Press Release from Quartet:Quartet Records, in collaboration with Mercury Music Publishing Ltd. and the Carlo Savina estate, is proud to present the worldwide premiere release of fan-favorite giallo score from Mario Bava’s cult movie LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974), with an iconic score by Carlo Savina.
Mario Bava’s LISA AND THE DEVIL stars Telly Savallas along with Elke Sommer as the titular Lisa, who gets tangled in the web of a deranged family of noblemen who might be getting help from the devil himself. Bava’s movie actually exists in two versions. After Bava completed his own cut, producer Alfredo Leone re-edited and re-entitled it as THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM (this was after the success of THE EXORCIST). The new version featured newly shot scenes with Sommer (the only original cast member to return) and Robert Alda playing the priest tasked with the exorcism. Bava’s movie was spliced into this story only as flashbacks.
Long thought to be lost, Carlo Savina’ score is a wonderful romantic horror score with a main theme inspired by Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” (Bava used to play the piece on the set, so its appearance is not surprising). The thematically engaging score features a music box theme for the appearance of the nefarious Leandro and Edda dell’Orso’s vocals are used in haunting flashback scenes. The CD features only music written for LISA AND THE DEVIL, since THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM cut features all kinds of uncredited contributions that do not mesh well with Savina’s score.
The program features all the music written by Savina for the film in beautiful pristine stereo. Produced and assembled by Claudio Fuiano, mastered by Chris Malone, the package includes an 8-page booklet with liner notes by Gergely Hubai discussing the film’s complicated history and, of course, the score.
