Legend Of 1900 Soundtrack CD

Original score composed by Ennio Morricone.
Producers: Ennio Morricone, Patrick Leonard.
Recorded at Music Village, Rome, Italy in July 1998.
Personnel: Roger Waters (vocals); Eddie Van Halen (guitar); Fausto Anzelmo (viola); Gianni Oddi (soprano saxophone); Cicci Santucci (trumpet); Gilda Buttŕ, Amadeo Tommasi (piano).
Recording information: Music Village, Rome, Italy (07/1998).
Unknown Contributor Roles: Accademia Musicale Italiana; Alexander Ragtime Band.
Arranger: Ennio Morricone.
The Legend of 1900 marks the first collaboration between director Giuseppe Tornatore and legendary film composer Ennio Morricone since 1989's critically adored Cinema Paradiso, and the results are worth the wait. The film concerns a virtuoso pianist, so the opportunities for stunning musical performances are plentiful; Morricone's score is embellished by pieces from ragtime legends Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton, as well as an original rock ballad with lyrics written and sung by Roger Waters and guitar work from Eddie Van Halen. ~ Steve Huey
THE LEGEND OF 1900 is a fable of sorts--it's about a piano-player born on a cruise-ship (at the tail-end of the 19th century) who has never set foot on land in his life. He becomes a popular attraction, and the film explores his "rootless" lifestyle. For this film, modern-day legendary composer Ennio Morricone (IN THE LINE OF FIRE, THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY) fashions a wistful set of original music that conjures the time--and the ambivalence of the character--beautifully.
The score is rich with opulent strings that recall the "light classical" styles (Tchaikovsky, Strauss) that might be played as social background music, with a few servings of the new music--ragtime, jazz--to come. Interspersed throughout are solo piano pieces that are sometimes jaunty and exuberant, and at other times are stark, pensive, and elegaic. Closing the album is the farewell-ballad "Lost Boys Calling," written and performed by ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters, with a restrained guitar solo by Edward Van Halen.

Score By:Ennio Morricone;Roger Waters & Eddie Van Halen