Cinema Concerto: Ennio Morricone At Santa Cecilia

Sony Classical

Music Composed and Conducted by Ennio Morricone

Produced by David Mottley and Ennio Morricone

Performed by the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the Children's Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Release Date: 2000

     Ennio Morricone himself heads this excellent compilation of memorable themes and cues from his myriad of scores. The performances by the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia are energetic and the high-quality digital recording really shines.

     I haven’t had much experience with Morricone’s work, but it seems that there is a good representation of his music on this disc. The styles vary, but are arranged in such a way that it never really jars the listener like most compilations do. One of the main reasons why it flows so well is that this is a recording of a Morricone concert, so it plays far better than the average compilation, with excellent transitions between pieces.

     Most of the music is dramatic in nature, and it never gets into any action cues (in fact I’ve yet to hear Morricone action music…if any exists). This is not a bad thing, however. The truly epic bit of music has to be the main title for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. With its excellent performance and rousing men’s chorus, this track is great fun. While the rest of the pieces are good, they just can’t match the nature of that one, which is a bit of a disappointment.

     If you’re a fan or Ennio Morricone’s work, then you’ll probably want to check this one out. The terrific sound quality on top of the already excellent performances make this disc a good purchase. ***1/2

Track Listing

1 - Movie Theme (from the film "Cinema Paradiso") (2:15)

2 - Love Theme (from the film "Cinema Paradiso") (3:12)

3 - Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (3:00)

4 - "Ricordare" (from the film "A Pure Formality") (3:29)

5 - Bugsy (4:28)

6 - H2S (2:46)

7 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Titles) (3:04)

8 - Once Upon a Time in the West (2:54)

9 - Fistful of Dynamite (4:06)

10 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (The Ecstasy of Gold) (3:28)

11 - Love Circle (5:21)

12 - "A Brisa Do Coracao" (from the film "Pereira Declares) (3:45)

13 - The Working Class Goes to Paradise (3:59)

14 - Casualties of War (5:37)

15 - "Abolicao" (from the film "Burn!") (4:49)

16 - "Gabriel's Oboe" (from the film "The Mission") (2:17)

17 - "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" (from the film "The Mission") (3:36)

Total Running Time: 62:19