Oceano

Quartet Records presents the premiere complete vinyl release of Ennio Morricone’s fascinating score for Folco Quilici’s OCEANO (1971), a pseudo-documentary film about a young Polynesian, Tanai, who goes in search of the island of his dreams. On an epic sea voyage from Polynesia to Alaska aboard a tiny fragile raft, he is guided by the voices of his ancestors.

Morricone’ score for OCEANO seeks to merge nature with mythology. It breathes, vibrates, transmits, and is characterized by its episodic and atmospheric structure, taking the form of an evocative soundscape. The composer draws on resources that recall a primitive, spiritual component: tribal percussion (tablas and bongos), solo woodwinds (flutes and clarinets), guitar, sitar, clanging metal and harp. The fusion of timbres in this instrumentation is unconventional. He expressively sets to music ideas associated with wind or nature, sound textures that construct Tanai’s intimate journey: we hear the sea, we feel the air roaring over the sail of his canoe, the danger lurking in the ocean, his loneliness. The music is another character that gives the film a lyrical dimension and complements the visual element, transcending its narrative function to become a gateway to meditation on the mystery of the sea and existence. Through his unmistakable style, Morricone invites us to immerse ourselves in a world of introspection, beauty and silent emotion.

SIDE A

1. Oceano 4:09
2. Isola di Pasqua 2:05
3. Vulcano 1:06
4. Speranza per una Terra Amica 1:40
5. Le Maschere Morte 2:47
6. Il Vento è il Vento e Soffia Dove Vuole 4:52

SIDE B

1. Tanai 2:22
2. Odissea 2:02
3. Notte 1:45
4. Piccola Ouverture 1:51
5. Viaggio 3:09
6. Il Sole è il Sole e Brucia Ciò Che Vuole 3:33
7. Partenza 2:18

SIDE C

1. Oceano (#3) 6:23
2. Il Vento è il Vento e Soffia Dove Vuole (#2) 10:44

SIDE D

1. Partenza (#2) 1:18
2. Isola di Pasqua (#2) 4:13
3. Oceano (#2) 2:05
4. Notte (#2) 4:26
5. Odissea (#2) 3:37
6. Viaggio (#2) 1:26