Jump to content

What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)


Ollie

Recommended Posts

Those are called polyrhythms or the concept is known as polyrhythmics and Bernstein uses them quite a lot, each time with an awesome effect (you've got to love the polyrhythms in Overture to Candide).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I guess that definition would qualify, it depends on the context of this.

If you're hearing 2 against 3 (like one musical line is playing something that sounds like it's in 2, vs. something that sounds simultaeneously in 3) it's called a hemiola.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those are called polyrhythms or the concept is known as polyrhythmics and Bernstein uses them quite a lot, each time with an awesome effect (you've got to love the polyrhythms in Overture to Candide).

Does Williams do this? If so, examples?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right, I didn't know he asked for specifically the 2:3 rhythm, I thought he was just asking about conflicting rhythms in general. ;)

Those are called polyrhythms or the concept is known as polyrhythmics and Bernstein uses them quite a lot, each time with an awesome effect (you've got to love the polyrhythms in Overture to Candide).

Does Williams do this? If so, examples?

Yes, he does use them. A lot of composers do. I'll dig up some examples and come back with clips in a few min :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right, I didn't know he asked for specifically the 2:3 rhythm, I thought he was just asking about conflicting rhythms in general. ;)

Those are called polyrhythms or the concept is known as polyrhythmics and Bernstein uses them quite a lot, each time with an awesome effect (you've got to love the polyrhythms in Overture to Candide).

Does Williams do this? If so, examples?

Yes, he does use them. A lot of composers do. I'll dig up some examples and come back with clips in a few min :P

Haha, I didn't know if the excerpt he meant was 2 against 3 or not either, I was just throwing that option out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

john debney - evan almighty

it's definitely good for what it is. I usually listen to it when I'm in the mood for something fun and not too heavy. haha, the movie was awful though!

I uploaded the ark theme for anyone who's interested:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Metropolis Symphony: Really cool piece, especially the first and last movement. I can see why it is described as the modern day Symphonie Fantastique.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roar! - Michael Giacchino

I'm so glad Giacchino was allowed to write this, it's great.

Yeah, Roar! is pretty fantastic! :)

Just listened to Farscape Vol 1-3, Guy Gross. Interesting music....and I've never seen the show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back to Gaya by Michael Kamen

This is being played constantly on my iPod recently. While not exactly The Iron Giant, the album is very, very enjoyable on its own right.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been digging through the Ben-Hur set.

In fact, I did something I haven't done in a long time; I put the discs in my BluRay player, sat down in my armchair and listened to the entire score from the first bar to the last. I was amazed how fluent it is, and how the drama or the pace or the compositional dilligence never drags.

I still have to go through the bonus material, but I found the story in the booklet fascinating, when Rosza describes how the stood on the hill and could oversee Rome, and he pictured it inside his head, and on the way back, he whistled all those brass fanfares.

And how they had to add an extra day of recording to the schedule because the brass player absolutely could not go on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In fact, I did something I haven't done in a long time; I put the discs in my BluRay player, sat down in my armchair and listened to the entire score from the first bar to the last.

Now that is an awesome thing. I often forget to just sit down and LISTEN to music...too often it's going on in the car, whilst I'm bustling about the house getting tasks accomplished. I am going to just sit down and appreciate some music!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's very hard to listen to a new score in the car. The fluctuation between too soft and too loud is quite extreme. For non-leisurely driving, like through heavy traffic or when I'm too tired to be safe on the road, I usually opt for loud scores or, to be safer, rock, metal, or even comedy, where the energy of the music and/or rampant swearing keeps me more alert than the soft flutter of violins and harps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alien by Jerry Goldsmith

Finally heard the complete score. It was never going to be the smoothest listening experience, but that doesn't change the fact it's all pretty awesome music. You can hear elements from so many different Goldsmith scores (both pre- and post- Alien): the echoing effects of Patton, the avant garde of The Mephisto Waltz and Planet of the Apes, the wonder Star Trek and Poltergeist. It's all there. Fascinating listen, if a bit challenging.

Predator by Alan Silvestri

Yup, a natural follow up. It's funny how the wondrous s-f material reminds me of Alien. The score is an excercise in tension and stillness. Not an action music at all, which might surprise a casual listener. Great stuff!

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alien by Jerry Goldsmith

Finally heard the complete score. It was never going to be the smoothest listening experience, but that doesn't change the fact it's all pretty awesome music. You can hear elements from so many different Goldsmith scores (both pre- and post- Alien): the echoing effects of Patton, the avant garde of The Mephisto Waltz and Planet of the Apes, the wonder Star Trek and Poltergeist. It's all there. Fascinating listen, if a bit challenging.

Karol

Alien is in my top 5 favorite scores. It really is an engaging listen each time for me, I can sit there and get sucked into the music.

I just listened to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Harry Gregson-Williams. I actually found it hard to stay interested through most of it, besides the main theme statements which I think are really great. I listened to the complete footwarming one, so maybe that's why my mind was wondering....many soft underscore cues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the footwarmer is also incomplete, there are some good cues missing.

For real? Lame...What good is a footwarmer if it actually has a hole in it....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country

The Intrada release was my first exposure to this score outside the film...meh. It has wonderful colors but it really isn't gripping as a stand alone listen. The score worked very well in the film as far as I can remember, but I find the album presentation on disc 2 to be more than adequate for this one.

Star Trek: First Contact

Now this is a good score! It really benefitted from the expanded presentation, to my ears. I greatly enjoy this one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carrie, Bucket of Blood.

one of the great countdown cue in the same vein as the end of Planting the Charges

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Continuing my expedition through the Ben-Hur set by listening to disc 3 from start to finish.

The first symphonic presentation of the music (I refuse to use the word "score" for it, that wouldn't do it justice) is spectacular. I could have done with a little less all-out bombast in the "Miracle and Finale" piece, but I adore the rough edges to the entire performance and recording quality.

Actually, this set should be given away for free to each aspiring film composer at universities worldwide. That's how you handle themes and motifs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, 3 CD version

Some reason I liked this one better than the first. It feels more adventure-ish to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seven Years in Tibet by John Williams

Prayer Cycle by Jonathan Elias

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Capricorn One and Alien OST's. I'd say they make for a phenomenal "double feature".

Karol

Copy that! They are both visceral, and unrelenting, cold and claculating, to the point of mesmerising virtuosity.

It guess that it is (for obvious reasons) almost de-rigueur to couple "Capricorn One" with "Outland", but pairing it with "ALIEN" brings home "Capricorn One"s sheer "otherworldliness". I guess that, in movies at least, in some places on Earth, no-one can hear you scream.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is more adventure-ish than the first one. I really like the music for the first part of the raid on the castle sequence. Reepicheep's theme for the win! Same for the two versions of the cue Rescuing Trumpkin.

It really is better than the first one, although I would have liked Gregson-Williams to go fully orchestral on this one. I think the final result would have been more impressive. It's also a shame that there are a lot of moments in the score that feel like a temp-track fest, with entire cues from the first film being reused, with only minimal changes made here and there, which didn't allow HGW to develop his new themes. Shame, shame, shame...

Thanks for your thoughts. Yeah, I wish it had been fully orchestral too, but yeah Reepicheep's theme=awesome :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Superman: The Movie by Angela Morley with John Williams

Didn't listen to the whole thing, just up to Fortress of Solitude. It's an amazing 50 minutes of music.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Angela Morley, he's one of my favorite composers definitely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having relished the Hook set, I decided to take a break with another score. So I gave Wojceich Kilar's The Ninth Gate another spin.

This really is a great score. One thing is clear, Kilar really is a master when it comes to brooding and dread in music. There are a lot of impressive ideas that are well wound together. There is the delightfully eerie main theme from "Opening". The operatic beauty of Sumi Jo's voice is really a great highlight. From the bookend cues to the fantastic gothic male chanting in Balkan's Death, Kilar really knows how to produce Satanic music. Another thing I really liked about this score is how well Kilar plays around with his themes. For instance, its interesting to note how Corso's bubbly theme eventually descends into nothingness and chaos throughout the score (eventually reduced to only its primary rhythm). A lot of the themes are interconnected so the various structures come in here and there when called for. There are some truly beautiful melodies too, like the religious nature of the operatic theme in "Corse and the Girl" and the theme from the bookend cues. And I know I mentioned this, but the weighty choral force at the end of the score is really enjoyable (resembles a lot of the choral force in Dracula). All in all, a great score!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to just blow off the post above me, but I love all of Superman.

I do as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having relished the Hook set, I decided to take a break with another score. So I gave Wojceich Kilar's The Ninth Gate another spin.

This really is a great score. One thing is clear, Kilar really is a master when it comes to brooding and dread in music. There are a lot of impressive ideas that are well wound together. There is the delightfully eerie main theme from "Opening". The operatic beauty of Sumi Jo's voice is really a great highlight. From the bookend cues to the fantastic gothic male chanting in Balkan's Death, Kilar really knows how to produce Satanic music. Another thing I really liked about this score is how well Kilar plays around with his themes. For instance, its interesting to note how Corso's bubbly theme eventually descends into nothingness and chaos throughout the score (eventually reduced to only its primary rhythm). A lot of the themes are interconnected so the various structures come in here and there when called for. There are some truly beautiful melodies too, like the religious nature of the operatic theme in "Corse and the Girl" and the theme from the bookend cues. And I know I mentioned this, but the weighty choral force at the end of the score is really enjoyable (resembles a lot of the choral force in Dracula). All in all, a great score!

I agree. I recently bought the album and was really impressed by it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two Tadlow's/Prometheus' Conans by Basil Poledouris (and, who knows, maybe Angela Morley too?). Gee, didn't realise how much I loved this music til I received these. 3.5 hours of film music bliss.

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got Jaws 2 going on right now. Catamaran race is such a delightful track, one of my favorites. Pure JW magic. The initial buildup in the first 50 seconds of the first cue, the frenentic stuff JW does with the strings and woodwinds while the brass belt out rousing fanfares, then winding everything down the strings and horns. Yes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got Jaws 2 going on right now. Catamaran race is such a delightful track, one of my favorites. Pure JW magic. The initial buildup in the first 50 seconds of the first cue, the frenentic stuff JW does with the strings and woodwinds while the brass belt out rousing fanfares, then winding everything down the strings and horns. Yes.

Jaws 2 is one of those few soundtracks I do not have. I have heard it many times and love it.

Maybe I should try to find it now.

Edit: Oops, I tried and its kind of pricey now...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here. It's engaging and fun, but it seems to lack a little something. The main theme is rousing, the action music is pulsing and nicely arranged, but... not as engaging as Silvestri's Captain America score.

I hope the movie will change my views on the score.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here. It's engaging and fun, but it seems to lack a little something. The main theme is rousing, the action music is pulsing and nicely arranged, but... not as engaging as Silvestri's Captain America score.

I hope the movie will change my views on the score.

That's funny you should say that b/c I didn't find Silvestri's Captain America score that engaging. It was good but it could've been better, imo. I found the score lacked a few themes. Hopefully his Avengers score will be a vast improvement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Agony And The Ecstasy by Alex North

Might be one of my favourite scores of all time. It's simply a manificent feart from North: expressing Renaissance forms filtered through very modern mid-20th Century orchestra. Has everything that makes this composer so unique, but also remains very accessible. This is as good as film music gets in my book!

:music: Viva Zapata! by Alex North

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here. It's engaging and fun, but it seems to lack a little something. The main theme is rousing, the action music is pulsing and nicely arranged, but... not as engaging as Silvestri's Captain America score.

I hope the movie will change my views on the score.

I heard some of it yesterday and found it pretty dull, really. I think there are 2 themes at play, but I don't really find either very memorable. In fact the primary theme is something that I've heard done better from Zimmer.

But then I didn't like Captain America or G I Joe either. I guess Silvestri in action mode is not for me.

Star Trek: First Contact

Now this is a good score! It really benefitted from the expanded presentation, to my ears. I greatly enjoy this one.

Took a few listens to decide that the expansion was worth it, but yes, I like that one too. Goldsmith had a knack for atmospheric music (mostly due to his synth use) that Williams doesn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hook by John Williams

Minority Report by John Williams

John Carter by Michael Giacchino

Basic Instict by Jerry Goldsmith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.