The Lost Folio

The Indiana Jones Piano Solo Collection is finally available... and 5 of the 10 pieces are new arrangements! The highlight is not from Dial of Destiny but from Temple of Doom, with "Short Round's Theme" more than twice as long as the original arrangement to match the entire album track. And it's very well written for piano (advanced). "Parade of the Slave Children" is a new, slightly longer arrangement. It's nice to also have "The Keeper of the Grail" although it's the simplest arrangement in the collection (it's a good piece to practice tone and phrasing however). As for Dial of Destiny, "Helena's Theme" matches the entire album track, as expected, but "Archimedes' Tomb" includes a different ending than the album track. Is this arranged from a different track/cue, or is it just the arranger's choice to add an extra section? Overall, this collection is unlike the previous ones that have been published for Star Wars and Harry Potter. It's much smaller, but well worth having for the new material.

Following up on the Star Wars Piano Anthology (Hal Leonard) and the Harry Potter Piano Anthology (Faber), Hal Leonard is publishing an Indiana Jones Piano Solo Collection: https://www.halleonard.com/product/1243151/indiana-jones-piano-solo-collection Included are two excerpts from each of the five films. Entirely new are "The Keeper of the Grail" from Last Crusade (finally!) and "Helena's Theme" and "Archimedes' Tomb" from Dial of Destiny! It also looks like "Parade of the Slave Children" is a new arrangement. Samples at the link above. I am glad we finally get an arrangement of "Helena's Theme", and an additionnal excerpt from Last Crusade. But I also feel that compared to the Star Wars and Harry Potter anthologies, this one is lackluster. Why not, at least, also include the other 4 pieces that had previously been published but not reprinted since their original folios ("The Basket Game", "Love Theme" from Temple of Doom, "The Crystal Spell", and "The Journey to Akator")?

Whoever wrote that description have no idea what they're talking about...

I'm sorry I can't help you there...

John Williams did not compose "Por una cabeza", he arranged it, just like your friend did. The piece was originally written by Carlos Gardel, who died in 1935 and whose music, as far as I can tell, is no longer under copyright. If your arrangement is of Gardel's melody, without reference to Williams's particular version, then you do not need permission to arrange the melody.

It's very close to the piano performance in the movie (but not exactly), and then continues for slightly longer to properly end the second phrase. (There's a convenient repeat so you play the whole thing twice.) Simple, but that's the sort of intimate, domestic character I associate with this score and that I think a piano arrangement should strive for. I guess not -- but it does sound different to me, especially the second page, perhaps because the arrangement brings out some chord tones that are more faint in the original score and that I had never really heard (or paid attention to) before? (Actually, probably because the "Reunion" track has a lot of material not in the orchestral suite, which I've listened to so many more times!) Not quite sure. Your ears are fine, don't worry! I do have everything that's on my website!

Yes, it's a nice arrangement. But I think there's a sort of archaic simplicity to this score that is lacking from this arrangement. I think its countermelodies tend to be too busy, and sometimes use chords that sound foreign to the harmonic language of Jane Eyre. Still, I'd be happy to hear this in concert!

I did a piano arrangement of the entire Jane Eyre suite for my personal use, but I'm not sure I can legally share it or if I even want to. Part of the fun is making the arrangement itself and fine-tuning it to my own skills and preferences. I've never done anything with Heidi but that would be a fun project, and possibly easier than Jane Eyre.

No --- it's a real shame! Not having a folio for War of the Worlds in 2005 was one thing, but not even a single piece for a major thematic score like Indiana Jones? I don't understand. I think Hal Leonard more or less gave up on solo piano folios in recent years. Perhaps they don't sell well anymore? I believe the only new one that was published in 2023 was The Fabelmans. In comparison, in 2022 they published Nomadland, Minecraft, Syberia: The World Before, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Encanto (piano solo version), The Queen's Gambit, and Bridgerton. But then again, in 2021 there was only one: Soul. They now almost only publish songbooks (Little Mermaid, Stranger Things, etc.)

https://musicbrainz.org/release/0ba1f076-e890-47c9-a479-612e7af7b8ac/cover-art

Now that we have 2 complete/unedited versions of Banning Back Home, which one is your favorite? They are both similarly structured as ABA': A introduces the main material, B starts with the solo bass leading into improvisation (and a brief and bright new flute theme in A major) and (after a long drum vamp) A' concludes with a shortened reprise of the beginning. Both versions have the same final section, but the film version cuts a lot of material from the opening section. Also, in the original version ("Extended Version" on the expansion), the new flute theme appears before the improv, while in the film version it cuts the improv in two. For me, the form of the "Extended Version" is more coherent, and its longer improv builds a lot more intensity before the concluding section. But I can see how the film version could be more pleasing since you get to the improv much sooner, and it's spread out over two distinct halves around the bright flute theme, forming a sort of ABCBA. So, which one do you prefer?

Thanks for your detailed answer! That's the most puzzling thing to me! In the sketches, the viola theme is written where it should be and then crossed out, so I assumed it was Williams's initial idea to have it there, but eventually removed it (too long?). The fact that it was only performed in the last take would imply he ended up wanting to restore it after several takes of the revised version. That's what's puzzling me! This is also why it feels like the music actually heard in the trailer (and OST) is actually a sort of "Prologue (Shortened Version)" while the "Prologue (Extended Version)" is the full composition. In any case, I'm glad MM put the "extended version" as the first track of the full program since those extra 6 bars of viola work very well under the continuation of the trumpet ostinato.

I am really impressed by the quality of this release! There are so many tracks I had no idea even existed! I am looking forward to the podcast. For now, though: Do we know the reason why the extended Prologue was composed? Is it an unused revision or a discarded original version? (Not clear in the booklet notes.) I understand from the booklet notes that the instrumental version of the Pirate Sequence was used as backing track for rehearsals. Is it the same case for the instrumental version of When You're Alone or was there another intent?

Little detail I noticed that has not been mentioned here yet: the bottom of the CD spine matches with the Harry Potter collection. I think it's a very nice touch! (But why?)

I really liked how the score is used in the movie. The restrained use of piano and strings only for the first half leads to a gradual opening of the orchestral colour in the second half that matches our gradual discovery of the fantasy. Gorgeous!

Amazing! Now, we only need John Williams to share his Star Wars scores on his Facebook page... Actually, is this the very first complete Star Wars score made available officially? Has he shared Jedi: Fallen Order too?

Spotted a tracklisting error on CD 1: tracks 6 (Jabba the Hutt) and 8 (Parade of the Ewoks) are inverted on the CD. So, the 4 tracks from Return of the Jedi are heard in the same order as on the album Out of This World, and not as marked on the set.

The video is "unavailable" here in Canada. Could you share the track title? (I still haven't figured it out!)

I always considered the original album to be excellent, regardless of the circumstances that led to it. At over 75 min, it was the most generous JW album between Superman and Attack of the Clones! I think the selection of excerpts flows extremely well from beginning to end, edits and all.

Same for me

Yes! But does it come in a thin cardboard box?

That's not what @JTW is saying. It costs too much for the actual value of physical media these days. Can you name any other 5-cd set of anything that sells for $150 price while including nothing new?

Is it though? Is it? Of course nobody's forced to buy anything, and few on this forum will, because it is an abusive price tag that's completely disconnected from the current market value of physical media. The Harry Potter 7-cd set is $105, and that's a labor of love from a specialty label, beautifully restored and packaged with detailed liner notes. $150 (+tax +shipping) for a 5-cd reissue of 15-year-old masterings is an insult. The choice is not with the buyer anymore when products are artificially priced way above value, and several hundred percent above inflation rates. It's offensive to the buyer who then has little choice but to pass. I certainly do not feel like I have a choice. I prefer to buy the John Mauceri 16-cd box that's coming out tomorrow for cheaper than that. Because I do not feel like Decca, unlike Disney, is laughing at me.

The chronology marks the release of the Checkmate album 7 months before the show's premiere. I find that rather unusual! Could anyone with access to the FSM booklet (I don't have it) confirm the album's recording dates and/or release date?

I understand Mike's response. But the French text has no ambiguity: it clearly states that someone is already working on a release. There's no other interpretation possible for that sentence. So if that's not true, then it's a very bizarre statement to make! He might have mixed it up with another title, or he is just misinformed, or whoever edited the interview didn't understand the statement. Instead of asking Mike, someone should ask Lerouge directly.