Ennio Morricone and John Williams

Through their power of communication and evocation of images, stories and situations, film scores have often transcended the films for which they were created.

The countless compositions that Morricone and Williams have written have not only served as a backdrop to accentuate atmospheres or define characters, but have gone beyond the silver screen and managed to perfectly mix the wealth of musical history with the sound of their time, without forgetting their own idiosyncrasies.

Ennio Morricone (Rome, 10th November 1928 - 6th July 2020) was trained in all specialties of musical composition and in 1961 made his film debut with the soundtrack for Luciano Salce’s film, El federal.

He subsequently gained international fame with the scores for Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western genre films, such as A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, among others.

He is one of the most prolific film composers in the world, with more than four hundred soundtracks for film and television, outstanding among which are films such as The Mission (1986), Cinema Paradiso (1988), Frantic (1988) and The Star Maker (1995).

He has composed chamber music, symphonic pieces, operas and hundreds of songs for light and pop music artists.

In 2018, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Morricone started “The Final Concerts World Tour” with which he bade farewell to the stage. He toured more than 35 European cities, giving over 50 concerts.

Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour and Commander, Grand Officer and Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, he has received 27 gold records and 7 platinum records and numerous awards: various BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Grammies, David de Donatellos, the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement in Venice (1995) and the Polar Music Prize (Sweden, 2010).

John Williams (New York, 8th February 1932) received his musical training collaborating with some of the most prominent figures in American classic cinema, such as Alfred Newman, Franz Waxman and Bernard Herrmann.

With jazz influences, his music ranges from the symphonic sound of the great orchestras to intimate pieces, as well as encompassing popular or folk styles.

He has composed the scores to more than one hundred films, has created symphonies and concerts for flute, violin, clarinet, viola, oboe, cello and tuba and has been commissioned to compose for various orchestras.

In 1980 he was appointed conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position from which he retired in 1993, and maintains a relationship with many other orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

He has received five Academy Awards in the categories of Best Adaptation Score for Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Best Original Music for Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982) and Schindler’s List (1993).