Egisto Macchi: The Assassination of Trotsky
Sources of the Creative Process

Series: The Composer’s Workshop, vol. 2
by Marco Cosci
Brepols Publishers, Turnau

This volume traces Egisto Macchi’s creative process for the soundtrack of The Assassination of Trotsky directed by Joseph Losey (1972). Through a close reading of the sources preserved at the Egisto Macchi Collection at the Institute of Music, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, (Venice) and at the
Joseph Losey Collection at the British Film Institute (London), the book sheds light on the early collaboration between Losey and Macchi, which continued over the following years for the film Mr. Klein (1976). Why did Losey choose this apparently unknown composer? How did an avant-garde
composer approach the film industry? What kind of audio-visual experience did Macchi and Losey explore through this film? To answer these questions, the volume deals with various aspects of the creative process, combining letters, notes, drafts, sketches and the final orchestral scores.
The introductory essay presents Egisto Macchi within the context of the Roman avant-garde and the cinematic environments of the ’60s and early ’70s. The volume is complemented by a wide selection of sources reproduced as facsimiles.