Born in Pesaro, Italy on March 25, 1926, Riziero ‘Riz’ Ortolani is a composer
who has scored more than two hundred soundtracks. Ortolani learned to play the
violin at the age of four, but after he damaged his elbow in a car accident, he
switched to flute. After he finished his studies at Gioachino Rossini
Conservatory in 1948, he left his birthplace and relocated to Rome, joining the
RAI Orchestra. He spent time as a musician in the Italian Air Force before
joining a well-known jazz ensemble. One of his first film scores was for the
cult movie Mondo Cane (1962), which featured th...