Ennio Morricone, legendary composer, orchestrator and conductor, passed away this week on July 6th. The 91-year-old Italian legend composed over 400 scores for cinema and television in the course of his lifetime, along with well over 100s of classical work.
His death came from the aftermath of a fall where he sustained injuries. His nearly 100 years of life has left the world with iconic musical pieces that will transcend his lifetime. In remembrance of his classical work, we're sharing the setlist from Morricone's final performance.
Just this past January 19th (2020), Morricone held a special concert for the Italian senate in Rome. He performed an 8-song set, of which 4 songs where accompanied by his daughter, composer Andrea Morricone.
The set opened with a cover of "Il canto degli Italiani" by Michele Novaro. The set carried some of his best film scores including "Addio Monti" and "Deborah's Theme." With Andrea, he performed "Gabriel's Oboe," which was Morricone's third most performed song.
The last song Morricone would ever perform live was "Se questo รจ un uomo." Check out the setlist here:
While that was his last performance, Morricone did a complete farewell tour the year prior, in 2019.
"I feel privileged to celebrate my 90th birthday in such good health. I am blessed to still be able to conduct my orchestra across so many wonderful European cities and for the generosity my public continues showing towards me."
That tour concluded on June 29th, 2019 and Morricone performed, on average, 28 songs each night.
As mentioned, Morricone's legacy is immortal. Artists from an array of genres have covered his work and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Check out a list of our favorite Morricone covers below:
- Metallica - "Ecstasy of Gold" - The band walks out to this song at every one of their shows, but they've also covered it live around 7 times.
- Celine Dion - "I Knew I Loved You" - Performed around 2 times
- The Mars Volta - "A Fistful of Dollars" - Performed around 3 times.
- Herbie Hancock - "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" - Performed at least 1 time.
- Coolio - "Change (vs. Ennio Morricone)" - Unknown performances.
