After having been introduced to Ennio Morricone through Yo-Yo Ma’s translation of soundtrack hits using stringed instruments, I went beyond the Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone album to fully explore Morricone’s music. I rented movies from Netflix whose soundtracks he scored. I rented a VHS tape from the school library and watched it with my then-boyfriend (who still had a VCR). I even watched a movie online (illegally) because I could only find it at a download site. Listening to Yo-Yo Ma’s amazing renditions were one thing (he successfully translated Ecstasy of Gold to strings after all). However, experiencing the original music en scene provided more depth to what was, previously, an auditory experience only. I was hooked…
Although Morricone was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy Awards, he does not perform often in the United States. There have been times when I’ve been out of the country and found that he was performing (or worse, had performed) somewhere nearby. However, timing and money always conspired against me. I recently made an online purchase that has me the recipient of “hey, check out our LATEST great deal” emails seemingly everyday. Typically, I ignore them. For some reason, Wednesday I decided to actually open one of the emails to peruse its contents before deleting and what did I discover? A package deal for Morricone’s concert in New York! The email came a little before two weeks in advance, the concert is in New York no less and basically impossible to do. I was elated AND deflated within seconds. A coworker asked me about any upcoming trips around the time I was at my deflated lowest. I told her about how much I would have wanted to see Ennio Morricone in concert but missed the opportunity because I had just found out a few weeks in advance. We talked about other vacation/trip related minutiae and we both then proceeded with the rest of our workday.
For some reason, I went back to look again today and what did I discover? The concerts have been postponed because of a back problem that Morricone’s doctors did not think would heal properly with long-distance travel. Now, instead of less than two weeks away, I have three months to see if I can make it to one of his concerts!! I do not believe in attempting to profit from the misfortune of others but I do find that the postponement has now made a far-off dream a far closer possibility.
Ahhhh, the difference a day makes…
The song that, when I first heard it, stirred that “something” in me (album purchased based on this one song):
The original version from the film, Una Pura Formalita, with Gerard Depardieu on vocals:
One of Morricone’s more recognized hits, en scene:
Yo-Yo Ma’s stringed interpretation:
And, a remix: