Ahh. I woke up to the incredibly sad news that Hollywood composer James Horner (61) has died in a plane crash. I was fortunate enough to have just seen him at the Royal Albert Hall back in April (see image above) and to have heard him speak passionately about his work and particularly the score he composed for 'Titanic'. Like so many others, I fell head over heels in love with 'Titanic' and its music when I first saw it. I was 13 y/o and I don't mind it sounding cheesy when I say it's been a pretty big part of my life ever since. So I wish I could simply thank James for completely blowing my young mind and thank him for the amazing collection of work he leaves behind!
[embed]https://youtu.be/16i0_NdPowE[/embed]
credit: titanic ost and royal albert hall
Today's tune: Ennio Morricone
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3G-IfenChY[/embed] Today I just feel like sharing a bit of Ennio Morricone magic! After his gig got postponed a few times I finally got to see the legendary composer live in concert in Amsterdam earlier this week. So, FYI, Ennio Morricone is 86 years old and has written music for over 500 films and tv series. He has, during his career, been nominated for 5 Oscars and eventually in 2007 received the Academy Honorary Award "for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music". He's a true legend.
And anyway, some of my absolute favourite childhood memories are of my dad playing me and my brothers the 'Once Upon a Time in the West' record. We would turn down the lights, turn up the volume and we would just let this breathtaking and haunting film score wash over us. Because of this soundtrack, Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in the West' already was one of my favourite films before I had ever even watched it - before I'd actually even seen Claudia Cardinale or the Harmonica Man. It really is a masterpiece, check out the original trailer (from 1968/1969) below!
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO_uW_VDsO8[/embed]
credit: 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (OST)