Stelvio Cipriani Essentials

Italian film composer Stelvio Cipriani got his start providing sumptuous, playful scores—heavy on the dramatic strings and sweet acoustic melodies—for spaghetti westerns. But he didn't reach the height of his powers until the ‘70s when he indulged his love of criminals and funk. Swinging funk guitar, rollicking piano riffs and feverish rhythms drive his scores for poliziottesco films like La Polizia Sta a Guardare, in which hard-boiled detectives chase even tougher criminals. The music turned a great craftsman into a living legend.