An erotic drama starring Marcello Mastroianni and Nastassia Kinski, in which a man falls in love with a girl who might be his daughter, Cosi Come Sei was directed by Alberto Lattuada and released with little fanfare in 1978. The film was one of 16 scored by Ennio Morricone during that year. The album opens with four different themes, all romantic but with a different flavour. The title theme has a light pop feel – mainly orchestral, but with a definite nod to the musical trends of the day. “A Nastassia” has a more substantial, dramatic feel, with luscious strings creating a very attractive sound.

The pick of the themes is “Amore per Amore”, a ravishing creation with an outstanding solo flute part. It’s such a beautiful theme, one for the list of Morricone pieces which the whole world would know had it been written for a more famous film. Finally, “Preludio d’Amore” is another attractive piece – not as good, but still pleasant. Elsewhere the album has a few curiosities to offer – “Dance On” is a piece of Morricone disco music (ah, the 70s) and “Spazio 1999” is apparently the (disco) theme he wrote for the Italian version of Gerry Anderson’s Space 1999 (can this really be true?) Those aberrations apart, this is an enjoyable romantic album featuring one truly outstanding theme. *** 1/2

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