When it arrived on album, it was divided into two orchestral suites with vocals by Ella Dell'Orso, with prominent indications both on the back sleeve and interior jacket that the music had been recorded over the course of two days in May 1988. (NOT 1998, the year the film was released.)

Nobody seems to have a clear idea what was going on here, so I wondered if what we in fact here on Bulworth was written for Sergio Leone's last (unfilmed) treatment - the siege of Leningrad. It is known to film scholars that Morricone had written the score - including extensive adaptation of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony (the Leningrad Symphony) - prior to Leone's death, but it is unknown whether any of it had been recorded.

Given the similarity of Ella Dell'Orso's vocals on Bulworth to her work on Morricone's score for earlier Leone films - esp. Once Upon a Time in America but also Once Upon a Time in the West - I think it's worth wondering whether what we have in Bulworth is all we're likely to get of Morricone's score for the lost Leone project.

Note Beatty's long association with Morricone - Morricone scored his Reds (note the subject matter) - as presenting an opportunity to know of the Maestro's earlier music for Leone. Maybe he had a private copy, used it as temp track in parts, and it was to be released as a result, which would've pleased Morricone, as it's a fine work.

Now I'll play my own Devil's Advocate here.
1. It's unlikely nobody would've heard about this. On the other hand, it's not inconceivable.
2. Bulworth doesn't bring to mind Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, though I haven't heard that work for a long time. The main theme does bring to mind one of Shostakovich's earlier symphonies though... wish I knew which one.
3. It's possible both recording dates listed on the Bulworth CD were misprints. However, Bulworth does sound a lot closer to the era in which Morricone composed The Untouchables and Once Upon a Time in America than the same cycle that produced Lolita, Legend of 1900, U-Turn and others.

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Originally posted by Al:
A fascinating suggestion, but I personally doubt it. The music for the other vocalist other than Dell'Orso in Bulworth has a Soul-like quality which seems to represent the black aspect of the film--of course, none of it is in the film, but I do think it's because that aspect of the score is rather weak and awkward.

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Interesting... but there is the recording date issue - if the music was written in 1988, it was certainly not written for Bulworth.

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Also, some of the suspense music in the second track has a comedic element that wouldn't seem to fit a film about Leningrad.

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True... but then again I wouldn't have imagined Cockeye's Theme as suitable for 1920s New York... or Frank's theme from Once Upon a Time in the West as a western setting sound.

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Other than that, I think the sparse use of his score was quite effective in the film. Morricone's theme doesn't even show up until the third act, and when it does, when Senator Bulworth finally falls asleep, it makes the scene that much more poignant. And the music during the finale is simply sublime. It's not so much an ill-fit as much as it fits where it possibly can, and to my ears, when it is used, it's to terrific effect.

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As for Bulworth not sounding like Lolita, Legend of 1900, or U-Turn, his score for the TV movie Nana which he composed the following year has a couple of performances that I think are strikingly similar to Bulworth. But a lot of Morricone scores sound strikingly similar to each other in composition, whether they are from the 80s or 2000 and on, so there's not much that could be argued on either side.

It's a stretch, I think, but I don't mind entertaining the idea.

You could try contacting RCA Victor. It's been a while, but who knows...