Decameroticus by Alessandro Alessandroni

It's incredible that today we can still discover unreleased material by such a brilliant, versatile and now well-documented composer as Alessandro Alessandroni. Yet, his contributions to Italian cinema, in particular his scores for films that often bordered on B-movie territory, remain largely unexplored.

The pieces collected here are a case in point. Written and recorded by Alessandroni almost entirely on his own in the '70s, they were specifically conceived as a musical commentary for scenes and situations typically found in Italian "Decamerotic" comedy films, a sub-genre of period sexy comedies mainly set in the Middle Ages and apparently inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio's racy tales in "The Decameron" (14th century).

For Alessandroni, who had a passion for folk traditions, this was a great opportunity to make use of the distinctive musical instruments of his native region, Tuscia (central Italy). Hence, we find a predominance of classical guitar, mandolin, accordion, and flute, complemented by a pinch of modern synthesizers or, at times, rudimentary drum machines, lending a contemporary flair to an otherwise more classical style.

The result is a series of evocative musical vignettes, with atmospheres ranging from bucolic idylls ("Amore, Campagna e Beat", "Natura Barocca", "Corni da Caccia") to tension-filled moments ("Intreccio Sottile", "Attesa Drammatica", "Impronte digitali"), all of which would not sound out of place in a sex comedy set in the 14th-century or a rural themed television drama.

Welcome to the Four Flies Vaults, a digital collection of rare Italian music specially recorded for film, radio and television, most of which is available for sync licensing. Here you can discover hidden gems from the golden age of Italian film and library music. All albums have been remastered from the original analog recordings.