Monday, March 5, 2018

Musical Monday - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra

The "Spaghetti Westerns" such as A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West, were so dubbed in part due to the fact that their scores were written by Ennio Morricone (as well as the fact that they were directed by Sergio Leone and written by Italian screenwriters). These movies aren't technically science fiction or fantasy movies, but they feel like they are, since they all seem to take place in a mythic Old West that bears little relationship to actual history and the stories have a kind of almost dream-like quality to them that makes them seem like a kind of romanticized hyperreality.

One of the elements that gives the Spaghetti Westerns their otherworldly quality is Morricone's music. This performance is fascinating because it shows exactly how the various parts were made. I, for example, would never have thought that one of the parts was actually made by a human voice. The unusual array of instruments used in many of Morricone's compositions also contributes to their somewhat alien feel. I like the Spaghetti Westerns quite a bit, but I am convinced that Morricone's music will still be being played long after the movies have faded from the cultural consciousness.

On a note that really doesn't connect to anything else, the conductor Sarah Hicks kind of looks like Kelly Sue DeConnick's long lost brunette sister.

Previous Musical Monday: I'm Gonna Getcha Good by Shania Twain
Subsequent Musical Monday: A Fistful of Dollars by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra

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  1. Ni need to apologise for it not being technically SF! It’s a wonderful score and fascinating to watch the two choirs, the magnificent orchestra and the unusual instruments played. I am a HUGE fan of Ennio Morricone. Oddly, the first time I heard any of his music was not the famous stuff, like this one or The Mission. It was a TV Bible mini-series, Moses, Lawgiver, with Burt Lancaster in the title role. The music was amazing!

    Have you ever been to one of those performances where they switch off the film’s music soundtrack and replace it with a live orchestra? I was lucky enough to see Fellowship Of The Ring and The Two Towers that way. You could really see why a ticket was so expensive, with soloists and two choirs, one adult, one children’s... but worth every cent.

    1. @Sue: I have not been to a live scored movie, but it does sound interesting.