Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone

There are few movie music composers as instantly recognizable as Ennio Morricone; he of the bizarre instrumentation, the disregard of the tried and true structure and, most important to me, one of the few who actually make the orchestra swell feel important and not just a stunt. Many new composers could re-learn something from Morricone beyond the surface aping of his renegade style. Yo-Yo Ma is a name even those out of the classical music arc will know. He is, for all intent and purpose, a star in the genre. Combine Morricone and Ma and you should have a bona fide blockbuster, right?

Well...

Of course, right. What, are you kidding? Ma fits his full, resonant cello tone into some of the oddest places. For example, the female voice that belts it out during The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’s triumphant “The Ecstasy Of Gold” doesn’t immediately demand replacement with the cello, but Ma makes it work. I could envision Tuco Ramirez running through the cemetery as the tempo, the energy build, and oh, that swell.

Just as potent is the version of the “Death Theme” from The Untouchables, the underpinnings of the tragedy that was Al Capone’s underworld and Elliot Ness’ crusade to drag it into the light. Everything that seemed to fit so perfectly into Morricone’s original arrangement now seems wonderfully appropriate to Ma’s instrument. And the real kicker of the disc was the music Morricone composed for Moses, represented here in “Journey” and “Main Theme”. Wow, now there’s a feeling I wasn’t expecting, but it was thrilling nonetheless.

But to call these pieces definitive renditions of the tracks is to overstep. More appropriate, Yo-Yo Ma shows the music from a different angle, a perspective we may not have been expecting, and it works very well. Nonetheless, the true appreciation of Morricone’s work needs to include his avant-garde antics, like the harmonica, vocal tricks and Stratocaster jangle found on his most recognizable scores for Sergio Leone. But as a concise collection of two wildly talented people shaking hands, this recording is darn near unbeatable and a must for every movie-music nut out there.

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Release Date: September 28, 2004
Tracks: 8 - Time: 56:04
Produced by: Ennio Morricone
Format: CD
Website: www.yo-yoma.com

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