The sound of horror

“Keeping up with the times has never been an obstacle, but a conscious choice,” Claudio Simonetti says. He still heads the Italian instrumental group Goblin. As a film composer and keyboard virtuoso, he has become an Italian institution. His scores for horror director Dario Argento are particularly memorable.

Claudio Simonetti (60) delivered his first score to Argento in 1975. The soundtrack to the cult film Profondo rosso would go on to sell no less than four million copies. He will soon come to Brussels to accompany the film with which it all started 37 years ago. We rang him just before he left for Cannes, where Dracula 3D is premièring – his latest score for Argento.
What can we expect from the performance at the Ancienne Belgique?
Claudio Simonetti: We are billed as New Goblin. This is a newly formed band comprising two Goblin-oldies and two musicians from my current tribute band Daemonia. Consequently, our live-score will sound slightly different from the original. It has more energy.
The Dracula film expected to be released in the autumn is your 14^th collaboration with director Dario Argento. What is the secret to your partnership?
Simonetti: There is no formula. He was pleased with the results every time and if he is pleased, I am too. Over the years, we have become good friends. We trust each other and know what to expect from each other, so we’re able to be free and open. I often visit the film set to absorb the atmosphere of the story. For Dracula 3D, I ended up in a village near Turin that looks exactly the same as it did one thousand years ago, and in a huge castle in Piedmont. That inspires me. Usually, I first write the film’s theme tune. If Argento gives his fiat, I start writing free variations, which result in the score.

Was that trust there from the get-go?
Simonetti: He had actually intended to see a few other, better-known bands for Profondo rosso, like Emerson, Lake & Palmer. But our producer at the time gave him a tip: “Before you do that, go and listen to these young Italians.” He came to see us in the studio and liked us from the start. I thought it was very brave of him to agree to work with us because unlike the other groups on his list, we hadn’t proved ourselves yet.
How easy is it to be novel after writing so many horror soundtracks? How many possible variations are there when writing scary, suspenseful music?
Simonetti: I always try new things, especially for Dario’s films. The atmosphere of the music you write doesn’t necessarily have to match the scene of the film. You can introduce a spine-chilling scene with upbeat music. Often that even makes it all the scarier. Besides, since the 1970s, I’ve had first-hand experience of all the technological evolutions in the film and music industries. As a technology freak, I couldn’t help myself. It’s kept me focused. For Profondo rosso, we used a real harpsichord and a church organ. We made instrumental records with tablas, Greek bouzoukis, and sitars. But we were not perturbed by the emergence of the first computers. Keeping up with the times has never been an obstacle. On the contrary, it is a conscious choice.

New Goblin: Profondo rosso
5/6 • 20.00, €23/26
Ancienne Belgique boulevard Anspachlaan 110, Brussel/Bruxelles,
02-548.24.24, info@abconcerts.be, www.abconcerts.be