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Morricone's ensemble for The Correspondence is limited, the orchestra consisting of a string section while piano, synthesizer, and electric guitar are the notable accents. The guitar is sometimes doubled in the mix, one of the two presented as a bass. That instrument's contemporary employment is not only fairly unique in this work for Morricone, but it also yields hints of vintage Hans Zimmer techniques in a few of its performances. The synthetics nicely balance out the organic side and offer an almost choral atmosphere at times, but rarely do they shine. For listeners seeking more traditional stylings from the composer, the piano is featured prominently (and by itself for singular melodies in "Una storia nella storia" and "Invenzione breve") while solo string colors are sometimes emphasized alongside the piano and guitar. These players are well mixed, the spread of the soundscape allowing each sonic color its moment in the spotlight. The general demeanor of the score is very restrained, rarely succumbing to the urge to over-dramatize the story at any moment. Some listeners will find the approach tedious or boring when Morricone declines to state a melody with any appeal. The other side of the film's plot, that of the stunt work for the lead female character, is addressed in the music's only action cue with dissonant leanings in "Stuntgirl." The composer tended to write endlessly repeating themes in long cues at the time, including here, and some of his constructs are limited to the focus of only a single cue in this entry. There's no discernable narrative whatsoever in this music, and it's thus difficult to attribute the themes to any character, even if guitar is clearly meant for the lead woman. The score rotates between the contemporary style, solo instrumental stewing, and light drama, and the various components of the recording don't often really come together well. The best cue is the long "Una luce spenta" and does just that, however, throwing everything in the ensemble at the main theme. That identity is an ascending, vaguely hopeful but subdued one that is not always clearly referenced, which is a major detriment. Some of the statements are barely recognizable, and the composer doesn't really announce it clearly until halfway through the score, perhaps as means of matching the growing maturity of the woman.

The main theme for The Correspondence vaguely guides the opening piano meandering in "La casa sul lago" but becomes stylish on guitar at the outset of "Improvvisazione in sol." The latter cue has a heavy Zimmer vibe with the synths as well, making it among the coolest modern compositions of Morricone's later career. Slowed significantly with quietly overwrought drama on strings in "Due camere in hotel," the theme is solitary on synthesizer and piano in "La corrispondenza," again provided slower ambience from guitar in "Il ritorno di una stella" before a warmer passage. It's barely explored on worried strings in "L'infinito spazio" and opens "Una luce spenta" on strings before developing nicely throughout the long highlight cue. Later provided solo string treatment of a variation in "Calco," the main theme is lonely on cyclical synthesizer in "Il cane simpatico" until a piano tries to liven it up. Finally, the variations on the theme by electric guitar in "Disperata chitarra" are too disparate to obviously connect with the other performances of the melody. There are singular melodic ideas spread throughout the rest of the score, but one set of them does consolidate into a secondary recurring theme. Sometimes fashioned as a descending representation of despair, this idea is heard at 0:36 into "La casa sul lago" on piano and stews endlessly thereafter without any major reminder. After lending some fragments to the action portion of "Stuntgirl," this theme joins the other on yearning, elegant piano in the first minute of "Una luce spenta," in which it functions as an interlude to the main theme on guitar in second and fifth minutes of the cue. The idea mingles late with the very long singular development in "Una stella, miliardi di stelle," becomes slight on piano in "Parabola astratta," and is elongated on solo string and synth with eerie tones in "Veloce corsa." Don't expect to recall the progressions of either of these themes in The Correspondence, because the score is more about ambient stylings than memorability. The overall album experience of 65 minutes is pleasantly easy but rather sparse. Collectors will want to seek the painfully pretty "Una luce spenta" for its superb summary of both themes and performances by all the main players, and some will want to add the contemporary growls of the guitar in "Improvvisazione in sol." Aside from that, however, this work represents a rather understated way for Morricone to end his film scoring career.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Ennio Morricone reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.31 (in 16 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.3 (in 10,813 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 65:14