Ennio Morricone announces his last ever UK concert at London's O2 Arena

Legendary film composer Ennio Morricone has announced he will conduct his music for the final time in the UK, at a show at the O2 Arena in London on 26 November 2018.

Morricone has enjoyed a career spanning six decades and has scored the soundtracks for more than 500 films and TV shows.

Notable works include the scores for Once Upon a Time in the West, A Fistful of Dollars, The Untouchables, and arguably his best-known work, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

More recently Morricone received universal acclaim for his work on Quentin Tarantino’s film The Hateful Eight, earning a long-awaited Academy Award for Best Original Score, along with his sixth Bafta and third Golden Globe Award.

The performance in London is part of an extended tour to celebrate his 60-year Anniversary as a professional composer and conductor, which has included more than 40 concerts played in 30 European cities over the last few years.

The concert in London will be performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.

Morricone said of the final show in London: “I have very fond memories of my tours to the UK. From my very first concert at the Barbican Centre to my shows at the beautiful Royal Albert Hall and recently the spectacular nights at the o2 Arena and the Blenheim Palace grounds.

“The English audience has always given me a very warm welcome and I felt strongly that I should play one last big concert in London before I retire at the end of this year.”

Speaking to The Independent in an exclusive interview in 2016, the maestro said: “I really like conducting my music in concerts, because I’m convinced it’s not just for films, it has its own life.

“It can live far away from the images of the movie. Some movies work really well with music from Bach or Mahler that existed long before the film, so music has its own autonomy.”

Tickets to see Ennio Morricone at the O2 Arena go on sale on Friday 23 March.