FORMAT: VINYL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Pasquale Squitieri’s 1985 crime drama, Il Pentito (also known as The Repenter), receives a surprising score from composer Ennio Morricone. Not only did Morricone direct the orchestra for this particular score himself, there is also a considerable amount of electronic keyboard at play during the course of the score.
One can see it a couple of ways, given that it operates in high tones, as opposed to the lower, more rumbling synths so common to 1980s film scores. The high sounds can be seen as a compliment to the flute, which is prominently featured on tracks such as Messagio, creating an artificial companion to the naturalist sounds.
Alternately, and one which seems far more intriguing to consider, is that it’s meant as a replacement for the whistling of Alessandro Alessandroni. The music of Il Pentito has the same taut edginess of Morricone’s western scores, but by utilizing the electronic sounds of the synthesiser, it works in that same eerie mode without feeling as if it’s anachronistic. Momento decisivo is an especially solid representation of what the Maestro can do in that veib,
The score makes its vinyl debut as a 35th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on silver and black marbled 180-gram vinyl. It looks stunning – like some sort of mysterious metal or stone – and sounds excellent. The mix of electronics and traditional orchestral instruments blends together well.
