Vizi private, pubbliche virtù

Quartet Records presents expanded CD premiere of a rare, eccentric Francesco de Masi score written for the scandalous softcore film of noted Hungarian director Miklós Jancsó.

Vizi privati, pubbliche virtù was Jancsó's fourth film in Italy and is quite unusual in the director's filmography. It tells the story of Crownprince Rudolf (Lajos Balázsovits), the son and heir of Emperor Franz Joseph who committed suicide when he couldn't marry his love, Maria Vetsera. In Jancsó's interpretation, there's much more to the story: the young prince is a sexual rebel who challenges authority and was thus executed by the court. But before that happens, we get an extended orgy and a lengthy, almost 10-minute long lovemaking scene.

Our program of Francesco de Masi's score actually begins with ''Dedicated to love'', the cue written for the climatic lovemaking scewne and is followed all the quirky bits that translate Rudolf's madness into music. Listeners could catch glimpses of Austrian and Hungarian marches, plus a surprise appearance of the nursery rhyme ''Baa Baa Black Sheep''! We also present many of the bizarre marches performed by the omnipresent court musicians.

The score had been previously released only on a very hard-to-find LP, contains a selection of 30 minutes. LP. This CD contains all of de Masi's enchanting music with alternate takes never heard in the film or on disc!, courtesy of the Beat Records vaults. A 20-page colorful booklet includes rare and titillating stills, plus liner notes by Gergely Hubai who discusses the film, its historical inspiration, the composer and his score.

Tracklist

1 DEDICATED TO LOVE (9:32)
2 NEW YEAR'S DAY MARCH (3:23)
3 NO PROBLEM (1:24)
4 FAREWELL MARCH (2:18)
5 JUST FOR JOKE (2:37)
6 DANCING ON 3/4 (5:14)
7 OUVERTURE TO THE GAME (2:26)
8 IN HIS HONOUR (3:05)
9 WHISTLING A SAD SONG (1:59)
10 ALL TOGETHER NOW (3:34)
11 SAD END TO THE GAME (2:38)
12 FAREWELL MARCH (1:28)
13 BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP (PUBLIC DOMAIN) (1:23)
14 OPENING PARTY (2:54)
15 SADNESS AMONG FRIENDS (1:30)
16 SAD END TO THE GAME (ALTERNATE) (3:30)
17 ALL TOGETHER NOW (ALTERNATE) (1:36)
18 NO PROBLEM, AT ALL (1:55)
19 THE CIRCUS ARRIVES (2:03)