The Italian composer explains that culture was the inspiration for this work, in which he sought to include "the historical facts that define national identity, such as the War of Independence and the Mexican Revolution." The work, which is expected to be released on an album soon, was conceived two years ago when he visited Mexico for the first time. The welcome he received was so warm that it had a great impact on him, as did the distinction of being awarded the keys to the city of Guadalajara. Morricone presented his concert, Música per il Cinema, in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, and was accompanied by the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, the Coro de Mexico and the soprano, Susanna Rugacci. Born in Rome in 1928, Ennio Morricone is one of the greatest film composers of all time. His almost 500 films include contemporary cultural classics such as A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Sacco & Vanzetti, Salo, 1900, Pedro Páramo, Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, The Untouchables, Frantic, Bugsy, Cinema Paradiso and Inglourious Basterds. Morricone, who wrote Ode to Mexico for symphony orchestra, choir and soloists, was awarded the Polar Music Prize, sometimes known as the Nobel Prize for Music, at an impressive ceremony in Stockholm on 30 August. Morricone accepted the award from the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, and the judging panel's statement read: "He built up a brand new kind of music that set the tone for half a century of film music, but also influenced and inspired a number of musicians in the spheres of pop, rock and classical music." The Polar Music Prize, founded in 1989 by Stig Andersson (the manager of the group, Abba), has been awarded to such all-time musical greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Miriam Makeba, Keith Jarrett, José Antonio Abreu, Peter Gabriel and Gilberto Gil.
