Congrats on the Oscar, Maestro!

Please allow me for once to show off some of my patriotism, which I usually tend to smother.
Last night, at the 88th Academy Awards ceremony, Maestro Ennio Morricone won the Oscar for Best Original Score for Quentin Tarantino’s movie The Hateful Eight. This important acknowledgement made the proud Italian inside of me scream and shout out of happiness.

Film score music undoubtedly has a heavy influence on us Ancient Bards as musicians, especially on Daniele who usually writes all that we play,  and along with other great composers such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Thomas Bergersen (to name a few), Ennio Morricone is one of our greatest sources of inspiration, both music and career wise. The fact that Morricone happens to be Italian too makes us all very proud, ‘cause us Italians are people of art and poetry, but we often forget it, undermining our own value.
Morricone had already received an honorary Oscar back in 2007, but this time it was at “actual” Oscar and I loved seeing an 87 year old genius receive recognition for his work, take the statuette and deliver a speech (in Italian) with his voice broken by that tender mix of emotion and genuine gratitude. I also loved how he thought of his other esteemed competitors and, above all, how he dedicated the award to his wife Maria, because any manifestation of long-lasting true love and profound respect makes my heart melt (life goals!).
I was happy to see that a couple of days ago Ennio also received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and, I have to say, this was long overdue!

I have two pieces that I rank among my most favorites of all time.
The firs is Finale di un Concerto Romantico Interrotto (literally Finale of an interrupted romantic concert) from the movie Making Love (Ricky Tognazzi’s Canone Inverso, taken from the book of the same name written by Paolo Maurensig).
I swear to you guys, whenever I listen to this piece of art I have to concentrate to avoid crying! I can’t contain myself, the melody is from another world and the whole composition is the poetic and pure expression of passion, love, sacrifice, sadness, glory. Everything is so perfect to me I let myself bathe into the piano and the violins. Give it a listen and tell me if it isn’t beautiful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0086X1aYMg

 My other favorite is one of Morricone’s most famous pieces, Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission and, quite frankly, this one doesn’t even really need anymore words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL7CDcVQjbM

Actually, no piece of good music at all should ever be ruined, categorized, shrunk, minimized, impoverished by using words. I say when music touches your heart just enjoy it, because that heavenly feeling you feel needs no explanation, it’s yours and nobody else’s, treasure it.

So, all there’s left to say is, yet again, another THANK YOU to the incomparable Maestro Ennio Morricone, for giving us the privilege of listening to his music, for being a solid example of modesty in greatness, and for providing us with a whole lot of precious inspiration. Grazie Maestro <3

Tons of love,
Sara