The Twelve is a soundtrack, but it also is an album very much in its own right, with tracks that stand on their own, "It tells the story of [...] twelve people even without you seeing the film" explains Federico Albanese.
The pieces invoke feelings of meditation and anticipation that convey a wonderful sense of storytelling, and hearing about Albanese's inspiration for these only strengthens their narrative. Take "The Stars We Follow", a piece as gentle and contemplative as it is powerful. The track was inspired by Japanese master Aoki Hiroyuki and the special practice he developed in order to connect to nature, "It's something between a martial art and a dance. At some point Lucy sent me a short clip where they do a session of this on a beach, and I thought somehow the movements were like chasing stars," explains Albanese, "as well as the general idea of all these elders travelling, and following their own ideas and stars and trying to communicate them with the world."
The wonderfully comforting piece "North Variation"was inspired by Master Lyudmila Khomovna, one of the last people of Uilta decent living in a remote island in Siberia, "She is a very particular person, and profoundly elder, a very wise person. I was having this idea in mind of something set in a very cold place but with a deep warmth within," says Albanese.
The Twelve cemented Federico Albanese’s abilities to work outside his comfort zone. Being simultaneously able to adapt to the collaborative efforts of filmmaking while following his own internal creative process, his album demonstrates the added value of organic partnerships between artists, "I would say cinema is my second love besides music. I'm probably not the kind of person who is willing to write music for anything, I am happy to pledge to a project when I can see there is something I can give to it."
