Marco Polo. Ennio Morricone
Set in the 13th century, the series follows the adventures of Marco Polo (Ken Marshall), who departs with his father Niccolò (Denholm Elliot) and his uncle Matteo (Tony Vogel) to China. His journey through Asia lasts three and a half years and leads him through barren deserts and vast steppes. Marco spends several years in Beijing as a guest of the Great Khan (Ruocheng Ying), earning the trust of and respect from the Emperor. Back in 1299 Genoa, Marco Polo is brought before the court. The knowledge is believed to be heretical, but Brother Damian (Patrick Mower) confirms that the knowledge brought back from the East are not heretical, as sailors and traders have confirmed their star charts. Furthermore, they have brought similar stories, thus exonerating Marco Polo who is released as a free man.
One of the facets of Morricone's vast output is that regardless of whether he is working on a big Hollywood film or a low-budget Italian tv movie he always seems to devote the same effort to producing the perfect score and this is one of his most acclaimed scores. A very beautiful creation in which the composer provides a bucolic melodic setting for the long journey that the protagonist undertakes. For this purpose, he applies ambient and dramatic music that is not limited to the folklore of different places, although he uses some of his instruments. Its radiant main theme and the occasional use of choruses stand out. The main theme included a viola solo which, performed by the great Italian violist Dino Asciolla. Moving on to the score composed by the Italian maestro, the beautiful main theme stands out above all, associated with the character of Marco Polo.