An evening of cinematic nostalgia filled the stage of the Bahrain Cultural Hall as the Italian Embassy celebrated the timeless genius of composer Ennio Morricone with the concert ‘Portrait of Ennio: The Jazz Side of Ennio Morricone’.
It was performed by the acclaimed Patrizio Destriere Quartet, in co-operation with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca), as part of the 35th Bahrain International Music Festival.
Drawing an audience of Bahraini officials, ambassadors, dignitaries and music enthusiasts, the programme featured Morricone’s most celebrated film scores, reimagined through jazz.
Masterpieces from Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in America, The Legend of 1900 and Sacco e Vanzetti resonated through the venue, culminating in a moving encore of Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission.
Italian Ambassador Andrea Catalano expressed his gratitude to Baca president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa for supporting international artistic exchanges.
The envoy highlighted the concert’s landmark status as the festival’s first international partnership, praising music’s unique power to link communities.
“This is the first international event of the festival.” said Mr Catalano. “Music builds bridges between people. Probably more than policy and many other things. Morricone was a musical visionary whose melodies transcended the screen and became part of our collective memory of millions of people, touching audiences across cultures and generations.”
Quartet frontman Mr Destriere praised the powerful connection between the performers and the audience.
“We all felt a great vibe and energy,” he said. “Everybody wanted to give us back what we gave, and we used the energy of the crowd.”
Mr Destriere explained the creative process behind rearranging the legendary scores, adding: “We chose the songs that have a jazz flavour. Every song is a portrait of something. For example, Once Upon a Time in America, felt so good with the spirit of John Coltrane of Love Supreme, this match was a perfect natural fusion”
Adding to the evening’s significance, the event coincided with the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Italy, marking the 800th anniversary of his passing.
The quartet paid a poignant musical tribute to the saint, a historic advocate for peace and dialogue.
The successful concert helped strongly reaffirm the deep-rooted cultural relations between Italy and Bahrain.
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