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Legendary Italian film score composer to perform in Russia ahead of his 90th birthday

Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone said he has not been paying much attention so far to his approaching 90th birthday, since he is preoccupied with his upcoming concerts in Russia

© REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. Acclaimed Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone has told TASS that he has not been paying much attention so far to his approaching 90th birthday, which he will celebrate on November 10, since he is preoccupied with his upcoming concerts in Russia.

Together with a choir and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Morricone will perform in St. Petersburg’s Ice Palace on November 5 and the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow on November 7 as part of his 60 Years of Music tour. Portuguese singer and songwriter Dulce Pontes, famous for her fado folk tunes, will come to Russia as a special guest.

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"I haven’t thought about celebrating at all. The concerts in Russia are what I am busy with right now, because when I need to go on stage and conduct, I tend to feel very tense and try to focus as much as possible. So, I am all wrapped up with that right now. Once the concerts are over, I will think about how to celebrate my 90th birthday," he noted.

During his concerts in Russia, Maestro Morricone will perform both his greatest hits created for the silver screen and classical music. "Of course, there will be a certain percentage of my best known cinematic works, which people like and which I am happy to present again. Also, there will be some music, which is not so famous, but which means a lot to me, and I would like to acquaint Russian audiences with it," he promised.

Morricone has composed hundreds of musical scores for such Hollywood hits as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Malena (2000) and The Hateful Eight (2015). For his work on the soundtrack to The Hateful Eight, which he recorded with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Morricone won an Oscar.

The Italian composer also was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievements in cinema and has won multiple awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Golden Globes.

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