Beowulf

Two awesome themes composed specifically for him before he was even 15!

I agree, it's no bad thing to emulate another composer's style. In the past, if I've been under a time-crunch I've flat-out stolen from Williams and others for tunes I was working on for our group...always because of the tight deadline, and only for small local performances where we play it once and "put it away." I've also been told in the past of some of my own original works that "your music sounds like John Williams!" My response is always "great!" There's worse people out there to be compared to! (ha) So yes, I agree that emulating his style isn't bad. And I also agree that this is a nice work for high school bands...if I were still teaching high school band then I'd potentially schedule this one on an end-of-the-year concert and also play it at graduation. I think my problem with this sort of thing isn't that he "emulated a style" (although this goes way past emulation). My problem is that he slapped his name on it, got it published, and earns money from it. That, to me, is downright dishonest. If he'd written it as an "homage" to Williams' work then that would be one thing, but this is passed off as his own creation. We can talk about how film composers steal from things all the time - and not that it makes it "OK" that it's the film world, but it's especially not something that you typically find in the world of published concert music. Yes, composers borrow and steal all the time, but they typically borrow and steal little snippets and ideas, not entire pieces of music that have been rewritten (poorly). Steve is a great writer, it just stumps me that he'd release something like this. But eh, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it, just put it out there for discussion. I suppose I was a bit flippant with my remarks, but I can appreciate what you're saying from a professional point of view (especially in the areas of publishing and licensing). I was probably thinking more from an educational perspective and of the exposure of Williams' to musicians who are playing the piece. Then again, judging by when I was a kid and first starting out in Concert Band, Williams' medleys at some point throughout the concert season increasingly became a standard, so direct awareness of JW is more likely than not. And let's face it, I would say that nowadays, most of the general populace has been exposed to the music of JW whether they know it or not. Speaking of which, I'm sure I've heard a dodgy rip-off of the prolouge from 'Hook' in a trailer somewhere - my google-fu has failed me but I distinctly remember hearing it and being quite outraged at the time.

Emulating John Williams' style is no bad thing. And personally, I would love to have played this in High School Concert Band. Who knows, it might even get some youngsters interested in JW by proxy

I like Pearce as an actor. I often wonder why we don't see him in more films.

I was going to say that they should have added it to the Proms schedule this year, but then again, those concert programs are probably planned at least a couple of years in advance. Think I might try and make this concert...

Just tried the software with various cues from Temple of Doom and....wow! Definitely puts an interesting spin on the oft-complained-about frenetic nature of some parts. Next up on the list to try, my own personal favorite, Hook.

Indeed I have and it's always puzzled me as to why he conduted [conducts?] it at such a slow pace. But then again, maybe it's that old chestnut of us having heard the "original" version so many times that we have just gotten used to it. It has most definitely happened so many times to me with Classical music, where the first recording I hear of a piece instantly becomes imprinted on my brain so that any other tempi sounds wrong in my head (two good examples being the first movement "march" from Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, which I heard first as quite fast, and Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, which I first heard as being agonizingly slow - hearing either of these pieces played any other way just sounds wrong to me). Weird.

Uhm.....OK Pointless? Perhaps, yes. Interesting? I guess so - especially here. Did I listen to the whole thing before getting bored? No. Since I'm so fond of and familiar with this track, this is like some big long tease. But I suppose it is interesting in a sort of academic way. It sounds like so many themes used on TV programs (and some movies) to relay the great unknown of infinite space or something (some parts sound to me like equal parts Star Trek: Generations or Sunshine even). The 'Journey to the Island' fanfare definitely sounds strange slowed down to such a degree and reminds me of Vangelis' Blade Runner. It also strikes me as something that would be played at an anti-rave or something.

A sad day for music-lovers all over. RIP Mr. Murphy

I don't see [hear] the connection at all. From now on are we to say musical passages are "Stravinksky-esque" if they merely have flurries of woodwinds playing at high speeds? Tosh I say!

I laughed.

Pretty much this. 'Hook', in my opinion, is JW's Magnum Opus.

I've loved this movie ever since the first time I saw it when I was about 9. It also was the first film that allowed me to start viewing movies as an art-form.

I didn't even notice that the first time I heard it. The guy's got skills to be able to visually edit and mix together elements from the whole soundtrack of a film like he does.

The very first time I think I've ever heard JW'smusic sampled - I can make out a few cues, but the context makes it difficult to isolate them in their original form. Still an interesting video. Check out the guy's other samples, especially 'Alice' from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland", which is sampled to great affect.

Pardon my impertinence, but how can you not own a copy of Hook?? It boggles my mind. I think you are referring to a segment from Prokofiev's 'Romeo And Juliet' (I vaguely remember it being one of the the fight scenes or some other such frantic and energetic moments from the ballet).

Sad news. I was introduced to many classical and soundtrack pieces in my early youth thanks to Kunzel and the CPO. RIP

It's probably been posted a gazillion times before, but I've been enjoying the following a lot recently: John Williams conducting the BP with Concert Suite from 'Hook' The Brass really rip it in this performance.

Here it is youtube'd (with a typical PBS/NPR voice-over guy talking for a bit, but you can still hear the music).

Anyone else from the UK going to go see the film tomorrow?

Meh - at least they're not peddling hipster music or hip-hop garbage. I'm more of the Bjork/Radiohead persuasion when it comes to non-orchestral music.

The guy on the right is clearly giving the equivalent of a Vulcan birdie.

I don't know which hottie you were looking at, the one I assumed he was talking about was always on the left, next to a dude. Nah she is defo on the right. Are you sure you're not being drawn towards some random handsome dude who also plays violin? If so, don't be ashamed about it. Some individuals are attracted to males. Some individuals are attracted to females. Now that everyone is amazed with such simple logic, let's move on.

Actually, he captures perfectly what Star Trek (TOS and associated movies) is about - namely, the relationship between these 3 fellows.

Hatsune Miku takes on the 'Contact Theme' from Close Encounters. Warning: may cause seizures (of the ear).