BY MARK MAWSTON
Ennio Morricone, one of the most celebrated
film composers in cinema history, appeared to a packed 02 arena in London’s Docklands
on February 5th 2015. The venue, (formally The Millennium Dome) normally
a mainstay for Boy Bands and Revered Rockers, seemed Cathedral -like, not only
due to its sheer size and capacity, but mainly due to the soaring music which
filled it over two hours. This concert, unlike other Morricone concerts I’ve
had the pleasure to attend, had a reverential feel to it, one of reflection.
The music that the 100 strong orchestra and 75 piece choir gave life to wasn’t simply
the most popular from the composer’s incredible body of work but obviously the
ones that meant to most to him personally. Tracks from films such as Casualties
Of War, 1900, The Mission and Cinema Paradiso were the ones given centre stage.
This may be because this concert was called “My Life In Music†and although
famous for the scores he composed for such Westerns as Once Upon A Time In The West and The Good The
Bad And The Ugly, it was the smaller, more obscure works that were given life
by the composers famous baton, such as the theme from Quemada, a Marlon Brando
film about slavery. This shouldn’t have been too much of a shock as only about
35 of the 500 plus soundtracks that Morricone has composed were for these
beloved Westerns, which still remain his most famous works. The love for these
films was reflected in the fact that highlight of the night was the glorious
version of Ecstasy Of Gold, taken from Morricone’s childhood friend Sergio
Leone’s The Good The Back and The Ugly. Never has a soundtrack so perfectly
matched the visuals on screen, supporting the fact that Morricone’s themes were
as important as the actors and the director themselves in shaping these
wonderful films. This love and appreciation was reflected in the fact that,
after two encores and cries of “Maestro†Morricone returned to stage and played
the piece once again, to rapturous applause.
It was a huge pleasure to see the maestro on
stage once again after serious back problems had forced him to cancel his original
concerts last year but, as said, there was a touch of poignancy this time. It
was as though he was conducting the music for his own requiem and by doing so,
making sure it was perfect. He wouldn’t settle for anything else I’m sure. When
this third encore ended, he picked up his music sheets like a professor running
off to his next lecture, and, after a bow to the audience, left stage without a
word. He didn’t need to, as his incredible music had spoken for him. I hope
that this won’t be the last time we get to see the maestro who’s most recent soundtrack
work, on old friend Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, show a man still at the
top of his game. Although the most outstanding moment from that soundtrack
could easily be seen as a missing theme from the Eastwood Spaghetti westerns
with his familiar horns and heavenly choirs, the fact that it is called “The
Funeral†again made one feel that this concert was indeed a very special but
poignant event. I left hoping that our own lives will continue to be sound
tracked by this undoubted genius