The ruthless gangsters of New York and the rough cowboys of the dusty prairie; the magic of cinema and the rich sound of a symphony orchestra. The Danish National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sarah Hicks, performs masterful pieces by legendary film composer Ennio Morricone, accompanied by Sonny Bono, Bernard Herrmann and Nino Rota.
This isn't really a film - indeed it probably shouldn't be on here at all, but once we get the opening bars of Morricone's "Big Gundown" followed by a slew of fantastic cinema scores from himself, Bernard Herrmann's memorable "Taxi Driver", Nino Rota's "Godfather" and even a bit of Sonny Bono, it becomes one of those concerts that any film fan can just sit back and wallow in. No "Gabriel's Oboe" was curious, but the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and it's choir do justice to the powerful efforts of the likes of acclaimed mezzo-soprano Tuva Semmingsen. I wonder if it's easier to sing words or just to emanate tuneful sounds - like in "Ecstasy of Gold"? So many movies are brought to life by their soundtracks and the original works celebrated here are well worth a listen, more than a watch, to illustrate that well.