Cinema Compositor of the theme of ‘Mission: Impossible’, Lalo Schifrin dies at 93 years old papyanist, received an honorary Oscar, won the Grammy and worked in several film classics, including Ringo Starrpor film

Lalo Schifrincomposer indicated to Oscar and winner of Grammy Responsible for creating the theme Mission: Impossibledied at the age of 93.

The composer’s son, Ryanconfirmed the news to the Associated Pressadding that Schifrin He died on Thursday, 26, due to complications of pneumonia at his home in Los Angeles.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the son of an orchestra violinist, LaloSchifrin Early began in music, learning piano at the age of six. However, when he joined college, he chose to study law, but his musical roots ended up establishing himself.

“As I continued my studies on law, I also studied music in parallel, just as a hobby. And I had a very good teacher, who is probably the most important South American composer- Juan Carlos Paz. He is known in the avant -garde circles around the world, because he was the one who introduced dodecaphonic music and serial techniques in Argentina, ”he said Schifrin magazine Professional jazz in 1967.

“Suddenly, the France embassy in Buenos Aires offered a scholarship for the Conservatory of Music. I took the exam and won the scholarship. This meant that I abandoned my plans to pursue a legal career and decided to go to Europe.”

In Paris, Schifrin dived into jazz, as many of the big names of the time – Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson – They performed regularly during their stay. Upon returning to Argentina, he was part of the first jazz orchestras in the country, where he caught the attention of a legend of the genre, DEAZY GILLESPIE. Schifrinwhich at the time already composed soundtracks for Argentine films, ended up joining the band Gillespie.

“I got DIEZY For about three years, “he said.” In addition to composing many things for the small group, I reorganized his band of bands for a type of non -saxophone orchestra – just metals, “compositions that formed the LP Gillespian, of Gillespieof 1960, and resulted in the first indication of Schifrin to the Grammy (of Best original jazz composition).

The composer moved to New York and worked alongside Gillespie from 1960 to 1963 (Schifrin and Gillespie would meet again in Free Ridefrom 1977.) However, dissatisfied with the trips involved in a jazz group, signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, moved to Los Angeles and made the soundtrack of his first American movie, Rhino!1964.

Two years later, Schifrin created his most popular work, the theme of the American espionage series Mission: Impossiblethat – the composer often admitted – he wrote in just three minutes, without first seeing any filming of the series or even reading a script. All that Schifrin It was based on the idea of ​​producers for a burn ray in the opening credits, which gave the theme its original title, “Burning Fuse”. (The Morse Code of the initials of the series, M: I, would also form the 5/4 signature of the theme.)

“At that time, television made people take a soda in the kitchen and suddenly in the living room, the TV was starting to play the theme of a new show,” he said Schifrinadding that the “inviting and exciting” theme was like a bait.

Just like the series itself, “Theme from Mission: Impossible“ It was a success, entering the Billboard Hot 100 and yielding the composer a Grammy of Best Instrumental Theme; the music would also be included in the Hall of Fame of Grammy. (Decades later, the TV series would also become a billionaire franchise from Tom Cruise And although it has updated the theme of Schifrinthe composer did not contribute musically to any of the episodes of the reboot.)

Throughout your career, Schifrin He composed soundtracks for over 200 films and television shows, and while some supported their formation in jazz – as their work in the classic Bullitt (1968) from Steve McQueen and its soundtrack indicated to Oscar put Indomitable rebellion (1967)notably your famous “Tar Sequence” – Schifrin I would adapt musically to adapt to the project, as its experimental work in the science fiction movie George Lucas, THX-1138, and its terrifying soundtrack for The Amityville Horror

The composer was also recruited to compose the original soundtrack of The Exorcistbut by delivering a part of your music, the studio and the director William Friedkin They considered the shrill soundtrack very scary even for the movie and rejected it.

“I am looking for unusual sounds, but never as devices. I always like to make them functional and organic parts of music,” he told Jazz Professional. “It may be percussion, bizarre or exotic instruments, or electronic instruments, but I seek that musical quality that can be combined and be organic to the movie, the orchestra and music.”

Other notable soundtracks of Schifrin include Relentless pursuit and its sequence Magnum 44, The man who burned the mafiathe classic of Kung Fu de Bruce Lee,Dragon Operation, Brubakerthe trilogy The Rush Time, Tango of Carlos Saura, Caveman Starring Ringo Starr And much more.

“I’ve used something on the outskirts of jazz myself – not exactly jazz, but some soundtracks focused on jazz, like Bullittthe movie with Steve McQueen. And a little jazz in some other movies, ”he said Schifrin. “But jazz needs nothing to be seen, while film production is made up of many components. There are dramatic, visual and sound elements: they need to be integrated and be part of one thing.”