Based on historical events, Marco Pontecorvo’s film Fatima tells the story of three young shepherds in Fátima, Portugal whose visions of the Virgin Mary create division between believers, on the one hand, and angry Church and government officials on the other.
The film’s composer, Paolo Buonvino, born and based in Italy, is a classically trained pianist, who began his career as an assistant to the renowned Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato. He eventually started writing music for the theatre, and ultimately made the jump to film and television. On top of it all, he is also the Artistic Director of the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily.
I had the opportunity of asking Paolo some questions about his work on Fatima, particularly about the film’s core song “Gratia Plena,” an extension of “Ave Maria” that he describes as “an inclusive hymn that wants to embrace the entire world.”
Congratulations, first of all, on the film! And what a powerful film it is. Though it is a Catholic-based story, the film urges you to have faith in general—to believe in something more than what the eye can see—which, I believe, is very necessary, now more than ever, as all of us navigate simultaneously the “new normal” and the unknown through the coronavirus. What initially drew you to the film? How did you get involved?
Paolo Buonvino: “What fascinated me the most about this movie, was the point of view: to tell the Fátima story through the eyes of the kids of the film and particularly through the eyes of Lúcia. This is a story that stands far away from a sugar-coated hagiographic tale, but it is deeply focused on the life lived by this little kid, Lúcia, who is catapulted into an extraordinary event. This exporation was very interesting to me. I got involved in the production through the editor of the movie, Alessio Doglione, who knows me as well as the director, Marco Pontecorvo, as he thought we all shared a similar sensibility. At first, I was skeptical because the theme of the movie is particularly delicate and it could have been difficult to tell, but the director’s vision convinced me. In the movie, we go deep into the understanding of Lúcia and her capacity to have a look that is outside the ordinary – a pure look. It is as if this purity and simplicity of heart can open doors to a new dimension, in which the vision of the Holy Mary is physically there. Also, another vision of nature, men and humanity – the vision of a “new world” inside the ordinary everyday life. In this story, these kids relate through their world starting from absolute purity. My challenge has been to try to adapt this pure look and translate it into music.
As someone who was raised Catholic and went to church every Sunday as a kid, I know how integral music was during mass. Did you look to any religious music for inspiration? What was the inspiration behind the music? How did you approach creating the tone of the score?
PB: Music can go straight to the heart, bypassing our intellect and purifying ourselves from the sorrows, the rigidities, and anything that disturbs us. Starting from this assumption, I tried to compose music that could have been curative, first of all for myself, a music that could transport into a dimension of purity and simplicity. I worked with Roma Sinfonietta, an orchestra often used also by Ennio Morricone, as well as with the Forum Music Village, where many masterpieces have been created. I also utilized the piano and soloists to try to orchestrate a broad and calm musical breath, with the hope to transport the listener into a sense of interior peace, far away from everyday frenzy and frustrations. I thought about a type of religious music that could be an inspiration on this soundtrack, and tried to emulate the calm that some Gregorian chants can transmit to listeners. I imagined inducing a sense of interior placidity. For some other moments of this soundtrack, I envisioned a sort of propagation of energy, like the one of nature and Spring, with rhythmic contrasts. What can sound like chaos with its counterpoints and polyrhythms, but in truth is a joyous manifestation of the divine.
Was the music recorded with live players? Do you have a preference between live or electronically-produced instruments? More broadly: has the pandemic affected the way you now approach your work?
PB: For this soundtrack, I used the orchestra a lot, with live soloists. But I also utilized electronic music and made a duet with what I recorded live. I asked my musicians to try to get into a sort of interior state of meditation before playing and to hold on to that dimension during their execution. We created an emotional dimension that went beyond the technique.
As for the pandemic, it definitely influenced my recent productions, though not Fátima specifically, as I composed the score for the film before the lockdowns started. During the past year, we have all been trying to do the best that we can, and technology has come in handy. We are recording social-distanced, experimenting with different technologies that can somehow preserve that sense of “relation” which in music is very important. Music needs human contact, and we are definitely missing it. The pandemic is letting us rediscover how much we need this human contact. Before the last year, we took for granted that we were close to each other, and often would shy away from human contact, enraptured by the fast pace of our working days. The pandemic is teaching us to give value to the concept of relation.
Gratia Plena is a minimal extension of Ave Maria, and yet its message about global unity, optimism for the future, and light overcoming the dark is incredibly powerful. Can you talk about where the idea for Gratia Plena came from, particularly how you decided to have children sing in different languages?
PB: I chose to have the kids sing because, in this story, the kids are the real protagonists. Kids are naturally closer to the concept of purity. Jesus said “become like children…”, an invitation to never abandon the child that lies within and that innocent look to the world. With the song Gratia Plena, it is as if the Fátima kids lead the way for other kids that share with them the same extraordinary capacity to be pure. They express this purity through a chant that works like a domino effect, propagating in different languages, in different cultures, and reaching the adults, inviting them to become like children. The idea of utilizing the incipit of the Ave Maria in different languages was thought because, specifically in these times that we are living, we all need to hear a message of unity, of brotherhood. We all feel like we want to raise our heads to the sky and feel one with the divine, regardless of our culture or personal religious beliefs. Diversity becomes a richness, and Gratia Plena is an inclusive hymn that wants to embrace the entire world.
When and how did you bring Andrea Bocelli onboard? What was it like to work with him
PB: I proposed to Andrea Bocelli to sing this song as if he were a big brother for the choir of kids. He guides the kids and at the same time, he is guided by them and invited to go back to that child within. Bocelli expressed an immediate enthusiasm once he listened to the demo of the song. I went to his studio in Forte dei Marmi (Tuscany, Italy), and we recorded for an entire day. We also had the chance to chat, not only about the song but also about our personal spirituality. We found great chemistry. Andrea’s execution was extraordinary, he was able to blend his sensibility with technical virtuosity, subliminally.
Were there any stand-out moments for you throughout the process of composing for this film?
PB: I recall two very significant moments. One was when I composed a song from the soundtrack entitled Fátima. One evening I was at the piano and I came out with these very simple notes. They were responding to an internal need that I had to abandon a state of frenzy that I was living, relax my thoughts, lighten up and become like a child. Those notes curated me, and it was very emotional when both the director and my collaborators felt the same emotion when they listened to them. The other stand-out moment was when I recorded the kids’ choir. Listen to them singing not only in their language but also learning each other’s languages, it was such a beautiful experience. It made me think of how it could be easy to be welcoming and joyful to one another.
Looking ahead: are there any particular stories or genres of films that you would love to compose music for one day?
PB: I like to encounter artistic personalities who are different from mine, I appreciate sharing and receiving new inputs that could take me even far away from my comfort zone. In terms of what type of stories I like, I would say that I like stories that can give deep meaning to the work that I do.
What’s next for you?
PB: I’m working on a TV series projects and also on a personal project where I will be working with an orchestra in combination with artificial intelligence to experiment with different musical horizons.
