato that transpire.

I am not able to describe the songs because I am not a musician. But I am able to describe the power and the feelings of the songs. I think that, in first plan, Battato tried to carry Cellini in the XXth Century, and we at the time of Cellini. Only secondarily combined these transport in Benvenuto cellini's film. Clearly the two aspects interact perfectly.

In so doing Battiato was approached Vangelis but was able to carry even his music of the 70's in Classic Music field, without leaving his personal POP. And 'Musiche per il film su Benvenuto Cellini: Una Vita Scellerata'' (eng: 'Music for the film on Benvenuto Cellini: Am Evil Life'') probably is the more accessible (but not easy) Battiato's album.

Not totally unexpected, the movie soundtrack is a good place for Battiato. His early music was highly imaginative and he is free to put his impressions into the music without having to take care of what his label wants.

The movie is inspired to the life of the jeweller Benvenuto Cellini, lived during the Renaissance and the only one person in the history able to escape from the prison of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, where his cell can still be visited.

Battiato has enough classical background to be able to compose music appropriate enough to comment a Renaissance story. The tracks are very short, as each of them is made just to comment a movie scene, but all together can be listened to as a single suite which sounds mainly as classical music except some short moments more avantgarde.

I have the impression that Battiato wasn't thinking to a release of this soundtrack. The track titles have just the name of the scene they are commenting so the tracklist is like a note on a sheet. In this environment, a track like "La Figlia", even if perfectly included in the suite, deserves a mention as it's more krautrock than classical.

A good instrumental album. It's not essential, but it's here to demonstrate the composing skill of Franco Battiato, totally outside of his pop hits, between his early electronic/avant period and the classical influences already shown with Genesis and ready to come with the big opera Gilgamesh.

3.5 stars