{"id":6246,"date":"2013-03-08T02:37:20","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T07:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=6246"},"modified":"2013-03-08T02:37:20","modified_gmt":"2013-03-08T07:37:20","slug":"cd-grande-duello-il-1972-man-called-noon-the-1973","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=6246","title":{"rendered":"CD: Grande duello, Il (1972) \/ Man Called Noon, The (1973)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em>G<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Rating: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label:\u00a0Quartet Records (Spain)<\/a> \/ Released: May, 2012<\/p>\n

Tracks & Album Length: 27 tracks \/ (65:31)<\/p>\n

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Special Notes: 12-page colour booklet with liner notes by Robert Cueto \/ Limited to 500 copies..<\/p>\n

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Composer: Luis Bacalov<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken quite some time for Luis Bacalov\u2019s The Grand Duel<\/strong> (1972) to make its way to CD after a long absence (its last appearance was as a double-bill with the composer\u2019s 1972 score, Si Puo Fare\u2026 Amigo<\/strong>, in 1995, and a solo score release in 2003), and while fans of spaghetti westerns will be aware of the score\u2019s popularity, film fans may not be aware of the score\u2019s main theme being the pivotal cue used by Quentin Tarantino during the O-Ren anime flashback in Kill Bill: Vol. 1<\/strong> (2003).<\/p>\n

Quartet\u2019s CD features an impeccably mastered presentation of the complete score, plus a quartet of bonus alternates, and while the quality of the music is obvious, Grand Duel<\/strong> is another example of the superb engineering typical of Italian soundtracks. Quartet\u2019s CD features a fabulously warm sound, capturing the depth of classic analogue audio with rich bass tones without sacrificing details in the mid and high ranges.<\/p>\n

Bacalov\u2019s score is really structured around two themes: the main cut, with its slow rhythmic intro and elongated melodic line which builds ever so slowly to a modest operatic high; and an up-tempo honky-tonk variation first heard with piano, fiddle, banjo, and soft mixed chorus. The second theme is often replayed with slightly different variations in instrumental groupings, and alternating chords before a quick finale.<\/p>\n

The main theme does recur in slight variations, mostly in terms of drum hits, harmonica solos, strings, and woodwinds, but there are few inventive digressions within the score. One version (Part V) features a saturated synth chord paired with South American woodwinds, and a later version pairs woodwinds with strings in a slight lament.<\/p>\n

Bacalov\u2019s writing is very evocative of Ennio Morricone \u2013 he captures the slow burning drama and operatic qualities of Sergio Leone\u2019s epic films \u2013 and the score is bookended by a theme rendition featuring Edda De\u2019Orso, giving the impression the producers really<\/em> wanted their film to tie-in with Leone\u2019s work (the casting of Lee Van Cleef certainly helped), but Quartet\u2019s second score, written for Peter Collinson\u2019s The Man Called Noon <\/strong>(1973) presents a much richer offering of themes, variations\u2026 and an unusual surprise.<\/p>\n

Still taking a nod from the spaghetti western style established by Morricone, Bacalov sticks with a similar instrumentation (including Dell\u2019Orso\u2019s vocals in \u201cFire and Guns\u201d) but the tone is a more peculiar blend of humour, tragedy, and genre conventions. A staggered march rhythm figures in the title theme, but its appearance is to augment the image of a warrior, which Bacalov contrasts simultaneously with a rich, string-heavy melodic line.<\/p>\n

The \u201cPrologue\u201d really establishes the score\u2019s darker mood with a threadbare theme version, plus echoplexed strings and brass accents reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith\u2019s Alien<\/strong> (1979). South American woodwinds and acoustic guitar are centre stage in the beautiful \u201cHighlands,\u201d and in cues like \u201cMr. Rubble Noon\u201d and \u201cIn the Fortress,\u201d Bacalov uses the full orchestra (including a rare inclusion of brass), adding an unusual level of dissonance. A few cues offer some pensive theme variations \u2013 such as the chamber version in \u201cQuietness\u201d \u2013 and then there\u2019s the comedic cut \u201cRimes,\u201d which introduces a secondary theme that\u2019s almost note-for-note identical<\/em> to Hans Zimmer\u2019s Sherlock Holmes<\/a> <\/strong>[M<\/a>] theme. Zimmer\u2019s second Holmes<\/strong> score includes (and acknowledges) a Morricone theme, but the obvious link between Bacalov\u2019s western and Zimmer\u2019s variation is impossible to miss.<\/p>\n

Of the two scores on Quartet\u2019s disc, Noon<\/strong> is the more sophisticated and rewarding due to its broader dramatic content and richer thematic variations; Duel<\/strong> is a fine score, but its largely monothematic, and the frequent verbatim reiterations make it a little monotonous. Bacalov could write a great tune, but he could also expand a theme\u2019s material into striking, brutal versions when a film\u2019s musical palette allowed for more \u2013 as is the case with Noon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Robert Cueto\u2019s lengthy booklet notes provide a good background on the films and their music, and some detailed examination of each score\u2019s instrumentation.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2013 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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External References:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>— Duel <\/a>\/ Noon<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

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Select Merchants:<\/p>\n

Amazon.ca<\/a>\"\" —<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" —<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a>\"\" —\u00a0BSX<\/a> —\u00a0Intrada<\/a> —\u00a0SAE<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack Reviews<\/a> <\/em>\/\u00a0G<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to:\u00a0Home \/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews \/ G . Rating: Excellent Label:\u00a0Quartet Records (Spain) \/ Released: May, 2012 Tracks & Album Length: 27 tracks \/ (65:31) . Special Notes: 12-page colour booklet with liner notes by Robert Cueto \/ Limited to 500 copies.. . Composer: Luis Bacalov . . Review: It\u2019s taken quite some time for Luis […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1909,1908,162,1907,1912,1911,1910,1141],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-1CK","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6246"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6246"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6250,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6246\/revisions\/6250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}