Il demonio

The third chapter in our 2013 series dedicated to the great music composed by M° Piero Piccioni is based on a peculiar film: the horror-documentary movie Il demonio, directed in 1964 by Brunello Rondi and starring Daliah Lavi and Frank Wolff.

A film inspired by real events that happened in the south of Italy, it tells the story of a scorned woman who seeks to avenge on her ex-lover with a spell, after which the townspeople accuse her of being possessed by the devil.

The directorial style fluctuates between horror and documentary, and the story inspired a particular artistic approach from the composer who, once again, had the opportunity to set free his immense creative skill. The result is a score that was not typical for Piccioni—dissonant, compact, suspense-oriented music that trespasses into experimentation, giving the movie the powerful effect of a wide-eyed, waking nightmare.

A fundamental piece in fully understanding the multidirectional evolution of the Maestro's art, IL DEMONIO is a highly restless and sleepless score that provides further evidence of the talent of Piero—still standing strong against the hard test of time.

The CD is released in a jewel case and mastered by Claudio Fuiano for 73 minutes of listening pleasure, with 14 cues in mono and 3 in stereo. Graphic design by Daniele De Gemini and Alessio Iannuzzi and liner notes by Andrea Morandi (CIAK magazine) on the music, the movie and the actor Frank Wolff.

Tracklist

1 Sabba fantastico 3:33
2 Il demonio – seq. 1 1:56
3 Il demonio – seq. 2 1:26
4 Demonia 2:07
5 Il demonio – seq. 3 3:15
6 Il demonio – seq. 4 2:06
7 Il demonio – seq. 5 2:01
8 Fiume lete 2:50
9 Il demonio – seq. 6 1:41
10 il demonio – seq. 7 2:16
11 Il demonio – seq. 8 3:52
12 Il demonio – seq. 9 2:49
13 Il demonio – seq. 10 2:19
14 Il demonio – seq. 11 3:11

The Film Score (stereo)
15 Il demonio (parte I) 12:12
16 Il demonio (parte II) 14:11
17 Il demonio (parte III) 10:30