Stefano Battaglia's admiration for Pier Paolo Pasolini's versatility knows no bounds.

Battaglia: "If we had to find another man of this kind of multiplicity of expressive channels, we'd have to go back to Leonardo da Vinci, I think."

Battaglia's CD is called "Re: Pasolini," as in "regarding Pasolini."

Charles Warren teaches film studies at Boston University. He says "Re: Pasolini" covers all the bases.

Warren: "Some of the pieces are inspired by films. Others are tied more to the poetry or the political writings."

Pasolini won international acclaim for his gritty films. But he was equally admired in Italy for his writing, as oblique as it sometimes was. This is from a reading Pasolini gave in 1970.

Pasolini: "The world immediately felt that this was the right opportunity to demonstrate its substantial goodness above all. And each inhabitant of the world felt all right. Well, no. On that last point, you could have a discussion."

Pasolini's blend of poetry, politics, and movies inspired the music on "Re: Pasolini." But Battaglia says the two CDs that make up the set evoke different aspects of the man's work.

Battaglia: "In the first CD, I try to represent the popular side of Pasolini's, to me means, for instance, the first movies of his life."

So the first CD, Professor Warren says, has a distinctive sound.

Warren: "The word I would use for it, I guess, is "sweet." And there is a side to Pasolini that is that. And on the second CD, I try to represent experimental side of Pasolini that has the same importance in his life. The second CD is much edgier music, really. There's more dissonance in it and tension."

Dissonance and tension characterize this track on the second C-D of "Re: Pasolini." It's called "Ostia." That's the name of the village where Pasolini was murdered in 1975. Stefano Battaglia says the composition is intended as a Passion for Pasolini.

Battaglia: "For sure, it's a dark piece, and I try to write the last breath of Pasolini, with the strings and with the dark and deep percussion sounds and very slow and played from piano."

Stafano Battaglia will perform the music from "Re: Pasolini" this Saturday at the Vivere Jazz Festival in Florence, Italy.