Book Series The Composer's Workshop, vol. 2

Egisto Macchi: The Assassination of Trotsky

Sources of the Creative Process

Marco Cosci

  • Pages: 156 p.
  • Size:240 x 340 mm
  • Illustrations:60 col.
  • Language(s):English
  • Publication Year:2023

  • € 90,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
  • ISBN: 978-2-503-59351-7
  • Hardback
  • Available


The volume traces Egisto Macchi’s creative process for the soundtrack of The Assassination of Trotsky directed by Joseph Losey (1972).

BIO

Marco Cosci holds a Ph.D. in Musicology at the University of Pavia, where he is currently Research Fellow at the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage. In 2015 he was postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Music of the Giorgio Cini Foundation (Venice) and in 2014 he was a visiting scholar at Tufts University, Boston. He has written articles and chapters on Egisto Macchi, Roman Vlad, Sylvano Bussotti, film music, music theatre and musical modernism.

Summary

This volume traces Egisto Macchi’s creative process for the soundtrack of The Assassination of Trotsky directed by Joseph Losey (1972). Through a close reading of the sources preserved at the Egisto Macchi Collection at the Institute of Music, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, (Venice) and at the Joseph Losey Collection at the British Film Institute (London), the book sheds light on the first collaboration between Losey and Macchi, which continued in the following years for the film Mr. Klein (1976). Why did Losey choose this apparently unknown composer? How did an avant-garde composer approach the cinematic system? What kind of audio-visual experience did Macchi and Losey explore through this film? To answer these questions, the volume deals with different aspects of the creative process, combining letters, notes, drafts, sketches, and the final orchestral scores. The introductory essay presents Egisto Macchi within the context of the Roman avant-garde and the cinematic environments of the Sixties and early-Seventies. The volume is complemented by a wide selection of sources reproduced in facsimile.

Media
Some third-party content could not be displayed due to your cookie settings. Click here to allow third-party content.