Perhaps the greatest and most prolific composer in the classical field alive and certainly in the field of film composition, tickets to Ennio Morricone’s final live performance on UK shores have gone on sale. Accompanied by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus, il Maestro will be performing some of his best known works for film at the O2 Arena on November 26th. Now aged 85, Morricone’s career has taken in an astonishing 500+ musical scores (the exact number may never truly be confirmed but that’s a story for another time) and over 100 classical works.
The performance in London is part of an extended tour to mark his 60-year Anniversary as a professional composer and conductor, which has included more than 40 concerts played in 30 European cities over the last few years, selling over 500k tickets.
In 2016, Morricone composed and recorded the score for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, for which he received universal praise, including his long awaited Academy Award for Best Original Score, his sixth BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, and his third Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
On the final show in London, Morricone said:
“I have very fond memories of my tours to the UK. From my very first concert at the Barbican Centre to my shows at the beautiful Royal Albert Hall and recently the spectacular nights at the o2 Arena and the Blenheim Palace grounds. The English audience has always given me a very warm welcome and I felt strongly that I should play one last big concert in London before I retire at the end of this year.”