Leaderboard

I say this not to try and kiss ass, but in trying to speak from a place of sincerity: it really is so damn cool that a place like this forum exists. I used to get excited about upcoming scores from Johnny in isolation, and to now be able to be a part of a community filled with people who all feel the same way is an absolutely fantastic feeling. Wish I had stumbled upon this place sooner.

I'm hearing a lot of The BFG in these samples. It sure sounds like Williams self-plagiarized that score. Anyone else with me on that?

Here's some B-roll from the movie. The last 2 minutes are John conducting the score.

Why didn't you tell us? I sense a conspiracy!

I can't even...

That's what I meant when I wrote before that Williams' music doesn't sound like film music anymore, but it's more akin to the classical repertoire he's so fond of (including the music of the Hollywood Golden Age greats). I'm sorry if my comment sounded like a despise of all current film music, that's not what I meant. Of course there's good, even great film music written nowadays by other composers and I'm confident there will be in the future. However, Williams is really the last of the breed who mastered the art of symphonic writing applied to film and in this sense I think we can agree he has no equals right now. But I don't want necessarily to put him on a pedestal to worship him and saying everything he touches morphs into pure gold. I happen to like almost everything he does, but, hey, it's just me. I think it's healthy to have opinionated people here, including those who thinks Williams' current output isn't good or at the same level of other things he did and maybe find excitement or satisfaction in other kinds of film music. I'll wait to listen to the full album before proclaiming any kind of judgement, but these 30 seconds morsels surely sound exciting to my ears exactly because it's another example of that artistry I said before, i.e. the perfection of musical accompaniment based on symphonic models.

We need a better poster to respond to this, but unfortunately, they are all dead.

My best John Williams experience in recent years was to go to a midnight showing of The Force Awakens without hearing any of the score before (well, except for that one promo with Jedi Steps theme). It was the first time that I've done that with a John Williams score. And it made the experience of watching the enjoyable film even more special. Highly recommend it. I wasn't worried about the things missing, microedits. I was just just experiencing it. That is why I'm staying away from The BFG samples. The film is coming out two weeks after the soundtrack release over here so I won't be able to do the same thing. But I can at least experience the OST with "fresh ears". Karol

Why is it that the smartest person on this forum is 17 years old?

Anyone else hear a little "Beauty and the Beast" in "Sophie and the BFG?" Lovely orchestration all around though, my favourite Williams material (and indeed the stuff that got me into film music) was his whimsical stuff from Hook, Home Alone and Harry Potter; so even from these previews this sounds fantastic.

To me, what's so striking about these samples, is precisely their freshness: Already, there are textures, colors and combinations we haven't quite heard before, and there's a concert musical playfulness to them that suggests Williams really had fun with this score. It sounds vibrant, vitalized, and full of virtuosic vigor!

Man, the Overture makes me feel just like a kid again! I've said before that the "kiddish" style is my weak point with Williams, but the main theme in this one really resonates with me for some reason. I can't help but feel like I'm floating through some fantastical forest filled with flickering fireflies and chirping birds and insects, before lifting up above the treetops and into the clouds...and I mean that in the best possible, least clichéd way. Those flutes at 0:15 - that's such a Williams thing to do! A prime display of his extraordinary confidence in the music he writes. I keep grinning at that bit. Ah, can't wait to dig into the full score - I have a really good feeling about this one! Oh, and I can't wait to play the full version "Frolic" to my Dad...he absolutely LOVES this kind of stuff.

Full list of winners http://www.saturnawards.org/

Me neither! Great story, why its been kept secret...

I've never heard that anecdote before!

When the main theme starts at 7:28, it was a very calming and peaceful moment. Beautiful. The LLL release in 15-20 years should put you in good spirits.

You don't remember the story? After Spielberg screened Schindler's List for Williams for the first time, Williams was so overwhelmed he had to go walk outside for a few minutes, which is what I was referring to. Then, of course, he came back, and told Spielberg that he thought the director needed a better composer for the film. And Spielberg replied with the famous (well, famous in film score circles) line: "I know, but they're all dead."

The bereavement has already begun!

it's that very last clip at around 7.20 that gave me goosebumps.Sounds like a genuine great Williams moment and caught my attention more than anything in the samples *prays it's not an unreleased cue*

Johnny's smile around 5:50 is great. Sheet music visible, just says End Credits though.

That's a great analogy. It's an extraordinary cue, my favorite based on the samples (that may change when we hear full cues). To me the "soaring" part of it sounds like a bird or some other creature is flying high above the ground and gracefully swaying back and forth. When I first heard "Overture" in the Cannes video (obviously not knowing it was the overture) I figured it must be for some sort of flying scene. After listening to the sample I actually had to stand up and walk around because I was so overwhelmed by the cue (kinda like Williams after watching Schindler's List, but the emotion for me was joy as opposed to sadness).

Overture "theme" - Tchaikovsky Ballet through and through, love it. Frolic - Offenbach haha, I keep wanting it to go into the Can-Can Sophie and the BFG Trumpet ending of sample - Prokofiev, those weird harmonic changes are very Cinderella There's quite a nice slab of Walton, Korngold and Vaughan-Williams too. Fabulous woodwind writing throughout and hopefully the whole album will be fabulous. LOVE To Giant Country!!! I love how he can draw from so many composers to imbue his film work yet not actually copy. If only we all had that talent!

A couple of nice pics o f JW and Spielberg on the red carpet of the movie premiere held yesterday in LA:

Been stuck in my head for several hours. That fugal writing!!

Some pretty excellent dust collectors, those.

This site plays the same samples automatically: http://www.musicline.de/de/player_flash/0050087329181/0/0/50/product

I'm almost 100% sure that the book series will never be finished, sadly. It's literally impossible to finish all the storylines that Martin has started in just two more books.

I don't normally give star ratings to films, or any ratings for that matter. But if I was to assess the ID films in this manner, it'd be: Independence Day - **** Independence Day: Resurgence - *½

No, he should exclusively score fantasy films and Star Wars I believe the biggest waste of Williams scores are historical dramas.Most of them are dust collectors

Bess, you don't really need LC, but you need the DCC Raiders, as it has the full version of "Desert Chase". Of course, you also need the Concord box!

Williams is looking and sounding great these days compared to a couple years ago, when I was pretty concerned. Age regression? I wish he'd do more than just the occasional boring mediocre Spielberg film or Star Wars. He's all we've got left.

Return to Oz by David Shire: This is a score that has grown on me gradually. While at first I was impressed by the original album and the lovely melancholy Dorothy theme, listening to the Intrada release really opened up the whole score and its multiple themes and storytelling for me. There is so much colour and movement and nuance here and this music really has its own sound even among the myriad other fantastic fantasy scores of the 1980's thanks to Shire's own indelible voice. The composer slowly starts with the Copland-esque Americana giving Kansas its clear stamp of time and place but also solidity that is enhanced by Dorothy's own music. But as the action moves to Oz the music is permeated by an increasingly off-kilter and eclectic moods that in Shire's explanation are perhaps a reflection of Dorothy's memories of music which she has heard in real life filtered to her imagination, part of which Oz just might be. This includes strange mandolins trickling beneath Mombi's comings and goings, a lopsided rag time march haunting the ruined Emerald City reminding of happer times, the gentle brass band music for the robot Tik Tok and nostalgic and tender orchestral music for Jack Pumpkinhead and percussive clink of villainous rollerskaters chasing the heroine whose bittersweet music which by the end is finally conjoined with the romantic strains of the princess Ozma's music. It's top notch stuff all and so intelligently conceived but never at the expense of emotional heart, which this music has aplenty. It is a rich tapestry of colorful music and well worth investigating to all and the Intrada 2 disc set presents the actual film score on disc 1 (and part of the opening of disc 2) with all kinds of instrumental overlays (percussion especially) while the second disc contains alternate cues and most significantly the original and terrific soundtrack album, that provides a tighter 50 minute musical programme and includes many different takes of various cues which makes it an essential addition to the set. One of Shire's best and one of those classic fantasy scores of the 1980's.

I'll never understand it.

They could make a movie where we learn why he has become evil.

Williams looks in top shape compared to last year also, I don't know if it's been mentioned but what's the total time of the c.d.?

I've been thinking about the republic idea myself. It does seem off topic for a "fantasy" novel, but it certainly would be a logical conclusion to many of the storylines. As for the characters, I'm still very fond of Arya (and I don't think her Many-Faced God storyline has been handled poorly; she's been trained as an assassin and figured out that personal revenge is different from being a hired assassin). And I believe pretty much all of Tyrion's flaws are personal in nature and can be forgiven - even more so considering his family background.

Indefuckingpendance Day

First time listening to Brainstorm woah

We've had some Williams tribute shows in the past, but this one feel more important. It's like an Academy Awards show where there's only one winner I think it's more important than a 6th Oscar

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/23/secret-life-of-pets-theme-song-alexandre-desplat The main theme has been released. Sounds pretty good!

Done. I had tears in my eyes watching it from the begining to the end. Thanks to friendships based on the passion of culture and the sharing of the knowledge.

Shit I was afraid to write that... I got the same impression.

After hearing these samples, I'm convinced the BFG stands for the Beard Faced God.

SAMPLES ONLINE: https://www.weltbild.at/artikel/musik/the-bfg-big-friendly-giant_21774301-1#information Click 'Titelliste'. Enjoy..! ADMIN NOTE: Discuss the samples HERE