Singer and composer Marcelo Segreto presents “Cinemúsicas, Vol.1”, an innovative project that seeks to establish an artistic dialogue between popular song and cinema. This work is composed of original songs inspired by iconic films such as “Bacurau” (2019), “Lost in Translation” (2004) and “Citizen Kane” (1941). With elaborate arrangements for string quartet and guitar, the production features the collaboration of Marcus Preto and Tó Brandileone, as well as special appearances by Paulo Miklos and Tatiana Parra. The album will be released by the Gravadora Experimental label (Fatec Tatuí) and will be accompanied by a series of music videos directed by Martina Mattar and Thiago Ricarte.
Segreto, who is also the founder of the Pasárgada Philharmonic group, brings in “Cinemúsicas, Vol.1” a new approach to his already renowned career. His previous albums, including “O Hábito da Força” (2012) and “PSSP” (2022), demonstrate his ability to integrate complex narratives and sophisticated arrangements. In 2020, he released his first solo project, the EP “América, América”, which featured Argentine singer Loli Molina and production by Marcus Preto and Tó Brandileone. His experience as a composer, arranger and musician also includes collaborations with Tom Zé, notably on the EP “Tribunal do Feicebuqui” (2013) and the CD “Vira Lata na Via Láctea” (2014).
Marcelo Segreto has a robust academic background, with a degree in Literature and Music (Composition) from USP, as well as a master’s degree and doctorate under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Luiz Tatit. His academic research focuses on the composition of popular songs, and he has a post-doctorate from ECA-USP. At the São Paulo State School of Music (EMESP), he graduated in musical composition and classical guitar. With “Cinemúsicas, Vol.1”, Segreto reaffirms his commitment to artistic innovation, exploring new frontiers between music and cinema.
How did the idea of creating the “Cinemúsicas, Vol. 1” project come about? What was the inspiration behind this fusion between cinema and music?
Well, this idea of creating the Cine Músicas Project came from a strong passion for cinema, like that. When I was studying music, next to my university, at USP, there was a unit, the film school. And I took several classes there, at the same time as I studied music, I took classes as a listener or enrolled, like, in audiovisual subjects, cinema history, whatever. And there, doing both, studying a little bit of cinema and majoring in music, I was already thinking about doing work that mixed music and films, and cinema. So it came a little from that moment, when I was studying at college, and then I saw how interesting it was, based on a film, to think about a song, based on the structure of the film, or more subtle things in relation… the script, anyway.
You mentioned having a family connection with cinema since the beginning. How did this heritage influence your approach to songwriting for this project?
I think that this family history linked to cinema increased my interest in cinema, in short. Because when studying there, in cinema subjects, there at ECA, there at USP, I was also interested in researching, I mean, the history of this first cinema, this cinema from the end of the 19th century, beginning of the 20th century, so that It’s the cinema my family is most involved in. Then things went to another place, I mean, my grandfather worked in cinema until he was about 30 years old, then he went to do something else, my father was an architect, so there was nothing, then cinema was abandoned. So I think it came to further increase the interest and taste for this language. And then I think that the composition of the songs, what most influenced was the choice of a song, Uma Vista da Baía de Guanabara, which is a tribute to the film of the same name. from 1898, performed by Afonso Segreto, but in terms of the composition itself, I think it was more of that, that is, more of my own musical experience, that guided the work.
What was the process of composing the songs inspired by the selected films? Were there any films that had a particularly profound impact on you during this process?
It was a very pleasant process, yes, composing the songs inspired by the films, because I made a point, so, in addition to watching the film, of course, once or twice, also analyzing, studying, you know, reading articles about the film , connections with other films, right, raised by these articles, anyway, so it was a very pleasant and enjoyable process to learn, as well, right, more about the film, about cinema, anyway, I think that, interestingly, the film that What impacted me most was the film that doesn’t exist, the film that was lost, right, which is this film, A View of Guanabara Bay, obviously I didn’t see the film, right, nobody knows this film, but just the fact that it not exist, I mean, there’s a kind of poetic aura about it, like, right, so, thinking about the film, reading about the film. film, what it was, and Afonso Segreto’s story, it was a very strong thing to get in touch with.
Can you tell us a little about what it was like working with Marcus Preto and Tó Brandileone on the project’s musical production? What was the dynamic of collaboration between you?
Working with Marcos Preto and Tó was wonderful, like that. They are great producers, like that, right, so they have a lot of experience and I think the work has grown a lot because of that, like that. Marcos is my biggest supporter, so he gave me the idea of doing musical work in parallel with the Passárgada Philharmonic, you know, which is my group. And then he really encouraged me to do this work and compose songs, including these songs, right, from the EP Cine Músicas, right. Eventually I would ask him about some films, you know, that would be cool, what he thought, we sometimes chose films together, like that, you know, that could produce some songs. Then I did it, composed the songs, showed them to him. He sometimes said, oh, you could repeat it, I mean, repeat this A melody, but with different lyrics, you know. So he got a lot into the area of composition, like Marcos too, right. And then Marcos, he followed a lot of the recording process, interpretation, right, so, a lot of interesting guidance, like, part of the singing, right? And Tó is a super producer, like that, in the studio, right? He also helped me with the interpretation and realizing the musical idea of the arrangement I made, right? Also incorporating other instruments. Tó is interesting because he plays other instruments, right? So, he played… He added a bass, a choir, a suvi, percussion, you know? Stuff like that. A guitar. He also adds things to the arrangement. We felt together, right? So, it was this dynamic, right? The composition, me, kind of like Marcos Preto doing this dialogue. Afterwards, I would make the arrangement, take it to the studio and talk to Tó until it was time to record the voice. Then, when I recorded the voice, it was Marcos together with Tó doing the recording, right?
The films chosen for the EP span a wide range of genres and styles. How did you select which films to adapt into songs? Were there specific criteria or was it an intuitive choice?
I think it’s a bit of both, the choice of films had an intuitive nature, of thinking about whether that film could produce a song, and some criteria. Sometimes the criteria was a well-known film, but sometimes not, because I also chose for this project, which are songs that I will release from July onwards, for example, the film Limite, which also has Democracia and Vertigem, but Mário Peixoto’s 1931 film Limite will also be released as a single in July, anyway, so it’s a film that isn’t as well known. But I think the strongest criteria for choosing the films was a film that could produce a song that had this musical style, that could produce a song with a musical style more linked to this genre, that is, a more melancholic song, acoustics, anyway. So, the musical character of this Cine Músicas EP project are songs like that, you know, slower, melancholic, anyway. So I was thinking about films that could generate songs like that, like, you know, if it were a film, I don’t know, a comedy film, I don’t know, maybe it wouldn’t match this musical idea that I had, right.
Is there a film that you find particularly challenging to interpret musically?
A film that I was thinking about making a song out of is Zelig, by Woody Allen, which is a challenge for me, as I still intend to make this song, but it’s such an interesting film, because the character, she is, is a chameleon, right, it changes its own character according to the environment, with the people around it, like that, so I thought about making a song that also changes its character every time, right, so I need to see how to solve this, I mean, how is this song going to be a chameleon too, right, which is a challenge, like that. Another song that I had also thought about doing is O Cinema Falado, by Caetano Veloso, it’s an experimental film, like, let’s say, right, so I also wanted to, it’s also a challenge, how to make a song out of it, right, maybe I was thinking about mixing speech with music, right, song with music, anyway, as the song has to do with speech too, right, so I think it would be an interesting thing.
What was it like working with artists like Paulo Miklos and Tatiana Parra on the project? How did these collaborations enrich the result of the EP?
The participation of Paulo Miklos and Tatiana Parra greatly enriched the project, that is, not only because of the beauty of their singing, they are great singers, but also because of their inventiveness. Paulo and Tatiana, they eventually made small changes to the melody, you know? Tatiana proposed voices, very interesting voice openings. So, beyond the interpretation itself, I think they had an inventive participation, you know? So, it was something that greatly enriched the work.
What was the role of these artists in the tracks they participated in? How did your voices contribute to the narrative of the songs?
Paulo’s participation had an interesting idea, as Paulo is a singer but also an actor, a super actor, so we found it interesting, Marcos thought it would be a beautiful thing like that, he as an actor, he is part of cinema, whether I mean, he works in cinema, he sang the song with me, so he had this idea a little, and interpretively he did too, I mean, I think he made the song more emotional, he increased the duration of the notes, you know, he lengthened vowels, I think it gave a stronger emotional charge to the song, so I think it added this characteristic to a view of Guanabara Bay. And Tati Parra, a super singer, inventive with her voice, she invented some really cool things in her interpretation, the outdated melodies, you know, when she sings the same melody that I sing, but… waiting a little bit to start, you know, these vocal shifts that she made, well, that I think ended up adding a lot to the song, not only so as not to repeat it in the same way, right, but also with a load of emotion, like that, right.
How do you hope the public receives the EP “Cinemúsicas, Vol. 1”? What are your expectations for the release and reception of the songs?
I hope it’s a good reception, I mean, and actually this EP, right, I think that’s the main idea, like, the EP is also my first solo work, right, bigger like that, right, I mean , an EP that I released in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, it only had three tracks, right, so this already has five, but in fact it is a project that encompasses other singles that I released, such as Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol and Bacurau, and others that I’m going to release starting in July, so it’s a bigger project, you know, as it prepares the release of my first solo album next year, also produced by Tobran de Leone and Marcos Preto , so what I hope is that this work in some way also prepares the people, you know, who are watching for the release of the album next year, you know, that the songs are related, you know, they have that same character, anyway.
Is there a future plan to expand this project to new volumes or explore other art forms besides cinema?
Yes, there is a plan to expand the project, I think about making cinematic volumes 2, 3, 4, 5 and perhaps releasing them on LP, two volumes, then volume 1 and volume 2 on one LP, volume 3 and 4 on another LP, each one on one side of the vinyl, right, because I think it’s a lot, firstly, it’s an experience, like I said, very cool, like, studying, watching films, studying films, I like studying cinema, you know, so , for me, this part alone is pleasurable, and composing, like this, from a theme, from a film, for me it’s a lot, too, it’s very enjoyable, you know, so I intend to do it, I already have it, I already have I’m even composing more songs based on the films, which will probably make up volume 2 of the cinemúsicas. Others, to compose from other forms of art, besides cinema, I’ve thought about, I think a lot about literature, like that, because I studied lyrics, you know, before making music, I graduated in lyrics, and I think it’s interesting, also, suddenly, doing work linked to literature. I just don’t know if I’m going to take this project… to the Passargada philoharmonic or if I’m going to do it solo. So it’s something that I decide little by little, what I record with the philoharmonic and what I record on the solo. But I think it’s a really cool practice to do, to compose from other languages.
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