| Italian composer Carlo Rustichelli was a master of every genre of film made popular in Italian cinema, from peplum to Westerns to the Italian police thriller. With the latter making a pronounced comeback in soundtrack releases this year, Beat Records has issued Rustichelli's splendid contemporary detective score from Umberto Lenzi's 1973 gem, Milano Rovente (Gang Wars in Milan; aka Burning City) soundtracks from the label, marked by limited quantities from 500-3000 copies, gorgeous digipack cases featuring the amazing poster art from these films, multimedia content, and fold-out poster styled notes about films and music. In Milano Rovente, the composer evokes a sultry, urban jazz tonality from the get-go, with a persuasive metropolitan saxophone melody introduced in "From Sicily To Milan;" but it soon segues into his secondary theme, a compelling and very nostalgic sounding keyboard melody over strings and drumkit that elevates the mood from street vibe to romantic adventure. It's really quite a breathtaking theme, which meets its antithesis in a kind of reverse variant in the concluding track, "From Milan to Sicily," which reprises the melody from mandolin and piano before returning to the original orchestration, beautifully punctuated by jews' harp and continued mandolin, in a kind of somber, Nino Rota/Godfatherish denouement. These two themes are central to the score, and will represent first the urban milieu, and then the melancholy and spiritual strength of the film's protagonist a Milan produce vendor (Antonio Sabato) who moonlights as a pimp, who faces off against a ruthless and greedy French gangster (Philippe Leroy) who wants to unite the organized crime ring of Italy. The main themes are given some evocative variations throughout the score. "Some Girls, Some Murders" offset the urban theme against a bed of bongos and other percussion, before morphing into suspenseful and meandering figures and fragments. "Fascinating Jasmine" proffers is for muggy sax, organ, and mysterioso strings, as does "Thieving and Thieves." It takes a danceable turn, rearranged for a 60s jazz-dance number in "Just A Bite," replete with electric guitar and piano. The nostalgia theme is very nicely represented in "Remembering a Far Home," with its hushed and reflective piano, organ, and soft strings; "Girls and Drugs," gives it a haunted rendition for strings and jews' harp; the cue also includes a terrific action motif for fast-flowing violins and horns over a rushing wave of drums, a motif and progression that will recur in "Flic's Compromise" and "Running and Hiding." "Still Remembering" reprises the nostaglia theme for whispers of organ, piano and quiet strings. In addition to score tracks, the album includes a couple of source cues, one a cute beat-pop tune, "Fly 747," the Sicilian folk standard, "Vitti 'na Crozza,"sung by the cast during an unforgettable murder sequence, and a song written by Morricone's harmonica player Franco De Gemini with Stefano Torossi, "What Is This Love?", sung by then-popular songstress Melody. This is a beautifully textured and highly attractive score, very nicely brought together into a very likable package. The album includes an alternate take on the final track, and a 15-minute mp4 video interview with director Lenzi about the film and working with Rustichelli on its music. Lenzi is speaking Italian but the video includes horizontally scrolling English subtitles (they seem to be paraphrasing his statements, but we get the gist of what he's saying just fine).
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