Legendary Dead Can Dance vocalist and highly acclaimed film composer Lisa Gerrard has joined forces with Los Angeles-based composer/ record producer Marcello De Francisci for the stunning new album ‘Exaudia’, presenting a vivid collection of epic and empowering compositions. The first single ‘Until We Meet Again’, will be released on June 17, when the album also becomes available for pre-order.
Ms. Gerrard and Mr. De Francisci met many years ago through soundtrack work, their collaborative efforts including soundtrack scores and their first album ‘Departum‘. This recording follows Gerrard’s 2021 collaborative ‘Burn’ album with Dead Can Dance bandmate Jules Maxwell, produced by James Chapman (MAPS).
‘Exaudia’ is the term used when a monarch grants a citizen of his kingdom an audience and, as a result, consents to a wish. A fitting title considering how regal this recording is. Working alongside a team of other musicians including Bahar Shah, Astrid Williamson, Daniela Arbizzi and Farhad Behroozi, ‘Exaudia’ combines the encompassing and euphoric textures of De Francisci’s production with Gerrard’s evocative and haunting vocals. A feminine embodiment of poetic expression, the record plays majestically with this narrative, inviting a rich and vivid texture within each offering.
“I met Marcello while I was composing for a film called ‘Kings’. He had wonderful engineering skills and I liked him as a person. After a while, we decided to try composing together and went on to compose some film scores. This work was borne out of a desire to write something together during Covid, there is also the artistic desire to embrace the opportunity to unlock our unfulfilled visions. The album is very physical in its construction and sensibility, it is a deeply sensual work that enjoys a sense of empowered subtlety,” says Lisa Gerrard.
Lisa Gerrard has established herself as one of the world’s most highly acclaimed film composers, winning a Golden Globe for her work on the score for ‘Gladiator’ with Hans Zimmer. Her film work also includes ‘Whale Rider’, which received an Academy Award nomination, and ‘Balibo’, which won the Screen Music Award for Best Feature Film Score. In 2018, she received a Grammy nomination for ‘Hiraeth’, alongside David Kuckhermann, and went on to become a featured vocalist on the score for ‘Dune’ before returning to Dead Can Dance to release ‘Dionysus’ and tour in 2022. Gerrard also performs as part of the ‘Gladiator Live’ concerts and ‘The World of Hans Zimmer’ tours.
About ‘Until We Meet Again’, Marcello De Francisci says, “This piece is very much a story that depicts longing, distance between two people, it is an invitation to heal and a message of hope… We collaborated remotely on ‘Exaudia’ during the holidays between Melbourne and Los Angeles as I recall, importing Lisa Gerrard’s vocals onto my session, which her engineer Simon Bowley had sent over on the night of New Year 2021. Whatever plans I had to celebrate that evening were completely obliterated upon witnessing the emotional impact Lisa’s performance had on me. The overall track in general, as a result, was instantly addictive and therefore, I proceeded to work alone in the studio until dawn”.
De Francisci began his career as a visual artist while attending fine arts at an institution founded by the famed Baroque painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo in Seville, Spain. He furthered his education at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. In 2006, he won the Best Soundtrack of the Year G.A.N.G. Award for his work on Sony Computer Entertainment’s ‘God of War’ game. He soon partnered with Lisa Gerrard, launching their trajectory of collaborating and co-writing motion picture soundtrack scores together.
The full ‘Exaudia’ album will be released on August 26 via Atlantic Curve, a London-based label subsidiary of Schubert Music Europe GmbH. As of June 17, ‘Until We Meet Again’ will be available everywhere digitally. It can be pre-saved at https://orcd.co/
CREDITS
Vocal melody composed and performed by Lisa Gerrard
Music composed, performed, produced, mixed and mastered by Marcello De Francisci
Record Label: Atlantic Curve Records
Vocal recording engineer for Lisa Gerrard: Simon Bowley
Executive Album Producer: Daryl Bamonte
Album mixed and mastered at 10,000 Watts of Iron | A Music Company (Los Angeles)
Video concept, direction, creation and edited by Marcello De Francisci
Photos courtesy of Vaughan Stedman and M. De Francisci
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