Re: Pasolini

Tracklist

1. Canzone Di Laura Betti5:00
2. Totò E Ninetto4:47
3. Canto Popolare5:04
4. Cosa Sono Le Nuvole7:15
5. Fevrar9:10
6. Il Sogno Di Una Cosa4:49
7. Teorema10:41
8. Callas5:07
9. Pietra Lata10:08
10. Lyra I1:12
11. Lyra II3:34
12. Meditazione Orale5:24
13. Lyra III1:59
14. Lyra IV2:01
15. Scritti Corsari1:22
16. Lyra V2:20
17. Epigrammi2:27
18. Lyra VI1:33
19. Setaccio2:20
20. Lyra VII4:07
21. Mimesis, Divina Mimesis7:08
22. Lyra VIII5:35
23. Ostia11:22
24. Pasolini4:07

Personnel & credits

• Pier Paolo PasoliniArtwork [Cover]
• Aya ShimuraCello
• Vincent CourtoisCello
• Mirco MariottiniClarinet [Clarinets]
• Domenico ModugnoComposed By
• Pier Paolo PasoliniComposed By
• Stefano BattagliaComposed By
• Sascha KleisDesign
• Bruno ChevillonDouble Bass
• Salvatore MaioreDouble Bass
• Roberto DaniDrums
• Stefano AmerioEngineer
• Martin MayesLiner Notes [English Translation]
• Stefano BattagliaLiner Notes [Italian]
• Manfred EicherMixed By
• Stefano BattagliaMixed By
• Michele RabbiaPercussion
• Aldo VengaPhotography By [Stefano Battaglia]
• Stefano BattagliaPiano
• Stefano BattagliaPiano [Prepared Piano]
• Manfred EicherProducer
• Stefano BattagliaProducer
• Michael GassmannTrumpet
• Dominique PifarélyViolin

About this record

Genre

Jazz

Style

Contemporary Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz

Discogs

View on Discogs ↗

Press

“The content and message of this recording may affect the way you see the world.”MusicWeb International (Dominy Clements) ↗

“Battaglia and his allies have crafted a genre unto itself.”ECMReviews (Between Sound and Space) ↗

“A triumph for Battaglia, the pianist, composer and arranger.”JazzTimes (Steve Futterman, via ECM press) ↗

“Bittersuess. Bitterer geht es kaum. Und suesser auch nicht.”Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Stefan Hentz, via ECM press) ↗

“To call Stefano Battaglia's Re: Pasolini on ECM, ambitious would be an erroneous understatement.”AllMusic (Thom Jurek, via cross-reference; site returned 403) ↗

“Pasolini si e rivelato una figura capace di esprimere verita in qualsiasi circostanza.”Centro Studi Pier Paolo Pasolini, Casarsa della Delizia ↗

Reception

"Re: Pasolini" drew strong, widespread critical attention as a major ECM statement and was generally received as one of the high points of Stefano Battaglia's career. English-language critics treated it as ambitious and successful: AllMusic's Thom Jurek rated it very highly (reported ~4.5/5) and framed it as a masterpiece; All About Jazz (John Kelman, plus an Italian-version review) and JazzTimes (Steve Futterman) were positive, the latter calling it a triumph for Battaglia as pianist, composer and arranger. MusicWeb International (Dominy Clements) gave a warmly admiring review of the double-disc structure. The Guardian's John Fordham was more measured (reported ~3/5) but noted it rewards repeated listening; the Penguin Guide to Jazz also rated it highly. German-language press (NZZ, Stereoplay) praised its bittersweet, filigree melodic quality. Across reviews the album was read as a two-part film-like portrait of Pier Paolo Pasolini: Disc 1 the more melodic, composed sextet (with Gassmann's trumpet), Disc 2 sparser, improvised and chamber-leaning toward 20th-century classical. Reviewers who singled out Gassmann's trumpet compared its lyricism to Enrico Rava. Note: AllMusic, All About Jazz, and JazzTimes returned HTTP 403 to direct fetches, so their content here is drawn from cross-references (Wikipedia, ECM, search snippets) rather than read in full.

Recognition

No specific awards or prizes (e.g., Italian Top Jazz, disco dell'anno, Grammy) were found tied to this album. Cultural/academic recognition exists: the Centro Studi Pier Paolo Pasolini in Casarsa della Delizia documents the CD as a significant musical tribute to Pasolini, giving it standing beyond the jazz press. It also earned a high placement in the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (reported ~4/5, described as essential modern music). Beyond that, recognition is the broad, mostly positive critical reception across ECM-aligned international press rather than formal honors.

Background

Battaglia's second double album for ECM (after Raccolto, 2005), conceived as an extended portrait of Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975): filmmaker, poet, novelist, painter and activist. Recorded April and July 2005 at Artesuono Recording Studio, Udine, and released 24 April 2007 as ECM 1998/99 (171 6738). Produced by Manfred Eicher (Wikipedia lists Eicher with Battaglia). 24 compositions, ~118 minutes, structured like a film across two contrasting ensembles. Disc 1 is the more melodic, composed 'sextet': Stefano Battaglia (piano), Michael Gassmann (trumpet), Mirco Mariottini (clarinets), Aya Shimura (cello), Salvatore Maiore (double bass), Roberto Dani (drums). Disc 2 is sparser and more improvised, leaning toward 20th-century chamber music, with different personnel including violinist Dominique Pifarely and cellist Vincent Courtois. Battaglia drew on Pasolini's 'unitas multiplex' — the fusion of high and popular culture, sacred and profane.