Michael Galasso

Utopia Americana - album cover
(http://www.allmusic.com/album/utopia-americana-compilation-of-american-music-r202210)
no copyright infringement intended

It took me a long time to decide what to do, either to order on the Amazon this album or not. Utopia Americana is a great gathering of contemporary American composers. I came upon it while looking on the web for music composed by Michael Galasso. It was this way I found Utopia Americana, with Baroque inside it.

Baroque is a superb piece and it is part of the soundtrack for two movies: Chungking Express, and Portrait of a Bookstore as an Old Man. The first is a masterpiece by all accounts, and I consider it on my top ten movies ever. The second is much less known: it is a splendid documentary. I watched it today in the morning, and the music struck me in a fine way. It was Baroque! Here you have this melody on a video where a still captured from Chungking Express alternates with images of the composer, Michael Galasso.

Michael Galasso: Baroque
(video by Scarface the Boss)

And another example of music composed by Michael Galasso, from an Iranian movie, Secret Ballot. As I was listening it this morning, I was meditating on the way this piece was echoing the universe of Baroque.

Trailer for Secret Ballot (Michael Galasso, soundtrack)
(video by Firouzan Films)

Well, in the end I didn't order Utopia Americana. I already have some albums with two of the composers featured there (John Cage and Steve Reich), also with other contemporary Americans; what I don't have is time to listen them.

• Chungking Express
• In the Mood for Love
• Portrait of a Bookstore as an Old Man 

(Musica Nova)