Riz Ortolani

* In process of stocking * Quartet Records, in collaboration with GDM, presents the 50th-anniversary complete edition of the haunting, innovative score composed by Riz Ortolani for Antonio Margheriti’s stylish Italian gothic horror Nella Stretta Morsa del Ragno (1971), starring Anthony Franciosa and Michéle Mercier, with Klaus Kinski in the role of Edgar Allan Poe! 

The film was a remake of a previous horror classic, Danza Macabra, also directed by Margheriti in 1964, and also scored by Ortolani, about a journalist who takes a bet that he can spend the night in a haunted castle on All Hallows’ Eve. During his stay, he sees the castle’s gruesome past coming to life before him, and falls in love with a beautiful female ghost. 

Whereas for the 1964 film Riz Ortolani wrote a completely symphonic score in the best Gothic tradition, for this 1971 version he compose a totally different score where his orchestration is now enriched with distorted guitars, a wider range of percussion and even a cembalo to reflect the Baroque music of the era, finding the right balance between the horrific and romantic aspects of the story. Ortolani also offered a beautiful “Waltz of the Dead” that is one of the most beautiful pieces he ever composed.  

Nella Stretta Morsa del Ragno has had several releases over the years on LP and CD, although none has been so complete as this one, which includes both the original RCA SP stereo album and, from recently discovered entire session masters in pristine condition, the full score in mono, as it was mixed for the film. Produced and mastered by Claudio Fuiano, with additional restoration by Chris Malone, the package includes liner notes by Gergely Hubai discussing the film and the score.