On July 6, Italian composer Ennio Morricone died. Many admirers of his talent expressed their condolences, including among celebrities.

“I don’t even know where to start my words about the cult composer Ennio Morricone. He could turn an ordinary film into a compulsory viewing picture, a good film into a work of art, and a great film into a legend, ”the screenwriter and director Edgar Wright appreciated the significance of Morricone’s work (“ Kid on the Drive ”,“ Scott Pilgrim Against Everyone ”) .

The director also noted that he himself is a big fan of Morricone. “I have been listening to his recordings all my life. What a rich creative legacy remains after it! Rest in peace, ”concluded Wright.

Ennio Morricone also had a chance to work with the Russian director Vladimir Khotinenko. The composer wrote the music for his 72 meter tape.

“In my life there were several moments of such an unconditional favor of fate. And one of them is a meeting with Ennio. This, of course, is unconditional happiness. The scale of his figure! He is perhaps the last great composer, ”Khotinenko told RIA Novosti.

The director expressed his condolences to his wife Morricone and shared his memories of friendship with the legendary musician.

“We did not just work and scatter, we became friends, he came to Russia with concerts. A piece of myself left simply. He was a great, real and wonderful person, ”the agency quotes the director.

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Writer and screenwriter Don Winslow in his Twitter suggested that “in the next few days, a lot of good people will talk about the greatness of Ennio Morricone and how significant this figure is in the world of film music”, and also advised users to familiarize themselves with the maestro’s compositions.

“You recognize Morricone’s works even before you notice his name in the credits. With just a few notes, he refers to the images of a whole genre. There are no others like him. One of the titans left, ”noted film critic, screenwriter and writer Christopher Robert Cargill.

The Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima also expressed regret over the death of Morricone. “Shocked at the news of the death of Ennio Morricone ... Rest in peace,” reads his Twitter post.

Kojima admitted that he had just bought the soundtrack for the film “The Legend of the Pianist”. The game designer also said that he included the song Morricone Here's To You performed by Joan Baez in the game Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Previously, the melody sounded in the film by Giuliano Montaldo "Sacco and Vanzetti."

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  • © Mario Anzuoni

Life by the notes

Ennio Morricone was born in Rome on November 10, 1928. At the age of 12, at the insistence of his father, a jazz trumpeter, he entered the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome. Subsequently, Morricone recalled that even then he intended to become a composer and strove for one goal - to write "serious" music.

Before joining the cinema, Annie Morricone played the trumpet in the ensemble, served as a musician and composer in the theater for several years, and finally made arrangements for other people's melodies. Then it was noticed by Italian filmmakers.

Morricone began his career in the film industry as a composer with spaghetti westerns. They brought him fame. The composer is widely known for collaborating with one of the founders of this genre - director Sergio Leone. Together they worked on the paintings “A Few Dollars More,” “Good, Bad, Evil,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” and others.

However, Morricone did not like it when they discussed his work through the prism of his first works.

“I'm not just a composer, limited to one genre - for example, music for Westerns. It is clear that westerns brought me success, and I probably know more from them. But I wrote a lot of things. Some Italian author films use the music I have written, and this also deserves respect, ”he emphasized. 

The composer explained: “I can do anything ... I believe that my ability to do everything with a certain ease gives me unlimited imagination and unlimited scope in terms of techniques. By adding variety to my work, I give myself the opportunity to express myself and take a fresh look at familiar things. ”

And he proved it, working throughout his life in different genres and constantly experimenting with sound. The composer's track record includes music for such multi-format films as “Professional”, “The Untouchables”, “The Abominable Eight”, “Red Sonja”, “Lolita”, “Two in the Universe” and many others. In total, Ennio Morricone took part in the creation of more than 450 films. He collaborated with directors such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, Roman Polanski, Brian De Palma.

At the same time, the composer constantly emphasized that his work goes beyond the cinema. 

“Most people, I think, consider me to be just a movie composer. I want everyone to know that I am something more, ”he reminded.

Morricone wrote chamber instrumental music and conducted. In 2012, he went on an anniversary tour and opened it with a concert at the State Kremlin Palace. A performance in Moscow (at Crocus City Hall) opened another tour of the composer - in honor of his 85th birthday.

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It is noteworthy that Ennio Morricone put the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky at the top of the list of people who influenced his formation as a musician. 

“Because of what he invested in his music, because of the light power with which he filled his compositions, and, of course, because of a desperate, passionate desire to create and how Russian folklore influenced him, and how he used it. He is one of the composers of fundamental importance to contemporary music, ”Morricone said.

He also noted the influence of his maestro Goffredo Petrassi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Charles Auguste de Berio, Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono and Claudio Monteverdi.