Sandor 797 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 In the sense that Rosza's Ben Hur, Debney's Cutthroat Island or Horner's Willow are 'BIG' scores and Williams' Stanley And Iris or Horner's The Spitfire Grill are 'small' scores, what is Williams' BIGGEST score..? In terms of length/orchestra-choir size/thematic material/'epicness'/... The combination of those elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,016 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 TESB sounds massive to me.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'll say Empire Strikes Back tooalsoSupermanRaidersTemple of DoomHookSorcerer's Stone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 TESB for sure, but Superman and Raiders are really close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Jurassic Park! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 REVENGE OF THE SITH.The only STAR WARS score with 8, not 6 horns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,533 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I would also say "TESB". Logically, though, "ROTJ" should be bigger, as it has all the themes from "SW", and "TESB", and has a few new ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Return of the Jedi, I'd say. Or The Phantom Menace, where JW truly shows off his orchestration skills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I thought on Empire instantly after I read the title of the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkgyver 1,645 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'd say either Temple Of Doom, Jurassic Park or Philosopher's Stone.Empire doesn't have the choir to match those I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I thought on Empire instantly after I read the title of the thread.Yeah I thought exactly the same. Even though it might not play with as large number of themes as ROTJ, TESB somehow conjures up a grander feel for me. Everything just feels like it falls into place to form a dramatic, exciting and BIG film score experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,016 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The whole third act of Empire is grand. And yet there is nothing on screen that seems to call for this kind of operatic grandeurKarol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandor 797 Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 My vote goes to Superman The Movie BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Only the first half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The whole third act of Empire is grand. And yet there is nothing on screen that seems to call for this kind of operatic grandeurKarolI have a feeling that the fiery artist in good ol' Johnny was scoring the archetypes and the primal feelings underlying in the saga more than mundane Mark Hamill or Harrison Ford or Carrie Fisher in this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSM 126 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Will be best known for Star Wars.IMO it's Jurassic Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 TESB is a behemoth of a score.Probably why I'm not into it as much these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,349 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Only the first half.No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Empire is epic from start to finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 It's an epic masterpiece, but I'm tired with it. By contrast I can still listen to and thoroughly enjoy the less accomplished Superman score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'm happy to say that while I'm familiar with the first half of ESB, I can't barely remember the second half right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 It's an epic masterpiece, but I'm tired with it. By contrast I can still listen to and thoroughly enjoy the less accomplished Superman score.After an epic first half Supes settles doen just a little bit. The score is les of a tax on the senses because of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'm happy to say that while I'm familiar with the first half of ESB, I can't barely remember the second half right now.whaaa?Yoda lifting the x-wing, the cloud city cues like Carbon Freeze , the duel, escape from cloud city and hyperspaceThat's Williams at his most epic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'm happy to say that while I'm familiar with the first half of ESB, I can't barely remember the second half right now.whaaa?Yoda lifting the x-wing, the cloud city cues like Carbon Freeze , the duel, escape from cloud city and hyperspaceThat's Williams at his most epicIt's not because I don't like it, it's because it's been a while and I used to listen mostly to the first half and Star Wars. Plus I refuse to listen to it now as I don't have proper earphones. One of these days I'll listen to it and be probably mindblown.This doesn't happen to me only with this one score, there are many classics that people here seem to know by heart and be tired of them, while I wouldn't be able to hum half of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 It's an epic masterpiece, but I'm tired with it. By contrast I can still listen to and thoroughly enjoy the less accomplished Superman score.After an epic first half Supes settles doen just a little bit. The score is les of a tax on the senses because of it.The fact that much of Superman's second half underscore has its tongue in its cheek helps. Nowadays Empire feels a bit on the stodgy side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlao-roo 389 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 My vote goes to Superman The Movie BTW.I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaloCoyoacan 46 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The Empire Strikes Back, by far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I find several JW scores to sound bigger than Superman. SW, TESB, Harry Potter 1, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesy 55 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 1941 may be a good example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tharpdevenport 4 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Parts of "Jurassic Park [1]", parts of any of the original Star Wars films, and most of the first Superman score had a feeling of being "big". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Brigden 7 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 ESB for sure. It feels like it plays on such a massive scale, physically and metaphorically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I actually think ROTJ feels bigger than ESB. The orchestrations sound more massive, the number of themes employed is larger, it uses choir, it has a larger number of climaxes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Brigden 7 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I think ROTJ should certainly sound massive, but it doesn't to me. Even The Dark Side Beckons and The Emperor's Death, which given their thematic significance should certainly be massive, don't feel it to me. The only real cue that feels like it is the Emperor's Arrival. Whereas ESB is chock-full; The Battle in the Snow, The Asteroid Field, The Duel, Hyperspace (this one in particular always sounds MASSIVE). Even the quieter cues like where Darth and the Emperor communicate or where Lobot ambushes the stormtroopers, it has real scale to it, it feels like there are life-changing decisions being made. Maybe it's because ROTJ the film doesn't have much of the emotional weight ESB has to it, I'm not sure. Just how it feels to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,043 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Hook and parts of Jurassic Park come to mind. ESB sounds big compositionally, but the sound quality on the SE release limits its sonic scope a bit. I'd also say that the big horn statements of Hedwig's theme in SS and COS are pretty freakin' big, in a very good way. Oh, and the action cues that bookend E.T., obviously.I suppose one of the nice things about Williams' work is that none of his scores are just relentlessly big, the way CutThroat Island is, for example. You need those more intimate moments to give you time to catch your breath. All of the above scores have plenty of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSM 126 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Hook and parts of Jurassic Park come to mind. ESB sounds big compositionally, but the sound quality on the SE release limits its sonic scope a bit. I'd also say that the big horn statements of Hedwig's theme in SS and COS are pretty freakin' big, in a very good way. Oh, and the action cues that bookend E.T., obviously.I suppose one of the nice things about Williams' work is that none of his scores are just relentlessly big, the way CutThroat Island is, for example. You need those more intimate moments to give you time to catch your breath. All of the above scores have plenty of that.I agree with everything said here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,349 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I think ROTJ should certainly sound massive, but it doesn't to me. Even The Dark Side Beckons and The Emperor's Death, which given their thematic significance should certainly be massive, don't feel it to me. The only real cue that feels like it is the Emperor's Arrival. Whereas ESB is chock-full; The Battle in the Snow, The Asteroid Field, The Duel, Hyperspace (this one in particular always sounds MASSIVE). Even the quieter cues like where Darth and the Emperor communicate or where Lobot ambushes the stormtroopers, it has real scale to it, it feels like there are life-changing decisions being made. Maybe it's because ROTJ the film doesn't have much of the emotional weight ESB has to it, I'm not sure. Just how it feels to me.Perhaps its the muffled sound quality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I think ROTJ should certainly sound massive, but it doesn't to me. Even The Dark Side Beckons and The Emperor's Death, which given their thematic significance should certainly be massive, don't feel it to me.Really disagree agree. Think you're mistaking a more intimate character with a lack of scale. Those two cues you mention sound incredibly powerful (Gothic even) in their sheer weight. I think the "climbing" species counterpoint of the strings, synthesiser wails, and male choir at the point of most agony, just before the Darth picks up the Emperor - is a fine example. It truly feels like the most dramatic moment in all six films. AfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBulgarianCatalanChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDetect languageDutchEnglishEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekHaitian CreoleHebrewHindiHungarianIcelandicIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseKoreanLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalayMalteseNorwegianPersianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYiddish⇄AfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBulgarianCatalanChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekHaitian CreoleHebrewHindiHungarianIcelandicIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseKoreanLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalayMalteseNorwegianPersianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYiddishDetect language » Hungarian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Publicist..what is this language thing? The Dark Side Beckons defines star Wars at it's most epic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Publicist..what is this language thing?Yeah, it's very weird.One of the reasons why I think ROTJ sounds than the ESTB or ANH, is that its got a far more powerful low end. Just listen to the bass in Shuttle Tyderium Approaches Endor for instance. AfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBulgarianCatalanChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDetect languageDutchEnglishEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekHaitian CreoleHebrewHindiHungarianIcelandicIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseKoreanLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalayMalteseNorwegianPersianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYiddish⇄AfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBulgarianCatalanChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekHaitian CreoleHebrewHindiHungarianIcelandicIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseKoreanLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalayMalteseNorwegianPersianPolishPortugueseRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwahiliSwedishThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYiddishDetect language » Hungarian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Biggest? I'd put my money on Temple of Doom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 1) Empire Strikes Back2) Superman3) Raiders of the Ark4) Jurassic Park5) Hook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 The heavy leitmotiv quality of the Star Wars scores goes a long way to create a massive sound. The scores, especially TESB, are filled with so many location and character themes, and the way Williams writes, making full use of the orchestra, it's amazing how grandiose it is.Superman is also big. For a march, the beginning is incredibly big. Along with "The Planet Krypton" (one of the best themes he's written) right at the beginning helps too. It just grows and grows until it becomes unabashedly triumphant. The Family/Smallville theme has it's big moments as well. Along with the magnificent and excessively extravagant love theme, and the incorporation of the Superman theme throughout, this is a contender for his biggest score. The only real thing that doesn't live up to the rest of the score is the villain's theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 ESB and Superman. But ESB is also a wonderfully balanced score, while Superman's massiveness comes at the expense of a lot of substance in the second half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,533 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 TESB is a behemoth of a score.Probably why I'm not into it as much these days.You will be. You. Will. Be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandor 797 Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Superman is also big. For a march, the beginning is incredibly big. Along with "The Planet Krypton" (one of the best themes he's written) right at the beginning helps too. It just grows and grows until it becomes unabashedly triumphant. The Family/Smallville theme has it's big moments as well. Along with the magnificent and excessively extravagant love theme, and the incorporation of the Superman theme throughout, this is a contender for his biggest score. And of course the incredible music of The Fortress Of Solitude with it's intricate choral passages. Superman is indeed one of the biggest scores in Williams' discography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Land Of The Giants!Think about it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacius 7 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 REVENGE OF THE SITH.The only STAR WARS score with 8, not 6 horns.Too bad Shawn Murphy makes them sound like 2 XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Indeed. It's a bit of an improvement over AOTC, but still... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petertos 0 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 The Empire Strikes Back. I think, if I'm not wrong, that we have a winner!!!It is one of the bestest scores ever composed, IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_vader 534 Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 The Imperial March alone justifies Empire as Epic/'Big'. Overall Empire really is the best orchestral work ever written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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