Ripley’s Game [CD]

"70 is a significant number so we needed to celebrate it with a release by one of the most accomplished composers that ever lived! Kronos Records is immensely proud to present the CD soundtrack for Liliana Cavani's 2002 film RIPLEY'S GAME, starring John Malkovich, Lena Headey and Chiara Caselli and featuring a haunting score by none less than legendary Maestro ENNIO MORRICONE!

By the time Ennio Morricone came to score RIPLEY’S GAME in 2002 he was a seasoned film music composer who had already written hundreds of scores for varying genres of motion pictures. The movie was based on the third book in trilogy of novels entitled RIPLIAD, written by Patricia Highsmith. The movie is a captivating one and has an intelligent and consuming storyline, directed by filmmaker and screenwriter Liliana Cavani (GALILEO, THE YEAR OF THE CANNIBALS, THE NIGHT PORTER, LA PELLE etc) it is a must see motion picture and stands up well to the test of time and one which I believe has matured and grown even more interesting with the passing of the years rivalling many of the more recent thrillers that have been released. The musical score incorporates harpsichord performances at certain points within its duration, the composer utilising the instrument to accompany the film’s central figure, it is also a score that is filled with drama and tension, the Maestro masterfully building the atmosphere throughout via his use of strings, brass, electric guitar, woodwind, piano, percussive elements and aforementioned harpsichord which are subtly enhanced by a sprinkling of electronic effects that fuse seamlessly with the conventional instruments of the orchestra to create a score that oozes tension and apprehension but also has at its core highly thematic and melodic material.

As with any soundtrack penned by Morricone one is aware almost immediately that we are listening to the supremely innovative work of Il Maestro, a Master of his craft. There is that sound, that style and that individuality present that just says Ennio Morricone. The score features Morricone’s regular collaborator/performer Gilda Butta on piano and harpsichord, with the composer writing extensively for saxophone and also flicorno performed by Gianni Oddi and Cicci Santucci respectively, both instruments feature throughout the soundtrack and make lasting impressions upon the listener, creating either a mood of melancholy or indeed an apprehensive and threatening atmosphere..."