Nino Rota: La dolce vita. Sources of the Creative Process
Giada Viviani, Nino Rota: La dolce vita. Sources of the Creative Process
“The Composer’s Workshop” Volume 1
Brepols Publishers, Turnhout, 2018
By consulting the rich collection of sources kept at the Institute of Music, Giada Viviani has reconstructed the most significant phases of the composition process of the music written by Nino Rota for Federico Fellini’s film La dolce vita, as well as describing the close relationship between the two artists. The introductory essay describes the composer’s career, the film’s creative context and initial responses to it, its narrative structure, and the contribution of the music to the overall drama. The following four chapters then investigate many issues related to the compositional process: the standard approach to audiovisual sequences, the music for the introductory titles and final credits, the management of sound effects and improvised episodes, and the adoption of pre-existing materials or pieces of music. The text is illustrated by a wide selection of sources reproduced in facsimile.
“Sotto la lente: Nino Rota” interview to Gianmario Borio and Giada Viviani on Radio3 Suite