Marcus

Well, the two harps at opposite ends could perhaps indicate some very specific "stereo" writing... Might be fun!

Just to be a nerd about it: The opening C7#11/E celeste figure, and especially how it then ascends to B natural, as well as the underlying #9-9 trill, and the passing G minor tonality before the (a bit less typical, but still) massive glissando, sound very much like something Williams could have written... Also, the fact that the celeste then goes on to play the fanfare part of Rey's theme as counterpoint to the first statement of the Force theme, seems more involved and creative than what I'd expect from a music house.

Nothing in that fan trailer sounds like Williams, though. Like the rest of you, I have no way of saying with 100% certainty that this was written by Williams. But based on technical aspects of the writing, and my own "Williams- radar" (which, for what it's worth, was right about the music in all the EPVII trailers), I would be surprised (and impressed!) to learn that it was written by somebody else entirely (except for the obvious music house additions).

Pretty sure at least most of this is Williams, with some obvious trailer music post-production tampering. Love how the celesta's playing Rey's fanfare in counterpoint to the first statement of the Force theme (quite clever...and subtle! ). Also, the brass flourishes of the second half sound more involved than what you'd normally get from trailer music factories....

My guess is, it's EpVIII related. 12 timpani seems so over the top, it's most likely for some sort of set piece that will feature them very prominently. This sounds like the kind of orchestrational fun Williams likes to have on occasion, almost like an hommáge to the days of Herrmann-esque or North-ian excess. I can't really think of anyone else working in Hollywood who would have the chops to pull off something so outrageous.

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it!

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it! I'm just in awe of Henning's beautiful tone and expressive playing... He brings such depth and vulnerability to everything he plays; there's a human aspect to it that I just find very moving. And his cantabile playing is simply sublime. Easily one of my favorite musicians working today!

Thank you, Thor! The myth I was assigned ended up strangely mirroring aspects of my own life, and as I became aware of this, the more "illustrative" aspects of the work seemed to fade, and a new, deeper kinship with the work took root. It's a typical case of Life imitating Art, but a rather rare example (in my catalog, at least) of affect and effect being one and the same. I don't usually write for consciously therapeutic, recreational or cathartic purposes, but in this particular case, I felt I was able to express something that might have otherwise remained inarticulate and unuttered.

Greetings everyone! I just thought I'd share with you a video from a very recent premiere of "Love's Last Rites", a piece written for violinist Henning Kraggerud and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. The piece was written to form part of an all new and newly commissioned program themed around Norse mythology, though my piece wasn't written to specifically address that. Rather, it became a deeply personal piece for me, and I'm incredibly grateful to be the recipient of what really is a rather spectacular first performance. Hope you'll enjoy!

That seems correct!

I was referring to the short section in the video where they play together (after the overdubbed music); just a few cadences, and it seems like lighthearted fun, unrelated to any known cues from the score. "The Rooftops of Hanamachi" is solo cello, if memory serves, and as such, is performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

There's nothing on album that leaps to mind. The little bit of playing they do together seen in the documentary, is simply a series of cadences, and sounds improvised. Perhaps they were simply present on the same day, and being friends, decided to have a bit of fun? Or perhaps there's unused material that features both soloists, or even a separate recording of (an early version?) one of the movements that ended up as part of the suite for cello & orchestra... I think I've seen most of the sheet music from the sessions, if not all, and don't really recall any cues featuring both, but I could well be wrong.

That sounds like ensemble playing. The tracks that feature Yo-Yo Ma, feature him prominently.

All solo cello; it's just unusual to hear such altissimo A string writing in a film score, so by default, and because Perlman was involved, we assume the really high solo string scoring is violin. Had Williams intended for the end credits to feature both soloists, he would have written duo passages for them as well (which he actually did in his "Memoirs" suite for cello & orchestra).

My guess is, that's not Perlman. In other words, Perlman only plays on two tracks (end credits is all Yo-Yo Ma).

I don't have the album available at present, but as far as I recall, Perlman only plays on the "Chairman's Waltz", and its affiliated track(s?) . Don't think there's any solo violin work elsewhere on the album...

I think It's actually a pretty great performance, just slightly marred by rather unspectacular acoustics. I, too, might prefer the flow of the original recording, as well as the air of solemn severity it had . But there's a freshness to the 'brillante' section in this new recording that to my mind seems to sparkle quite wonderfully!

Yes. There's that too.

As much as I respect Zimmer for what Zimmer does, the comparison between him and Williams is akin to comparing Paul McCartney to Mozart. Put very simply, Williams represents an entirely different culture.

Well, it's less jarringly awkward than the Rogue One score in terms of its writing, but it still ends up being entirely pastiche, lacking the elegance and panache of Williams. If pastiche is the route to be taken, the only way to do it right, is to recruit a better composer for the job. In terms of having the required skills, it would probably be more realistic to look to contemporary concert music, and find a composer with a strong sense of melody and deep understanding of music and drama. What I would wish for Star Wars, being such a musically driven film series, is that a strong sense of musical focus be retained: It certainly needn't be pastiche (perhaps it ought not to be), but it should be music that can stand firmly on its own, music with an identity and a sense of weight and consequence.

I almost never do this, but after having heard a few tracks off "Rogue One" 's soundtrack, I really need to vent: This isn't just bad. It's ugly. And I think the reason is sadly obvious: Giacchino's attempt at pastiche in such an iconic musical universe can only showcase his own shortcomings. It would have been an ungrateful task even for much better equipped writers, but as it stands, it simply sounds like a fan score. There's no point in dwelling on the awkwardly constructed themes, the inelegant emulation, the artlessness of it all... Giacchino was hired to write an apology, not a film score, and it shows. I feel very, very bad for him. Not for him not being a composer of Williams' caliber (few ever were), but rather for him being asked to put it so blatantly on display .

Perhaps somewhat strangely, this isn't how it works. I've often pondered about this in my own work, as well as in the work of my colleagues, and the time invested and the quality of the piece in question simply do not correlate. Some of the greatest works of all time were written very quickly, while lesser works by the same composers were the fruits of years of laborious effort. True, there are certain pieces that simply require more time to manifest themselves in terms of ink and pages, due to the amount and complexity of information. But by and large, the only correlation between time spent writing and the quality of writing, is on a more global scale of the individual writer's experience in terms of craftsmanship. Obviously, having lots of time to invest in a work is always a luxury, as it does allow you to take a step back from time to time and look at things from a bird's eye perspective, and theoretically, it offers the chance to spend more hours exploring your material. What tends to happen when we write under pressure (assuming we're experienced enough to be able to do so), is that craft takes over; choices we'd otherwise mull over and endlessly scrutinize, are made almost instinctively. What we tend to reveal, is the basics of our aesthetic practice, our private clichés, if you like. But surprisingly often, sheer panic opens the gate to a kind of "core energy" that may lead us to make daring and inspired choices, despite the circumstances (other composers will know what I'm talking about). My point is that the quality of your writing is primarily contingent on your talent and technique, no matter what schedule you're on.

John Corigliano.

Speaking as a professional composer with a fairly busy career, I'd like to offer the following words of encouragement: I've taken on projects with little or no funding simply out of sympathy or interest. Even when it has clashed with my main schedule. The truth is, if someone truly feels my music is the ideal voice for a project, and if the project arouses my curiosity and enthusiasm, and the work required seems fun and not too time consuming, well, it's tempting to say yes. Writing music is a way of life, and not just a way to make a living. Its purpose is to share and be shared. If you're able to get through to John Williams, I think there's a very real chance he'd actually consider it. A few ways to make the project more attractive to him might be to make sure -the musical requirements are kept minimal in terms of durata (max 3 minutes) -there's no deadline -it could be scored for small forces (solo or chamber); ideally, try to get a prominent younger Mexican musician (or ensemble) involved -if there's any profit, give it to some kind of charity, preferably musical At this stage in his career, Williams seems to mostly focus on concert pieces, often for friends, and other work based on long-standing loyal relations (Spielberg, Star Wars, Tanglewood, various orchestras). He has stated numerous times that he writes every day, even when he's "off schedule", and your best bet would be to reach him, and have him think "well, I suppose this could be my challenge for an afternoon or two". Best of luck! Marcus

@Blumenkohl: Often, yes. It depends. With orchestra musicians, the socializing you get in conjunction with a premiere or a performance is typically a bit more formal. I like to stay for the after parties, though, and hang out with the players. Then again, most of my friends are musicians. I just happen to write semi regularly for quite a few of them.