Crouch End Festival Chorus
Rome Sinfonietta
Ennio Morricone - Conductor
Susanna Rigacci - soprano
Dulce Pontes - voice
Gilda Butta - piano
Royal Albert Hall
10 November 2003

Morricone - Film Music

BY Phil Daniels (Music From The Movies)

Ennio Morricone conducted to a full house at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday night November 10th to mark his 75th birthday. A very long programme and superb value for money, Ennio played a full range of his film scores from an opening blast of the staccato The Untouchables main theme, onto the flowing beauty of Once Upon A Time In America and a superb suite of tracks from his Spaghetti Western range.

After a bold-choice mid-section of themes including Queimada and Battle Of Algiers, he concluded with the powerful main themes from The Mission. He received a standing hand-aching ovation, including the whole audience singing an impromptu Happy Birthday to him.

Two encores followed with repeated themes from The Good The Bad The Ugly, Duck You Sucker, The Mission and Queimada. Age has not mellowed the maestro and Morricone appeared his usual serious and stern self on the rostrum, however, he clearly appreciated the warm reception he got from the RAH crowd of enthusiasts and was all smiles to the rapturous applause at the end and full of appreciation to the orchestra, the soprano and the vocalist. A most thrilling evening!

Thanks to Music From The Movies for this review.