The legendary film composer has announced that he’ll be retiring at the end of this year, after “one last big concert in London” at the O2 Arena on 26 November.
His final performance will be backed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
“I have very fond memories of my tours to the UK. From my very first concert at the Barbican Centre to my shows at the beautiful Royal Albert Hall and recently the spectacular nights at the o2 Arena and the Blenheim Palace grounds,” he said on his last show. “The English audience has always given me a very warm welcome and I felt strongly that I should play one last big concert in London before I retire at the end of this year.”
His retirement will come after a six-decade career that saw Morricone prolifically create soundtracks for over 500 films. The Italian composer has won numerous awards over the stretch of his decade-spanning output, such as the Golden Globe award for Best Original Score in the years 1987, 2000 and 2016. Having firmly made a mark on cinema history, notable highlights from his ouevre include the scores for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, The Hateful Eight, Once Upon a Time in the West, A Fistful of Dollars and The Untouchables.
Tickets for his final performance go on sale on 23 March from 10am (GMT).