REVIEW: Ennio Morricone takes Dublin's 3Arena by storm + photo gallery

It's Valentine's Day and 9,000 Dublin hearts are being set all aflutter by a sharp-suited, Oscar-nominated Roman who was writing his first compositions when World War II was still raging.
Ennio Morricone should at this stage of the night be enjoying a post-gig glass of vino - we suspect he's a fine Amarone della Valpolicella man - but so baying are the crowd that he's performing a third encore.
Last seen here 14 months ago on his farewell tour (hey, legends are entitled to change their minds!) Morricone looks equal parts touched and embarrassed by the rock star reception he's being given.
Having limbered up with a selection of gentler, earlier works like La Migliori Offerta's title-cut, and the 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead'-esque 'Chi Mai' from Le Professionel, the Maestro lets the Czech National Symphony Orchestra run amok with his Spaghetti Western suite.
As far as we know he didn't spend the '60s taking superhuman amounts of LSD, but there's as much sonic experimentation in the likes of 'The Fortress' and 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' - altogether now, "Doodle-oodle-do/Wah-wah-wah!" - as Syd got up to with Pink Floyd.
It comes to a glorious end-of-part-one climax with 'The Ecstasy Of Gold', which is worth the price of admission for soprano Susanna Rigacci's sensuous mouthing of the refrain alone.
The second-half kicks off with two of the Hateful Eight compositions that have so enthralled the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences folk, 'Stage Coach To Red Rock' and the uncompromisingly titled 'Bestiality', which is all mad tinkling harpsichord and bullfrog croaking tubas. Brilliant.
Once Up A Time In America's 'Deborah's Theme' is perfect for the smoochy day that's in it, with the suite from The Red Tent also ensuring that love is in the North Wall air.
Any hopes Mr. M has of finishing on time are dashed by the triple-whammy from The Mission - 'Gabriel's Oboe', 'Falls' and 'On Earth As It Is On Heaven' - which are supposed to signal his exit to the bar.
As the successful demands for "morrrrrrrrrre!" erupt around the 3Arena, it strikes me, and I'm sure others, that we'll never see the likes of Ennio Morricone again. Unless he's determined to outdo Frank Sinatra in the comeback stakes, that is.

See a full photo gallery at [link]hotpress.com/photos/photo_st.php?id=16883946[/link]