Annibale

Digitmovies proudly presents the tenth volume of the series dedicated the Italian Peplum genre with this release - for the absolutely first time on CD - of the complete original motion picture soundtrack by Carlo Rustichelli for the 1959 movie “Annibale” (aka “Hannibal”). The leading actors were the American actor Victor Mature (famous for his epic leading roles in movies like “Samson and Delilah”, “The Robe”, “Demetrius and the Gladiators”), Rita Gam, Gabriele Ferzetti and the very young Carlo Pedersoli (aka Bud Spencer) and Mario Girotti (aka Terence Hill) in one of their early screen appearances. There has always been great confusion about who directed which scenes, because the American B movie cult director Edgar G. Ulmer was responsible for the US version of the film, whereas the Italian veteran Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia got the director credit for the Italian (and European) version of this epic about the famous Carthagian general. The score was written by the noted Carlo Rustichelli,(Carpi, 1916- Roma,2004), one of the most important names of Italian Film Music. This CD project has been made possible thanks to the help of our friends at Beat Records who have authorized the release of the important Nazionalmusic catalogue. Unfortunately, the original master tapes have gone lost for many years, as the recording sessions took place almost half a century ago. Although we could find alternate master tapes for this CD, the sound is quite deteriorated even though several tracks have a quite acceptable sound quality. Carlo Rustichelli has written a passionate and full-blooded orchestral OST based on the Hannibal theme, an epic and adventurous march that is introduced in the Main Titles (Tr.1) and frequently reprised in the score in Tr.2 (slow and measured) for the scene of Hannibal’s army which crosses the icy mountains of the Alps riding on their elephants. We get a variation with male choir in Tr.4, and there is further development of the theme in Tr.9,Tr.11,Tr.15 (slow with string tremoli) Tr.25,Tr.26,Tr.29 and in the “Finale” (Tr.32) after the love theme introduction. Carlo Rustichelli alternates battle themes powerfully performed by brass and percussions in Tr.5 and in Tr.8 (with furious French horn glissandi), Tr.12,Tr.14, a magnificent and outstanding Rozsa-like march (that in the music cues sheet is announced as “Roman March”,Tr.22) , Tr.23, Tr.24, Tr.27, religious flavoured music (Tr.7), suspense music (Tr.31) to a recurrent delicate and pastoral love theme for Hannibal (Mature) and Sylvia (Gam) in Tr.10,Tr.13,Tr.16,Tr.17 (introduced by a heroic performance of the orchestra),Tr.18,Tr.19,Tr.20, Tr.21,Tr.28,Tr.30. Our CD also contains as bonus tracks unused alternate takes: An alternate version of the Main Titles with typical Western rhythms almost in the style of Elmer Bernstein (tr.33), the main theme performed as a little march with the interpolation of the American cavalry march "The Girl I Left Behind Me", probably as a tribute to the Hollywood star, the great Victor Mature (tr.34), , a ballet version of the love theme (Tr.35) (these tracks had possibly been recorded and conceived for an EP record that never saw the light in those days) and an outtakes suite featuring battle music (Tr.36). Another must rescue of the Italian Golden Age, but also a tribute to the great Maestro Carlo Rustichelli who was proud of this score which he personally considered as one of his best. He had always loved to see this score released, because in 1959 he had a large orchestra at his disposal and with Franco Ferrara also - in his own words - "one of the best conductors in the world". Now finally this gap can be filled with our CD.