布罗克斯顿评说莫里康内 MB-012-117

倒退三十年

乔纳森·布罗克斯顿（Jonathan Broxton）的原始评论

在电影音乐史上，有些时刻你可以听一首乐谱，并在它结束时坐下来，满足于你刚刚体验了一部真正的杰作。这种情况并不经常发生，因为它必须是所有可能使电影配乐变得出色的完美结合。当然，它必须适合电影，承载故事，增强戏剧性，并将其提升到两者似乎不可分割的地步，并且电影将因它不在那里而受到不可估量的削弱。但是，它也必须具备所有使它成为纯音乐的优秀元素——从通过乐谱发展的反复出现的主题，到配器、技巧，以及那些无形的“美”和“记忆力”，当然，这些都是纯粹的主观的，但仍然经常以类似的情感方式影响着广泛的人。埃尼奥·莫里康内（Ennio Morricone）1986年为《使命》（The Mission）创作的配乐无疑是其中一首，它符合每一个方框，是每个可以想象的层面的杰作。

这部电影由罗兰·乔菲执导，罗伯特·德尼罗、杰里米·艾恩斯、雷·麦卡纳利、艾丹·奎因、切丽·隆吉和连姆·尼森主演。它以 1740 年代的南美洲为背景，通过各种耶稣会神父和其他宗教人物的眼睛探索信仰和道德问题，因为他们努力将当地的瓜拉尼人皈依基督教。德尼罗饰演门多萨，一个雇佣兵和奴隶贩子，他放弃了以前的方式，并通过帮助加布里埃尔神父（艾恩斯饰）在瓜拉尼村建立宣教教堂来弥补。然而，当一项政治条约将该地区的控制权从西班牙人转移到葡萄牙人时，冲突就出现了; 葡萄牙人允许西班牙人不实行奴隶制，在当地殖民政府的祝福和梵蒂冈本身的默许下，他们开始了一系列突袭行动，从瓜拉尼社区收集奴隶。然而，门多萨、加布里埃尔和他们的同事菲尔丁神父（尼森饰）发誓要保护当地人，即使这意味着在此过程中牺牲自己的生命。

尽管这部电影受到大多数评论家的称赞，并获得了七项奥斯卡提名，其中包括一项最佳影片提名，但不幸的是，《使命》在票房上并不成功——其错综复杂的情节、迷宫般的政治和教会阴谋，以及长时间的内省“风景镜头”让观众与核心故事疏远。然而，埃尼奥·莫里康内 （Ennio Morricone） 为《使命》的配乐远远超过了为之创作的电影的遗产和名气，并且在随后的三十年中被誉为 1980 年代最重要的电影配乐之一。试图找出是什么让莫里康内的配乐如此精彩几乎是徒劳的，但我将从大多数人开始的地方开始：主题。

不出所料，对于这样一部电影来说，配乐中至少有三个反复出现的主题，以及几个不太经常出现的次要主题。第一个与瓜拉尼任务本身有关，首次在开场提示“在地球上，就像在天堂一样”中听到，这实际上是片尾标题曲目。作为大键琴、弦乐和拉丁合唱团的节奏主题，它逐渐拾起了民族打击乐的床，增加了其节奏核心，以及加布里埃尔主题的对位陈述（稍后会详细介绍），支撑合唱吟唱，并讲述了故事中心的文化冲突——西方文明与教会之间的冲突， 还有瓜拉尼人自己。第二个主题是“瀑布”，这是一首令人惊叹的优美旋律，用于竖琴和弦乐，它拾取了幸福的排笛元素，以及戏剧性的（几乎是潜意识的）弹拨贝斯，逐渐膨胀成整个管弦乐队的令人毛骨悚然的表演。这个主题特别与伊瓜苏瀑布有关，这是一个巨大的瀑布，今天标志着巴西和阿根廷之间国际边界的一部分，作为瓜拉尼文化的中心具有古老的重要性。

第三个主题可以说是最著名的：“加布里埃尔的双簧管”，最初由杰里米·艾恩斯的角色在银幕上表演。令人惊讶的是，莫里康内通过观察艾恩斯在第一个场景中随机即兴的手指动作来写主题，并将音乐与这些动作相匹配，就好像这就是艾恩斯一直在演奏的一样。莫里康内能从这个基础上写出如此令人难以忘怀、令人回味的传奇主题，这一事实令人惊讶; 双簧管、弦乐和大键琴的简单配器是崇高的，完美地捕捉了和平、温柔的加布里埃尔神父的精髓，他用他优美的音乐迷住了瓜拉尼人并赢得了他的信任。

这三个主题构成了整个乐谱的基石。在任何其他电影中，这些令人惊叹的美丽作品中只有一部就足以将其指定为经典，但莫里康内为一部电影写了所有这些作品，这一事实是最高级别的美妙矫枉过正。莫里康内巧妙地让他的主题在随后的场景中得到发展和完善。例如，在“Vita Nostra”中，他引入了加布里埃尔主题的部落变奏，转为长笛，伴有民族鼓，并由吟诵的使命主题的对位表演抵消。

在“攀登”中，莫里康内缓慢、稳定、无情地表演了瀑布主题，通过弦乐部分上升，直到连姆·尼森饰演的角色菲尔丁神父成功地登上了伊瓜苏瀑布的危险攀登，与加布里埃尔一起执行任务。后来，在《悔恨》中，莫里康内将瀑布主题重新编排成黑暗、翻腾的变奏曲，为低沉、嘶哑的弦乐，反思门多萨的行为和他对救赎的需求，以及加布里埃尔作为赎罪强加给他的艰难挑战。这种提示的折磨和声与行任务。后来，在《悔恨》中，莫里康内将瀑布主题重新编排成黑暗、翻腾的变奏曲，为低沉、嘶哑的弦乐，反思门多萨的行为和他对救赎的需求，以及加布里埃尔作为赎罪强加给他的艰难挑战。这种提示的折磨和声与伯纳德·赫尔曼（Bernard Herrmann）和沃伊切赫·基拉尔（Wojciech Kilar）在描绘强烈的心理伤害时相呼应，这证明了莫里康内的技巧，他可以重新安排如此美丽的主题并使其听起来如此惊恐。

其他包含显着主题变化的线索包括“使命”，它以温柔、热情的和平再现了瀑布主题，长笛颤音像鸟儿在树梢上飞舞，讲述了加布里埃尔神父天堂天堂的田园诗般的自然风光。后来，“河流”重复了传教主题，以强调一个场景，即梵蒂冈官员在瓜拉尼沿伊瓜苏河上行访问加布里埃尔传教团时在瓜拉尼演唱的小夜曲; 欢庆的铜管颤音，以及歌声的逐渐加强，让我想起了他 1969 年配乐 Queimada 中的精彩结局！

如果这还不够，莫里康内还创作了两首礼仪合唱音乐，“Ave Maria Guaraní”和“Te Deum Guaraní”，这两首音乐都由南美原住民的独奏合唱团演奏。他们分层的人声和声是粗糙和原始的，但不知何故令人振奋和深刻的精神，听起来如此真实和古老，你简直不敢相信它们是在 1986 年创作和表演的。还有一个次要主题，“兄弟”，代表门多萨和他的兄弟费利佩（奎因饰）之间的关系; 吉他、长笛和弦乐的温柔、感伤的主题，讲述了他们在爱情和背叛将他们分开之前牢固的兄弟关系——这个次要部分在随后的“卡洛塔”中得到解决，吉他更暗，暗示卡洛塔（隆吉饰）本人是兄弟关系破裂的催化剂，以及门多萨随后寻求救赎和宽恕。

乐谱的最后三分之一大部分时间都是紧张和期待的时刻，直到加布里埃尔和门多萨的瓜拉尼战士团队与葡萄牙殖民军队的强大部队之间的高潮对抗。“忏悔”的特点是低沉、悸动的巴松管写作，莫里康内后来在《八恶人》中使用了这种写作，效果极佳; 旋转的中心人物逐渐被弦乐、铜管口音和打击乐连接起来，几乎是痴迷地成长和建造。后来，“拒绝”是几个充满鲜明张力的线索中的第一个，飘动的排笛、隆隆的打击乐和军国主义的号角在残酷的钢琴和弦的支持下碰撞。这种抽象、不和谐的写作让人想起莫里康内在 1960 年代为导演吉洛·庞泰科尔沃 （Gillo Pontecorvo） 创作的一些作品，尤其是《阿尔及尔之战》等配乐，并贯穿了随后的《亚松森》、《孤独》和《瓜拉尼》。

“The Sword”以加布里埃尔主题的最后陈述为特色，尽管通过一系列铜管和钢琴的华丽，让人想起拒绝提示中的小号大张旗鼓，再次象征着文化的冲突，因为军国主义殖民者与和平的和平主义耶稣会士正面交锋。耶稣会士的最后一站是将加布里埃尔的主题转移到低音长笛上，黑暗而充满遗憾，然后是最后的“Miserere”，这是一首庄严、可笑的美丽男高音独唱表演。

然而，以这种方式谈论主题并不能解释莫里康内对它们做了什么，这是配乐天才的很大一部分。通过这首音乐，莫里康内将亚马逊丛林描绘成一幅广阔、美丽、未受破坏的荒野，庆祝上帝在地球上最美丽的创造之一。他将耶稣会神父描绘成谦卑、圣洁的人，真诚地试图帮助瓜拉尼人并将他们带入（当时的）现代世界。他将死亡和暴力的场景与优雅而美丽的音乐并置，由此产生的意象几乎像梦一样; 这部电影的标志性镜头是另一位被瓜拉尼人判处死刑的牧师，在临时十字架上平静地漂浮在河上和伊瓜苏瀑布上，如果不是莫里康内的美妙音乐，那将是可怕的，而是将牧师的牺牲描述为天堂的殉道。

以这种方式谈论主题也无法解释为什么这个配乐是为数不多的在公众中达到持久受欢迎程度的电影主题之一。人们永远无法预测电影中的主题何时会进入公众意识并超越它所写的电影，但《使命》确实做到了。莫里康内关于这个分数的写作有一种无形的吸引力，难以形容的原始性; 它利用并讲述了某种休眠的灵性，世界各地的人们都以某种方式与之联系在一起。我不是一个虔诚的人，但莫里康内肯定是，这部电影的普遍主题是将荣耀和崇敬赋予更高的力量，这显然激发了他在音乐上以前所未有的高水平表达自己。《加布里埃尔的双簧管》被改编成几位著名独奏家的古典曲目也就不足为奇了，1998年，作家基娅拉·费拉（Chiara Ferraù）为意大利歌词创作，然后被女高音莎拉·布莱曼（Sarah Brightman）录制为《内拉幻想曲》（Nella Fantasia）。这种程度的公众意识和赞誉是莫里康内与电影音乐史上其他几位电影作曲家所共有的——约翰·威廉姆斯（John Williams、亨利·曼奇尼 （Henry Mancini）和约翰·巴里（John Barry）。

以这种方式谈论主题也无法解释莫里康内在《使命》中表现出的卓越构图水平。我没有技术知识来正确描述它，但你可以感觉到这是纯粹的、智力层面的杰出音乐。他的三个主要主题都能够相互对立地相互对抗，尽管它们彼此明显且可识别，这说明了莫里康内在构建他的音乐时所付出的巨大努力，以至于它可以同时传达复杂的、有时是冲突的、情感上的细微差别。莫里康内能够调整主题的调性、节奏或编排，以描绘戏剧意图的微妙差异的方式也始终如一。老实说，我相信，如果在 1800 年代为戏剧或芭蕾舞剧或仅仅为了庆祝上帝的荣耀而创作了完全相同的音乐，那么这种音乐将成为当今古典曲目的一部分，即使是最虔诚的反电影音乐的势利小人也会称赞。

毫无疑问，这是奥斯卡历史上最糟糕的决定之一，埃尼奥·莫里康内（Ennio Morricone）在1986年奥斯卡最佳配乐奖中输给了赫比·汉考克（Herbie Hancock）的《午夜圆》（Round Midnight），该片仅包含15分钟的原创音乐，而是充满了经典的爵士乐标准。尽管这些爵士乐作品是由 1980 年代一些在世的最具传奇色彩的爵士乐艺术家演奏的，而且非常出色，但奥斯卡选民显然投票支持了那部电影中听到的经典非原创作品，而不是汉考克的最低限度的原创贡献; 因此，莫里康内没有赢得电影音乐史上无可争议的最伟大的成就之一，这是与奥斯卡相关的最大的司法不公之一。

人们经常谈论“基本”谱曲，有时我们会因为推荐可能不符合他们炒作的东西而得意忘形，但 The Mission 确实是不同的东西。这也许是使埃尼奥·莫里康内成为天才的唯一、唯一、完美的例子——在主题、智力、情感和戏剧上——以及为什么即使在三十年后，他仍然是世界电影音乐中至关重要的声音。他的经典作品中还有其他具有里程碑意义的配乐——《好坏丑》、《西部往事》、《美国往事》和《天堂电影院》——但老实说，我相信《使命》代表了他作为作曲家职业生涯的巅峰，这是迄今为止 1986 年最好的配乐， 在整个20世纪80年代的乐谱中排名前十，很容易跻身有史以来最伟大的100首乐谱之列。

从Movie Music UK商店购买Mission原声带

曲目列表：

• 在地上，如在天上 （3：50）
• 瀑布 （1：55）
• 加布里埃尔的双簧管 （2：14）
• 圣母玛利亚·瓜拉尼 （2：51）
• 兄弟 （1：32）
• 卡洛塔 （1：21）
• 维塔·诺斯特拉 （1：54）
• 攀登 （1：37）
• 懊悔 （2：46）
• 忏悔 （4：03）
• 使命 （2：49）
• 河流 （1：59）
• 加布里埃尔的双簧管 （2：40）
• Te Deum Guaraní （0：48）
• 拒绝 （3：30）
• 亚松森 （1：27）
• 独自一人 （4：25）
• 瓜拉尼 （3：56）
• 剑 （2：00）
• 米塞雷尔 （1：00）

片长：48分47秒

处女 CDV-2402 （1986）

音乐由埃尼奥·莫里康内（Ennio Morricone）作曲和指挥。由伦敦爱乐乐团演出，包括咒语、伦敦之声和巴尼特学校合唱团。埃尼奥·莫里康内（Ennio Morricone）的编排。由Dick Lewzey录制和混音。专辑由埃尼奥·莫里康内（Ennio Morricone）制作。

THROWBACK THIRTY

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

There are moments in film music history where you can listen to a score, and upon its conclusion sit back and be content in the knowledge that you have just experienced a genuine masterpiece. It doesn’t happen very often, because it has to be a perfect combination of everything that can possibly make a film score great. It has to fit the film, of course, carrying the story and enhancing the drama and elevating it to a point where the two seem inseparable, and where the film would be immeasurably diminished by it not being there. But then it also has to have all those things that make it excellent as pure music – everything from recurring themes that develop through the score, to orchestration, technique, and those intangibles of “beauty” and “memorability,” which of course are purely subjective, but nevertheless often affect a wide range of people in similar emotional ways. Ennio Morricone’s 1986 score for The Mission is, undoubtedly, one of those scores which ticks every box, a masterpiece on every conceivable level.

The film, which was directed by Roland Joffé, stars Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Aidan Quinn, Cherie Lunghi, and Liam Neeson. It is set in South America in the 1740s, and explores issues of faith and morality through the eyes of various Jesuit priests and other religious figures, as they work to convert the native Guaraní population to Christianity. De Niro plays Mendoza, a mercenary and slave-trader, who renounces his former ways and seeks to make amends by helping Father Gabriel (Irons) build a mission church in a Guaraní village. However, conflict emerges when a political treaty transfers control of the area from the Spanish to the Portuguese; the Portuguese, who allow slavery where the Spanish do not, embark on a series of raids to collect slaves from the Guaraní community, with the blessing of the local colonial government, and with the tacit approval of the Vatican itself. However, Mendoza, Gabriel, and their colleague Father Fielding (Neeson) vow to protect the natives, even if it means sacrificing their own lives in the process.

Although the film was lauded by most critics, and received seven Oscar nominations including one for Best Picture, The Mission was unfortunately not a success at the box office – its convoluted plot, labyrinthine political and ecclesiastical machinations, and long periods of introspective ‘scenery footage’ left audiences alienated from the core story. However, Ennio Morricone’s score for the The Mission vastly outstripped the legacy and fame of the film for which it was written, and in the intervening thirty years has gone on to be lauded as one of the most significant film scores written during the 1980s. Trying to pinpoint what makes Morricone’s score so wonderful is almost a futile exercise, but I’ll start where most people start: with the themes.

Unsurprisingly for a film of this scope, there are no less than three recurring main themes weaving through the score, as well as several minor ones which appear more infrequently. The first, which relates to the Guaraní mission itself, is first heard in the opening cue “On Earth as It Is in Heaven,” which is actually the end titles track. A rhythmic theme for harpsichord, strings, and a Latin choir, it gradually picks up a bed of ethnic percussion that increases its rhythmic core, as well as a contrapuntal statement of Gabriel’s theme (more on that later) that underpins the choral chanting and speaks to the culture clash at the center of the story – that between western civilization and the church, and the Guaraní themselves. The second theme is “Falls,” a stunningly beautiful melody for harp and strings, which picks up a blissful pan flute element, and a dramatic (if almost subliminal) plucked bass, which gradually swells into a spine-chilling performance for the full orchestra. This theme relates specifically to the Iguazú Falls, an immense waterfall which today marks part of the international border between Brazil and Argentina, and which has an ancient importance as the center of Guaraní culture.

The third theme is arguably the most famous: “Gabriel’s Oboe,” which is initially performed on-screen by Jeremy Irons’s character. Astonishingly, Morricone wrote the theme by watching the randomly improvised finger movements Irons acted during that first scene, and matching the music to those movements, as if that was what Irons had been playing all along. The fact that Morricone could write such a haunting, evocative, legendary theme from this basis is astonishing; the simple orchestration for oboe, strings, and harpsichord is sublime, capturing perfectly the essence of the peaceful, gentle Father Gabriel, who enchants and gains the trust of the Guaraní with his beautiful music.

These three themes form the cornerstone of the entire score. On any other film, just one of these staggeringly beautiful pieces would have been enough to earmark it as a classic, but the fact that Morricone wrote them all for one film is wonderful overkill of the highest order. Cleverly, Morricone allows his themes to develop and refine in subsequent scenes. In “Vita Nostra,” for example, he introduces a tribal variation on Gabriel’s theme transposed to flute, accompanied by ethnic drums, and offset by a contrapuntal performance of the chanted Mission theme.

In “Climb” Morricone gives a slow, steady, relentless performance of the Falls theme that ascends through the string section, until the final rapturous performance of the theme as Liam Neeson’s character Father Fielding successfully makes the dangerous ascent up the Iguazú Falls to join Gabriel at the mission. Later, in “Remorse,” Morricone re-orchestrates the Falls theme into a dark, churning variation for low, throaty strings, ruminating on Mendoza’s actions and his need for salvation, and the difficult challenge Gabriel imposes on him as atonement. The tortured harmonics of this cue has echoes of both Bernard Herrmann and Wojciech Kilar in their depiction of intense psychological damage, and it’s a testament to Morricone’s skill that he can re-arrange such a beautiful theme and make it sound so aghast.

Other cues which contain notable thematic variations include “The Mission,” which reprises the Falls theme with gentle, welcoming peacefulness, and in which flutes trill like birds fluttering through tree tops, speaking to the idyllic nature of Father Gabriel’s paradise haven. Later, “River” reprises the Mission theme to underscore a scene where a Vatican official is serenaded by Guaraní as he journeys up the Iguazú river to visit Gabriel’s mission; the celebratory brass trills, and the gradual intensification of the singing, reminds me of the wonderful finale from his 1969 score Queimada!

If that were not enough, Morricone also was able to write two pieces of liturgical choral music, “Ave Maria Guaraní” and “Te Deum Guaraní,” both of which are performed by a solo choir of South American natives. Their layered vocal harmonies are ragged and raw, but somehow rousing and deeply spiritual, and sound so authentic and ancient-sounding you can’t quite believe they were written and performed in 1986. There is also a secondary theme, “Brothers,” representing the relationship between Mendoza and his brother Felipe (Quinn); the gentle, sentimental theme for guitar, flute, and strings, speaks to their strong fraternal relationship before love and betrayal tears them apart – this secondary part is addressed in the subsequent “Carlotta,” where the guitars are darker, alluding to the fact that Carlotta (Lunghi) herself is the catalyst for the breakdown of the brothers’ relationship, and Mendoza’s subsequent quest for redemption and forgiveness.

Much of the last third of the score is given over to moments of tension and anticipation, building up to the climactic confrontation between Gabriel and Mendoza’s group of Guaraní warriors, and the mighty forces of the Portuguese colonial army. “Penance” features the low, throbbing bassoon writing that Morricone would later use to excellent effect in The Hateful Eight; the swirling central figure is gradually joined by strings, brass accents, and percussion, growing and building almost obsessively. Later, “Refusal” is the first of several cues full of stark tension, a collision of fluttering pan flutes, rumbling percussion, and militaristic bugles underpinned by brutal piano chords. This abstract, dissonant writing recalls some of Morricone’s work for director Gillo Pontecorvo in the 1960s, especially scores like The Battle of Algiers, and carries on through the subsequent “Asuncíon,” “Alone,” and “Guaraní”.

“The Sword” features the final statement of Gabriel’s theme, albeit with a merest hint of swashbuckling panache through a series of brass and piano flourishes that recall the trumpet fanfares from the Refusal cue, signifying again the clash of cultures as the militaristic colonials go head-to-head with the peaceful, pacifist Jesuits. The last stand of the Jesuits is represented by a transference of Gabriel’s theme to bass flute, dark and full of regret, before the conclusive “Miserere,” a solemn, ridiculously beautiful solo boy soprano performance of the Mission theme.

However, talking about the themes in such a way really doesn’t go any way towards explaining what Morricone does with them, which is a large part of the score’s genius. With this music, Morricone paints a picture of the Amazon jungle as a vast, beautiful, unspoiled wilderness, a celebration of one of God’s most beautiful creations on Earth. He depicts the Jesuit priests as humble, holy men, genuinely trying to help the Guaraní and bring them into the (at the time) modern world. He juxtaposes scenes of death and violence with music of such grace and beauty that the resulting imagery seems almost dream-like; the film’s iconic shot of another priest, condemned to die by the Guaraní, floating serenely down the river and over the Iguazú Falls on a makeshift cross, would be horrific were it not for Morricone’s wonderful music, which instead characterizes the priest’s sacrifice as heavenly martyrdom.

Talking about the themes in such a way also doesn’t explain why this score, amongst all others, is one of the few film themes to achieve a level of enduring popularity amongst the general public. One can never predict when a theme from a movie will enter public consciousness and transcend the film for which it was written, but The Mission certainly has. There is something intangibly appealing, indescribably primal, about Morricone’s writing on this score; it taps into and speaks to some sort of dormant spirituality that people all over the world somehow connect with. I’m not a religious man, but Morricone certainly is, and the film’s universal themes of giving glory and reverence to a higher power clearly inspired him to musically express himself at an unprecedented high level. It is perhaps no surprise that “Gabriel’s Oboe” has been arranged into the classical repertoire for several celebrated soloists, and was given Italian lyrics by writer Chiara Ferraù in 1998 prior to being recorded as ‘Nella Fantasia’ by soprano Sarah Brightman. This level of public awareness and acclaim is something that Morricone shares with just a few other film composers in the history of film music – John Williams, Henry Mancini, and John Barry among them.

Talking about the themes in such a way also doesn’t explain the level of compositional excellence Morricone displays on The Mission. I don’t have the technical knowledge to describe it properly, but you can just feel that this is outstanding music on a pure, intellectual level. The way all three of his main themes are able to play against each other contrapuntally, despite them all being clearly and identifiably different from one another, illustrates the great lengths Morricone took to structure his music in such a way that it can convey complicated, sometimes conflicting, emotional nuances simultaneously. The way Morricone is able to tweak the key, the tempo, or the orchestration of his themes to depict subtle differences in dramatic intent is also consistently superb. I honestly believe that, had this exact same music been written in the 1800s, for either a play or a ballet or simply as a celebration of the glory of God, this music would be part of today’s classical repertoire, acclaimed by even the most devoutly anti-film music snobs.

In what is undoubtedly one of the worst decisions in Academy history, Ennio Morricone lost the 1986 Oscar for Best Score to Herbie Hancock’s Round Midnight, which contained barely 15 minutes of original music, and was instead loaded with classic jazz standards. Although the jazz pieces were admittedly performed by some of the most legendary jazz artists alive in the 1980s, and are very good, Oscar voters clearly voted for the classic non-original work heard in that film rather than for Hancock’s minimal original contributions; as such, Morricone not winning for what is inarguably one of the greatest achievements in the history of film music is one of the biggest Oscar-related miscarriages of justice.

People often talk about ‘essential’ scores, and sometimes we get carried away by recommending things that may not live up to their hype, but The Mission really is something different. It’s perhaps the one, single, perfect example of what makes Ennio Morricone a genius – thematically, intellectually, emotionally, and dramatically – and why, even thirty years down the line, he is still a vital and important voice in world film music. There are other landmark scores in his canon – The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America, and Cinema Paradiso among them – but I honestly believe that The Mission represents the pinnacle of his career as a composer It’s by far the best score of 1986, ranks in the Top 10 scores of the entire 1980s, and easily makes the list of the greatest 100 scores ever written.

Buy the Mission soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• On Earth As It Is In Heaven (3:50)
• Falls (1:55)
• Gabriel’s Oboe (2:14)
• Ave Maria Guaraní (2:51)
• Brothers (1:32)
• Carlotta (1:21)
• Vita Nostra (1:54)
• Climb (1:37)
• Remorse (2:46)
• Penance (4:03)
• The Mission (2:49)
• River (1:59)
• Gabriel’s Oboe (2:40)
• Te Deum Guaraní (0:48)
• Refusal (3:30)
• Asuncíon (1:27)
• Alone (4:25)
• Guaraní (3:56)
• The Sword (2:00)
• Miserere (1:00)

Running Time: 48 minutes 47 seconds

Virgin CDV-2402 (1986)

Music composed and conducted by Ennio Morricone. Performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra featuring Incantation, London Voices and Barnet Schools Choir. Orchestrations by Ennio Morricone. Recorded and mixed by Dick Lewzey. Album produced by Ennio Morricone.