It was 1976 when Gianna Nannini published her first album, "Gianna Nannini", and in 1988 she made her first soundtrack, for Bernardo Bertolucci's film "Sconcerto Rock". Polyhedrical and alternative, an "iron" woman who has been transmitting energy and feelings through her music. But that of "Aria", sweet sound track of the new Italian cartoon series "Momo", is a slightly different Gianna Nannini...How was your musical adaptation for the film "Momo alla conquista del tempo" (Momo at the conquest of time) born?
When I saw the film's first few scenes I spoke to Enzo D'Alò and told him that I saw the harp and the clarinet well in there because they were the only instruments that could substitute the voice, and, on the other hand, I also saw a rock-punk group in it, of very minimal and basic extraction: bass, guitar and drums. I worked with three young people form Catania and I involved them for these three tracks we perform in the film.
And how did you proceed after that?
We worked on the images, but especially we tried to perform the music with sessions or through improvisations, and then I built all the rest. For example the track "Gli uomini grigi" (Grey men) is sung, but in this case my voice was transformed in a baritone. I wanted to diversify in various ways the vision of the film between the moment of the grey men, Momo and the combat.
You wrote the lyrics for the songs with Isabella Santacroce, was it easy to adapt them to the music?
It was the first time I worked with a writer and I asked her to work with us because she has a very musical ear and I like the ides of two women "partners in crime". Our way of composing the words was that of not writing them, but to sing them. I would put on a basic tune with bass and drums and then we improvised on the lyrics recording everything and trying to substitute the instruments with voice. I am also adopting this system for my new album.
This is your second soundtrack after "Sconcerto rock". What has changed since then?
At the time of Sconcerto Rock I had less experience, it was '91 and I still didn't know how to manage a rock group. Now I feel far more sure of myself, because it is almost like being an orchestra director. And also that was a film with people in the flesh and that is also more difficult, consideirng I had no heard the dialogues. In Momo on the other hand I could do as I pleased, choose the instruments, add the clarinet and the bass clarinet. And then I enjoyed myself filling my house up with microphones to do some sound experiments.
Did you ever think of the children as you worked at D'Alò's film?
No, not even for a second. Perhaps I though of my niece a little.
January.2002
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