Morricone's Masterful Emotions in The Ecstasy of Gold

Ennio Morricone's body of work as a composer is among the most impressive in all of cinematic history. He made a ballyhooed return in The Hateful Eight, but his title score for The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly will always be his most well-known work. The main theme to the film is, arguably, the second-best musical piece in the spaghetti western epic.

The Ecstasy of Gold is a strangely emotional musical work. Hints at "the anxiety of hope" (for lack of a better description) are found in the opening of the music. The tempo picks up to a faster pace that highlights the adventurous aspects of the film, and then the tempo slows. Confusion sets in and the sounds reflect finding gold, its fortunes, and its treasures is far harder than anticipated.

The Ecstasy of Gold is a fantastic, sweeping piece. Metallica was suitably impressed as they covered it. Here is the original version.