1950年代の終わりから、ラヴァニーノは、特に1960年代初頭に人気絶頂だった剣とサンダルの映画を数多く手がけるようになった。1960年に公開された2本のペプラム映画『L'ASSEDIO DI SIRACUSA』と『SAFFO, VENERE DI LESBO』でも、フランチーシ監督と組んでいる『ヘラクレス・サムソン・ユリシーズ』のために、彼はこの淡々とした作品よりもはるかに優れた叙事詩にふさわしい、みずみずしく豪華な音楽を書いた。"メイン・タイトル"で最初に聴こえる耳を引くメイン・テーマは実に見事で、素晴らしい冒険心を醸し出している。この主題は非常に柔軟で、楽譜全体を通してさまざまな形で登場する。難破した一座がユダの海岸と、野生のヤシの木が生い茂る不思議な森を発見する場面は、おそらく最も素晴らしく官能的な変奏曲だろう。
Alhambra Records proudly presents on this CD the world premiere release of Angelo Francesco Lavagnino’s complete original score in stereo for the 1963 Italian peplum movie ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE (US title: HERCULES, SAMSON AND ULYSSES) which was directed by Pietro Francisci who had initiated the popular genre with the smash hit HERCULES in 1958. As Steve Reeves was not available at the time of production, the Italian bodybuilder Kirk Morris who had already starred as Maciste in a handful of peplums during the early 1960s was dyed blonde and cast in the role of the Greek strongman. His antagonist is the Iranian-born Iloosh Khoshabe who took on the English pseudonym Richard Lloyd and portrays the biblical character Samson. Ulysses (played by Enzo Corusico), the third of the ancient world heroes in this adventure yarn, is merely a boyish sidekick to the hero who sometimes gives some good advices, but not much more.
ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE was one of the last of the big Italian muscleman epics of the early 60s. It makes no pretense about any historical authenticitiy in the way of Francisci´s first two HERCULES entries and wildly mixes up Greek mythology and vague biblical references with pure inventions. The story begins at the court of King Laertes in Ithaca: Hercules and his men set out to hunt down a hideous sea monster. When a storm comes up, their ship is wrecked and the survivors land in Judea where Hercules is mistaken for Samson who is hiding out from the villainous Philistines and their King Seren. After an epic battle between Hercules and Samson and some more entrapments ? mainly due to the manipulative Delilah (played by Liana Orfei) who tries to seduce Hercules ?, both decide to join forces and literally throw the temple of Dagon against the approaching Philistine army.
Since the end of the 1950s Lavagnino had become an expert in scoring many sword and sandal movies which above all during the early 1960s were at the peak of their popularity. He had also already worked together with director Francisci on the two peplums L´ASSEDIO DI SIRACUSA and SAFFO, VENERE DI LESBO, both released in 1960. For ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE he wrote some lush and sumptuous music which would be worthy of a much better epic than what this unpretentious picture really is. The ear-catching main theme which is first heard in the ?Main Title“ is simply splendid and exudes a fabulous spirit of adventure. It is very flexible so that it crops up in manifold ways throughout the score. Probably its finest and most sensuous variant occurs when the shipwrecked troupe discovers the strand of Judea and its magical forest with all its wild palms.
The second important theme of the score is the one which characterizes the beguiling Delilah: Lavagnino has written one of his typical flavourful exotic dances for her which can be heard for the first time in “Delilah´s Dance”. One of the musical highlights is the long “Seduction” sequence which is based on the Delilah theme and in which the sultry music tries to ensnare Hercules with the help of an added mystical female choir which sounds like luring sirens. Some lovely pastoral and bucolic passages mainly for solo flute backed by a few soft strings or French horn underscore the scenes set in Ithaca whereas oriental music with woodwind solos and percussion is supplied for those taking place in the Danite village. On the other hand, robust dramatic music with massive brass chords comes to the fore in the various action sequences of the film as in the attack of the sea monster or the fight between Hercules and Samson against a backdrop of stone ruins.
This exciting CD project ? the 16th CD in our Lavagnino series ? has only been possible thanks to the generous support of the three daughters of the composer ? Bianca, Iudica and Alessandra Lavagnino -, who still had open reel tape copies of the original stereo master tapes of ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE in their personal archive which we were allowed to use. Our CD edition which contains a 16-page booklet with extensive liner notes and colour stills from the movie will be limited to 400 copies.
トラックリスト
01 Main Title 0:42 02 The Fishermen 0:30 03 The Sea Monster Attacks 2:06 04 At the Court of King Laertes 0:58 05 Embarkment ? Setting Sail 2:07 06 The Storm and the Sea Monster 5:44 07 The Carrier Pigeon ? Shipwrecked 2:33 08 The Coast of Judea 1:05 09 In the Forest 1:42 10 The Danite Village 2:26 11 On the Way to Gaza ? Waiting in Ithaca 1:25 12 The Philistines Attack the Village 2:08 13 Setting a Trap ? On Horseback 0:55 14 The King´s Palace ? Delilah´s Dance 2:28 15 King Seren and Delilah 0:53 16 The Village Slaves ? Samson Comes to the Rescue 2:32 17 Samson´s Revenge Plan 2:05 18 Along the Coast 0:38 19 Hercules and Delilah 1:26 20 Seduction 3:10 21 Battle Among the Ruins 5:46 22 Return to the Village 2:01 23 The Ship from Ithaca ? Treacherous Delilah 1:19 24 The Trap 1:12 25 Ship Fight ? The Temple of Dagon Collapses ? Fire on the Ship 3:08 26 Final Confrontation 1:29 27 The Rescue Ship ? Finale 1:47 28 End Cast 1:06
BONUS TRACKS: 29 Delilah´s Dance (Record Album Version) 2:01 30 Main Theme Suite 3:32
Music Composed by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino Conducted by Carlo Savina
「大進軍」のピエトロ・フランシスキが脚本を書き、演出した1963年のスペクタル史劇『ヘラクレス・サムソン・ユリシーズ』（TV題：激闘エーゲ海の大怪物）のオリジナル・サウンドトラックが世界初CDリリース！
トラックリスト1958年に『ヘラクレス』を大ヒットさせたピエトロ・フランチーシが監督した1963年のイタリア製ペプラム映画『ヘラクレス・サムソン・ユリシーズ』（別題『激闘エーゲ海の大怪物』）のアンジェロ・フランチェスコ・ラヴァニーノのオリジナル・スコア全曲が世界初CD化。スティーヴ・リーヴスの出演が不可能だったため、1960年代初頭にすでにマキステ役でペプラムに出演していたイタリア人ボディビルダーのカーク・モリスがブロンドに染められ、ギリシアの強者役に起用された。敵役はイラン生まれのイロッシュ・コシャベで、リチャード・ロイドというイギリス人のペンネームを名乗り、聖書の登場人物サムソンを演じる。ユリシーズ（演：エンツォ・セルシコ）は、この冒険活劇に登場する古代世界の英雄の3人目だが、主人公の少年っぽい相棒に過ぎず、ときどき良いアドバイスをくれるが、それ以上のことはしない。
『ヘラクレス・サムソン・ユリシーズ』は、60年代初頭のイタリアン・マッスルマン叙事詩の最後の1本である。フランシスコの最初の2作『ヘラクレス』のような歴史的信憑性はまったくなく、ギリシャ神話や漠然とした聖書の引用と純粋な創作が乱暴に混ざり合っている。物語はイサカのラールテス王の宮廷から始まる。ヘラクレスとその部下たちは、恐ろしい海の怪物を追い詰めるために出発する。嵐が来て彼らの船は難破し、生き残った者たちはユダヤに上陸するが、そこでヘラクレスは、極悪非道のペリシテ人とその王セレンから身を隠しているサムソンと間違えられる。ヘラクレスとサムソンの壮絶な戦いと、ヘラクレスを誘惑しようとする操り屋のデリラ（リアナ・オルフェイ扮）のせいでさらに陥れられた後、ふたりは力を合わせ、近づいてくるペリシテ軍に対して文字通りダゴンの神殿を投げつけることにする。
1950年代の終わりから、ラヴァニーノは、特に1960年代初頭に人気絶頂だった剣とサンダルの映画を数多く手がけるようになった。1960年に公開された2本のペプラム映画『L'ASSEDIO DI SIRACUSA』と『SAFFO, VENERE DI LESBO』でも、フランチーシ監督と組んでいる『ヘラクレス・サムソン・ユリシーズ』のために、彼はこの淡々とした作品よりもはるかに優れた叙事詩にふさわしい、みずみずしく豪華な音楽を書いた。"メイン・タイトル"で最初に聴こえる耳を引くメイン・テーマは実に見事で、素晴らしい冒険心を醸し出している。この主題は非常に柔軟で、楽譜全体を通してさまざまな形で登場する。難破した一座がユダの海岸と、野生のヤシの木が生い茂る不思議な森を発見する場面は、おそらく最も素晴らしく官能的な変奏曲だろう。
スコアの2つ目の重要なテーマは、魅惑的なデリラを特徴づけるものです。ラヴァニーノは彼女のために、彼の典型的な風味豊かなエキゾチックなダンスを書いており、それは "Delilah's Dance"で初めて聴くことができる。音楽のハイライトのひとつは、デリラの主題に基づく長い "Seduction (誘惑)"のシークエンスで、誘惑するセイレーンのような神秘的な女声合唱の助けを借りて、蒸し暑い音楽がヘラクレスを誘惑しようとする。イサカを舞台にした場面では、主にフルート独奏のための牧歌的で美しいパッセージが、柔らかな弦楽器やフレンチホルンによって強調され、ダニテの村の場面では、木管ソロと打楽器による東洋的な音楽が提供される。一方、海の怪物の襲撃や、石造りの遺跡を背景にしたヘラクレスとサムソンの戦いなど、映画のさまざまなアクション・シーンでは、重厚な金管楽器の和音が響くドラマチックな音楽が前面に押し出される。
このエキサイティングなCDプロジェクト（ラヴァニーノ・シリーズの16枚目のCD）は、作曲家の3人の娘、ビアンカ、イウディカ、アレッサンドラ・ラヴァニーノの寛大なサポートのおかげで実現したもので、彼らの個人的なアーカイヴには、『ヘラクレス・サムソン・ユリシーズ』のオリジナル・ステレオ・マスターテープのオープンリールテープコピーが残っており、私たちはそれを使用することを許された。ライナーノーツと映画のカラー写真を含む16ページのブックレットを含むCDエディションは400枚限定盤です！ --- レーベルより （機械翻訳 - 一部修正あり）
Alhambra Records proudly presents on this CD the world premiere release of Angelo Francesco Lavagnino’s complete original score in stereo for the 1963 Italian peplum movie ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE (US title: HERCULES, SAMSON AND ULYSSES) which was directed by Pietro Francisci who had initiated the popular genre with the smash hit HERCULES in 1958. As Steve Reeves was not available at the time of production, the Italian bodybuilder Kirk Morris who had already starred as Maciste in a handful of peplums during the early 1960s was dyed blonde and cast in the role of the Greek strongman. His antagonist is the Iranian-born Iloosh Khoshabe who took on the English pseudonym Richard Lloyd and portrays the biblical character Samson. Ulysses (played by Enzo Corusico), the third of the ancient world heroes in this adventure yarn, is merely a boyish sidekick to the hero who sometimes gives some good advices, but not much more.
ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE was one of the last of the big Italian muscleman epics of the early 60s. It makes no pretense about any historical authenticitiy in the way of Francisci´s first two HERCULES entries and wildly mixes up Greek mythology and vague biblical references with pure inventions. The story begins at the court of King Laertes in Ithaca: Hercules and his men set out to hunt down a hideous sea monster. When a storm comes up, their ship is wrecked and the survivors land in Judea where Hercules is mistaken for Samson who is hiding out from the villainous Philistines and their King Seren. After an epic battle between Hercules and Samson and some more entrapments ? mainly due to the manipulative Delilah (played by Liana Orfei) who tries to seduce Hercules ?, both decide to join forces and literally throw the temple of Dagon against the approaching Philistine army.
Since the end of the 1950s Lavagnino had become an expert in scoring many sword and sandal movies which above all during the early 1960s were at the peak of their popularity. He had also already worked together with director Francisci on the two peplums L´ASSEDIO DI SIRACUSA and SAFFO, VENERE DI LESBO, both released in 1960. For ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE he wrote some lush and sumptuous music which would be worthy of a much better epic than what this unpretentious picture really is. The ear-catching main theme which is first heard in the ?Main Title“ is simply splendid and exudes a fabulous spirit of adventure. It is very flexible so that it crops up in manifold ways throughout the score. Probably its finest and most sensuous variant occurs when the shipwrecked troupe discovers the strand of Judea and its magical forest with all its wild palms.
The second important theme of the score is the one which characterizes the beguiling Delilah: Lavagnino has written one of his typical flavourful exotic dances for her which can be heard for the first time in “Delilah´s Dance”. One of the musical highlights is the long “Seduction” sequence which is based on the Delilah theme and in which the sultry music tries to ensnare Hercules with the help of an added mystical female choir which sounds like luring sirens. Some lovely pastoral and bucolic passages mainly for solo flute backed by a few soft strings or French horn underscore the scenes set in Ithaca whereas oriental music with woodwind solos and percussion is supplied for those taking place in the Danite village. On the other hand, robust dramatic music with massive brass chords comes to the fore in the various action sequences of the film as in the attack of the sea monster or the fight between Hercules and Samson against a backdrop of stone ruins.
This exciting CD project ? the 16th CD in our Lavagnino series ? has only been possible thanks to the generous support of the three daughters of the composer ? Bianca, Iudica and Alessandra Lavagnino -, who still had open reel tape copies of the original stereo master tapes of ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE in their personal archive which we were allowed to use. Our CD edition which contains a 16-page booklet with extensive liner notes and colour stills from the movie will be limited to 400 copies.
01 Main Title 0:42
02 The Fishermen 0:30
03 The Sea Monster Attacks 2:06
04 At the Court of King Laertes 0:58
05 Embarkment ? Setting Sail 2:07
06 The Storm and the Sea Monster 5:44
07 The Carrier Pigeon ? Shipwrecked 2:33
08 The Coast of Judea 1:05
09 In the Forest 1:42
10 The Danite Village 2:26
11 On the Way to Gaza ? Waiting in Ithaca 1:25
12 The Philistines Attack the Village 2:08
13 Setting a Trap ? On Horseback 0:55
14 The King´s Palace ? Delilah´s Dance 2:28
15 King Seren and Delilah 0:53
16 The Village Slaves ? Samson Comes to the Rescue 2:32
17 Samson´s Revenge Plan 2:05
18 Along the Coast 0:38
19 Hercules and Delilah 1:26
20 Seduction 3:10
21 Battle Among the Ruins 5:46
22 Return to the Village 2:01
23 The Ship from Ithaca ? Treacherous Delilah 1:19
24 The Trap 1:12
25 Ship Fight ? The Temple of Dagon Collapses ? Fire on the Ship 3:08
26 Final Confrontation 1:29
27 The Rescue Ship ? Finale 1:47
28 End Cast 1:06
BONUS TRACKS:
29 Delilah´s Dance (Record Album Version) 2:01
30 Main Theme Suite 3:32
Music Composed by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Conducted by Carlo Savina