Ennio Morricone’s musical scores have added suspense and drama to dozens of American and Italian films, including his soundtracks to the "Spaghetti Westerns" of the '60s. For this collaboration, Morricone not only re-orchestrated his own music, but also conducted and produced it. This album opens with the timeless melody of “Gabriel’s Oboe” from The Mission, this time heard in the rich, full voice of Ma’s cello. The “Ecstasy of Gold” theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly evokes the vast desert horizons of the classic western atmosphere. Throughout, Yo-Yo Ma’s knack for precise, romantic playing is front and center.