Mission: Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin dies at 93

Lalo Schifrin's sudden passing left many audiences in mourning, as he composed more than 100 film and television soundtracks, many of which are classics of a generation.

Lalo Schifrin ends a decades-long career with nearly 100 film and television soundtracks, aged 93 - Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha

According to The Guardian, on June 27, legendary Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin passed away at the age of 93 due to complications from pneumonia. The information was confirmed by his two sons, William and Ryan.

The man behind the theme song for the Mission: Impossible series

Lalo Schifrin has won four Grammy Awards and has been nominated six times for the Oscars, including five nominations for Best Original Score for his works: Cool Hand Luke , The Fox , Voyage of the Damned , The Amityville Horror and The Sting II .

In addition to his film music career, Lalo Schifrin is also known as a jazz pianist and classical conductor. He has collaborated with legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan.

Lalo Schifrin was awarded the 2012 Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to film music - Photo: BMI

In 1990, he wrote the music for the closing ceremony of the World Cup in Italy, where the three great tenors Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras performed together for the first time. The performance quickly became one of the best-selling classical music products of all time.

However, the biggest mark that Lalo Schifrin left was the opening music of the TV series Mission: Impossible (1966 - 1973) with a unique 5/4 rhythm, and was later renewed in all the movies starring Tom Cruise.

The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 at number 41 and was praised by New Yorker critic Anthony Lane as "the most infectious melody the human ear has ever heard."

Lalo Schifrin's arrangement of the Mission: Impossible theme music

Recalling the time of composition, Lalo Schifrin shared: “The producer asked me to write a dramatic piece of music, as an opening symbol. At that time, I had absolutely no image to rely on. Maybe that's why it was successful because I wrote it from the depths of myself."

Mission: Impossible won Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Score and Best Original Score. In 2017, the score was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

A lifetime dedicated to music

Born in Buenos Aires to a Jewish family with the birth name Boris Claudio Schifrin, he was the son of the principal conductor of the city's symphony orchestra, and was formally trained in classical music while studying law.

Lalo Schifrin was not limited by any genre: he won a Grammy for Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts in 1965, and was also nominated for the soundtrack to the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. the same year.

In 2017, he was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a year later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented him with an honorary Oscar for his lifetime contributions.

Lalo Schifrin was honored with an honorary Oscar at the 2018 Governors Awards, held on November 18, 2018 in Hollywood, California, USA - Photo: REUTERS

In addition to Mission: Impossible , Lalo Schifrin also left his mark on many other famous film soundtracks such as Tango, the Rush Hour series, Bringing Down the House and Dirty Harry.

Lalo Schifrin is not only a composer but also a talented conductor. He has conducted many famous symphony orchestras in the world such as: London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Israel Symphony, Mexico Symphony, Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony. From 1989 to 1995, he held the position of music director of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra in Southern California.

Lalo Schifrin is survived by his wife Donna, daughter Frances and two sons, William and Ryan. A life devoted to music, ended with his own meaningful words: "Mission accomplished".

REVELATION

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lalo-schifrin-nha-soan-nhac-phim-mission-impossible-qua-doi-o-tuoi-93-20250627133911988.htm