Ep. 37: Francesco Fusaro and Sebastiano De Gennaro from 19'40"

*All Talking Classical podcasts formerly on SoundCloud redirected to Anchor.*  Subscription-based, boutique Italian recording series 19'40" release their latest album, "At The Gates Of The Twilight Zone," on 12 August 2020. This release is a live recording from the ContempoRarities Festival in Milan. It pays homage to the iconic music of Bernard Hermann, written for Rod Serling's science-fiction anthology TV series The Twilight Zone. The music on this recording is arranged by Enrico Gabrieli, while staying true to Hermann's unique writing. I talked to Francesco Fusaro and Sebastiano De Gennaro from 19'40" a few weeks ago to talk about the album. This led to some interesting discussions about orchestration and instrumentation; for example, the vibraphone and theramin are two important instruments that contribute to Hermann's other-worldly scores and science fiction music. Indeed, Francesco suggests that listening to his atmospheric and mysterious soundscapes takes on a new dimension during this lockdown period, where people are inhabiting their own "twilight zones." We also discussed notions around the classical canon as 19'40" describe themselves as "anti-classical" - that their premise is to break down some of the traditional conventions surrounding the canon. They aim to endorse music (e.g., contemporary music, film music) that could form a new way we view the historical (or historicised) canon of works. We discuss the future of music distribution. The model 19'40" presents to their audience/customer base is innovative within the constantly changing music industry as it combines traditional and digital modes of dissemination and promotion. Although their subscriptions have increased during the pandemic, the crisis has been a reminder that the concert experience needs the physical presence and interaction of an audience. We'll also hear about the current lockdown situation in Italy and some other fascinating projects the members of 19'40" have been involved in, more recently, in light of the easing of restrictions. Many thanks to: Robert Shone at WildKat PR for bringing this thought-provoking and emotive project to my attention. Francesco and Sebastiano for talking to me. https://www.19m40s.com Purchase "At The Gates Of The Twilight Zone" here: https://19m40s.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-gates-of-the-twilight-zone Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast. "Where Are You?" by Bernard Hermann, arr. Enrico Gabrieli Music from "Little Girl Lost" (1962) Esecutori di Metallo su Carta Carlotta Raponi, flute, piccolo Enrico Gabrielli, B clarinet, bass clarinet, G flute, synth Yoko Morimyo, violin, viola Paolo Raineri, trumpet Francesco Bucci, trombone, euphonium Stefano Bertoni, french horn Damiano Afrifa, piano Ethel Colella, harp Sebastiano De Gennaro, percussion Giuseppe Gagliardi, percussion Marcello Corti, conductor Live recording at ContempoRarities Festival, Santeria Social Club, Milano on 3 December 2017. Recording and mixing by Carlo Zollo at "Terribile Studio" (Milan - IT) Mastering by Roberto Rettura at "Lo Studio Spaziale" (Bologna - IT) Podcast published 12 August 2020; interview recorded 22 July 2020.