artguy360

Tonight partner and I saw Joe Hisaishi live in concert with the Seattle Symphony! It was incredible! The first half was programmed with his minimalist contemporary concert music including music written during the pandemic, reflecting on the pandemic. Very cool stuff, very dramatic, lots of layered repeating figures, and some really fun, bouncy stuff. The second half was the revised Princess Mononoke suite which featured soprano voice in two pieces and had no breaks between movements. It was like a fast forward playthrough of the score. Lastly, there were 2 encores: Spirited Away theme on solo piano performed by Joe Hisaishi himself and Howl's Moving Castle theme with him on piano again! Seeing Joe Hisaishi play solo piano live rivals seeing JW conduct the Imperial March live. A great concert!

If not March of the Resistance, then Quidditch Year Three.

The latter half around the 2 minute mark sounds a lot like Book Thief. In general this track is reminiscent of JW's drama film scoring style, stuff like Seven Years in Tibet, Book Thief, Angela's Ashes, etc. The main melody is knocking at the door of the Seven Years in Tibet theme.

TROS soundtrack album is missing music like this that flows and tells a story. I think including more of these musical moments and stuff like all the redeemed Ben renditions would dramatically improve the album.

So many of the instances I can think of and the examples in this thread occur when JW is closely following a temp track.

There are definitely individual cues that are un-Williams-like in general sound. A couple of the source-music-like cues from Memoirs of a Geisha come to mind.

I don't like this idea at all.

I would love JW going in either direction. As long as it is distinct and not simply derivative of his previous action music. I'll take anything from JW since I never expected him to still be so active at his current age. Something lean with a period touch would be cool.

The idea of JW writing a short, punchy, action driven score with a bit of an edge to it is very exciting to me. However, in his late era, little of JW's action music has been very distinct. I fear we would get more copy and pasting of his past action music with a few changes thrown in.

I'm glad to see the correct options are winning the poll. TLJ is JW's last cohesive blockbuster score.

Really enjoyed the newest episode. Jane Eyre, in particular, is a special JW score.

I hope JW gets to write this score. Something almost Mission Impossible like with lots of action music could be awesome unless JW takes a Indy 5 route where it's all a little derivative of his past action music without many new distinctive elements.

When will we get to hear this?! Sounds lovely.

I think JW did what he so often does when working off a temp track. He makes his music much more emotionally or narratively direct and gives the individual musical components a more interesting phrasing. Similar to The Immolation Scene from ROTS and the piece it is based on. JW heightens the emotions and speaks a little more directly.

I wish more people would watch this movie and post about the score in this thread! I feel like this score is truly unique among Joe Hisaishi's work for Studio Ghibli in that it has some elements characteristic of his past work, while also being pervasively contemplative, somber, restrained, ans striking in style while also being almost entirely devoid of the child-like, lyrical warmth of his past Ghibli works.

Holt's main theme is used to score the scene where Obi Wan and young Leia hold hands while on that desert transport. At least that's what she said herself in an interview about the score.

I just watched the movie subbed in earlier today. When I first listened to the soundtrack weeks ago, I didn't quite know what to make of it. The sparseness of the sound, the very piano-centric nature of the music (even for a Joe Hisaishi score), and some of the repeated motifs that seemed designed to startle, it was all a little odd to me. Now, having seen the movie, the score is perfect. I wouldn't want it to be any different from what it is. Everything about it, the sparseness, the piano, the startling moments, all work to accompany the main character's journey perfectly.

Absolutely. I can hear the Home Alone and Hook in HP1 all throughout the score. It's a specific JW mode.

If he is able, I think Lucasfilm will approach him about writing a big new theme or two.

Does anyone else notice the proto-HP1 sound to much of that Hook score? Unrelated thought, listening to this release a 3rd time through, the music I enjoy most is all the Face of Pan & You are the Pan stuff. Such beautiful melodies.

I always read the liner notes. I find they help me appreciate the music even more.

Listening to the album now. Making my own custom playlist is going to be a bit challenging. Loving the music so far though. Like Home Alone, Hook has many similarities to JW's HP1 score. Must be something about movies starting with H.

Too bad. Dreaming up an imaginary JW score must be fun.

Did the score sound like Home Alone? That would be my guess. Or something more like TinTin?

I don't mind it. In fact, I'm curious how JW could have integrated electric guitar more throughout the track.