No matter how much you’d been looking forward to it, an outdoor concert didn’t seem like the most attractive proposition, as the rain teemed down at 6pm on what was one of the wettest days of the year. However, the gods seemed to look kindly upon Ennio Morricone’s brand of musical transcendence: the moment he stepped on stage, just over two hours later, the skies cleared and the rain ceased.
As the music began, the sensation was almost surreal: it was as if you were watching a film with no pictures. The same drama builds, the same anticipation is created, the same questions remain: it’s as if a story that you can only half understand is unfolding before your ears!
As the night progressed, the wide range of artists and musical styles that have been influenced by Ennio gradually became apparent. Kanye West’s big overriding trumpet on ‘All Of The Lights’; the sweeping choral moments on Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Neon Bible; Neil Hannon’s baroque whimsy, Daft Punk and Justice’s retro-funk... they’ve all been influenced by the Italian’s grand vision.
The highlights are many: there’s the big, epic western scores, of which ‘The Theme From The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’ is the most recognisable; the emotional refrain of ‘Deborah’s Theme’ from Once Upon A Time In America; the medley from The Mission and the gorgeous ‘Cinema Paradiso’ and ‘Love Theme From Cinema Paradiso’, which capture the composer’s extraordinary ability to move from powerful simplicity to wonderful intricacy in an instant.
Soprano Susanna Rigacci, backed for the occasion by The Dublin Gospel Choir, performed beautifully, her voice both moving and overpowering by turn, most notably on the triptych that took us from ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’ through ‘A Fistful Of Dynamite’ to ‘Ecstasy Of Gold’ from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.
The finale was his composition with Joan Baez, entitled ‘Here’s To You’, with Baez’s vocal part sung by the hundred-person choir. Sure, you could have watched a top orchestra and choir anywhere in the world perform the same material – but there was something truly magical about seeing the man regarded by many as the greatest film composer of all-time conducting his own music, and delivering the melodies which he brought to life personally to an audience of thousands. It was a special show.
Now, one more time with feeling: da-i-a-i-a-i-a-i-a da da daaaaaa...