Le Professionnel / Le Marginal (2CD) (Ennio Morricone)

A 2-CD set. Newly remastered edition.
8-page CD booklet with French and English liner notes by Nicolas Magenham.
Limited Edition of 500 units.


In collaboration with EMI Music Publishing France, Music Box Records proudly presents a 2-CD edition of two complete scores which highlight the collaboration between composer Ennio Morricone and French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo: Le Professionnel (The Professional, 1981) and Le Marginal (The Outsider, 1983).

Le Professionnel is one of the Maestro's best known scores and themes that attained fame all over the world even though very little of the composer's music actually written for the film survived in the final cut. Instead of using the cues Morricone actually penned, director Georges Lautner and more importantly star Jean-Paul Belmondo decided to use a recording of "Chi Mai" a very famous Morricone composition that has been used and recorded in a number of different projects. The first appearance of this famous melody was in Jerzy Kawalerowicz's Maddalena (1971). As per usual, Morricone recorded longer, album only variations of his two primary motives: "Le vent, le cri" and his so called "Bach" motive whose album version was named "Le retour". The variations made for the film were featured on CDs as well, but due to the random nature of the naming and the random placement of the cues in the film, there's a whole lot of music you never get to hear within the movie.

Le Marginal, directed by Jacques Deray, tells the story of Commissioner Jordan (Belmondo) who arrives in Marseille to combat drug trafficking activities in his own unique way. After scuffles with local mafia godfather Mecacci's men, as well as with his own superiors, he is transferred to Paris. Soon at loggerheads with various criminal elements, he turns to a resumption of the pursuit of drug kingpin Sauveur Mecacci (Henry Silva). The composer, in an unusual move, used a rock theme which would resurface in Copkiller that same year of 1983, and in Frantic in 1988. This urban score features numerous variations both similar and far off, from the most melodic (a catchy theme on oboe, which is both simple and elegant) to the harshest (tensed and percussive pieces).

Supervised by Claudio Fuiano, this present edition has been fully remastered from complete scoring session elements and recreates the original LP programs for both scores with bonus tracks. The package includes an 8-page booklet featuring liner notes by writer Nicolas Magenham.


- MBR