Stefano Torossi - Omicidio per vocazione / E’ stato bello amarti OST [Fin de Siècle Media - 2010]This disc brings together two soundtracks from the late 60’s by Stefano Torossi- an Italian film composer who scored a fairly meagre 20 plus films between 1963 up to 1999; through he also wrote for & collaborated with 60’s pop/rock bands such as the Italian beat/pop group Chameleons. The disc certainly shows Torossi as a versatile sonic talent that was both a creative mood setter and a populist melody writer and arranger with the disc going from: up-beat and energized instrumental mix of throbbing & fuzzed guitar pop/ rock with jazz & vibe colours. Onto haunted, moody & spine tingling piano, organ and wordless female harmonizing. Through to bouncing 60’s organ fed funk guitar ‘n’ brass dramatics, onto brief & playful Dixieland jazz flamboyance, down to edgy & brooding piano discord meets horror filled percussion tension; there's an awful lot of different & very well painted sonic colours & moods on offer here. The films soundtracked here are ‘Omicidio per vocazione’ ( L' Assassino ha le mani pulite or Deadly Inheritance) a Vittorio Sindoni directed 1968 Giallo film with a plot that revolves around the death of an eccentric millionaire who is killed in a train accident( to be precise by standing on the tracks) then leaves everything in his will to the village idiot; which of course his family are none too pleased about & they result to anything even murder to get there hands on the cash. And secondly another 1968 film in the shape of ‘È stato bello amarti’(It was good, Love you) which was directed by Adimaro Sala and by all accounts was a romantic drama about A boy leaves who leaves his family and girlfriend for the city, where he becomes the lover of a rich women. The pair of soundtracks were original released back in 1968 on the C.A.M lable and this is the first time they’ve appeared on cd. Packaging wise the cd comes a full colour 4-page digifile/ folder with the artwork from the Giallo moive on the front cover ( a painting of a man stabbing a women on the floor) and a few stills inside under the cd from both moives. It’s a nice enough presentation though it would have being nice to have a bit of a write-up about both films & of course Stefano Torossi himself. So in finishing off this disc offers up two very enjoyable, musically versatile & varied soundtracks from this sadly neglected & forgotten Italian soundtrack composer. Another health pat on the back is due for Fin de Siècle Media for release this lost gem, it’s just a pity there couldn’t have been a bit more info about the films and Torossi career, though I suspected due to rareness of the original pressing & the films themselfs there was little more info to be added. Roger Batty
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