Schnurpselbacke1's video: Nuno Malo - AM LIA 2010 - Soundtrack Score Suite

Amália da Piedade Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress whose life and work helped popularize fado -- a specific genre of Portuguese folk music -- on a worldwide scale. From the 1940s until her death in 1999 Amália was known as Rainha do Fado (the Queen of Fado) and was immensely popular in her native country, selling hundreds of thousands of records. Carlos Coelho da Silva's film Amália, which stars Sandra Barata Belo in the lead role, is the story of her life. Although the film played in theaters in Portugal in 2008, it is only just now beginning to surface in other countries; to coincide with this wider exposure, Moviescore Media has released the film's score, by US-based Portuguese composer Nuno Malo. It's absolutely wonderful. Malo has written a few scores of note prior to Amália, the most high profile being the 2006 literary adventure The Celestine Prophecy, and the 2007 courtroom thriller Julgamento (the score for which was also released by Moviescore Media). Amália, however, is likely to be the score which attracts the most attention from international audiences. It's a score which speaks to the strong emotions inherent in fado -- loss, mourning, reflection -- but which also accompanies the life of a woman whose legacy on her chosen style of music remains unsurpassed. Now, I admit I don't know a great deal about the conventions of fado. Apparently it has a very specific structure, and uses a specific set of instruments, but I can't offer any commentary on whether Malo's music is especially authentic in that regard, or provides a proper representation of what fado music means to the Portuguese. But one thing Amália does have in large amounts is sheer, unadorned beauty. The body of the score oscillates between equally stunning orchestral cues, and livelier, sunnier pieces, some of which make prominent use of acoustic guitars. Malo's talent for crafting melodies of emotional weight which, despite their beauty, never come across as maudlin or manipulative is impressive, as is his mastery of a full symphony orchestra the comparatively young age of 33. Although neither The Celestine Prophecy, nor Julgamento, nor Amália were successful films in terms of box office performances, it cannot be long before Nuno Malo's music receives the plaudits it deserves, and joins the ever-growing list of exceptionally talented young European composers making their way through Hollywood, and bringing their talent and sophisticated music to wider audiences. I certainly hope so, because if the music heard here is a reflection of the kind of writing Malo is capable of producing on a regular basis, we are in for a treat. (http://moviemusicuk.us/2011/02/23/amalia-nuno-malo/)