Patrick Doyle's Impressions of America (Varese CD April 16 2013)

[Jay 42,762]

PATRICK DOYLE

Impressions Of America

2013 certainly seems set to be a year of exciting celebrations! We are so excited to announce our latest release by one of film music’s greatest and most successful composers ... the great Patrick Doyle!

Doyle’s film scores include such blockbusters as Brave, Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Thor, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Henry V and so many others! Doyle is a Scotsman who has been coming to America for many years now to bring his incredible music to Hollywood. These many trips have now inspired their own musical work and Doyle has composed a symphonic piece consisting of fifteen impressions. Patrick Doyle’s IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA is a nostalgic look at America ... its landscapes, its traditions, and its people.

Scored for full symphony orchestra, we release Patrick Doyle’s IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA to celebrate the composer’s 60th birthday in April of 2013.

1. Washington DC

2. Pumpkin Pie

3. Christmas In New York

4. Transcontinental Railroad

5. The Great Depression

6. Mount Rushmore

7. Prairie Sunrise

8. Winter In Alaska

9. Decaying City

10. Yosemite

11. Death Valley

12. Rushing Rapids

13. The Great Plains

14. Old Glory

15. Thanksgiving

Varese Sarabande Catalog # 302 067 194 2

Release Date: 04/16/13

http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1101/Patrick-Doyle-cln--Impressions-Of/Detail

[Marian Schedenig 10,275]

Oh, that sounds interesting!

[movied 24]

A little info on the suite is here: http://www.classical-music.com/article/patrick-doyle

[crocodile 9,219]

Colour me intrigued.

Karol

[Incanus 5,858]

A Scotsman composing nostalgic Americana.This sounds very interesting indeed.

[Richard P 4,795]

I like the sound of this

[Delorean90 47]

Interesting indeed. I'm looking forward to this.

[Hlao-roo 390]

Patrick Doyle knows that John Williams doesn't represent all of America.

[Incanus 5,858]

Patrick Doyle knows that John Williams doesn't represent all of America.

John Williams hasn't written a theme for pumpkin pie yet.

[Marian Schedenig 10,275]

Patrick Doyle knows that John Williams doesn't represent all of America.

John Williams hasn't written a theme for pumpkin pie yet.

It's not related to trees. If if grew on trees, he would have written a pumpkin pie concerto years ago.

[crocodile 9,219]

Well, John Williams has scored every single tree in America at this point.

Karol

[Neimoidian 14]

Well, John Williams has scored every single tree in America at this point.

Karol

No, the Tree of Life was scored by Desplat.

[Jay 42,762]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,994]

No orchestra credit?

[Richard P 4,795]

Beautiful cover

But yes, very odd that there are no credits whatsoever beyond producing.

I'd love this to have a similar sound to Brave, whose lyrical string work is just to die for.

[Incanus 5,858]

Beautiful cover

But yes, very odd that there are no credits whatsoever beyond producing.

I'd love this to have a similar sound to Brave, whose lyrical string work is just to die for.

I would not think it strange there are so scanty credits in the back cover. More space for the gorgeous cover image.

I assumed that the orchestra used was a studio orchestra so I think they'll receive their billing in the booklet.

[crocodile 9,219]

Or it's performed by the Royal Synth Orchestra. Or the London Synth Orchestra. One of those

Karol

[Incanus 5,858]

That would be a nasty surprise.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,994]

Well since the piece was composed for the National Schools Symphony Orchestra I kinda assumed they would have been the performing orchestra here.

[Incanus 5,858]

Well since the piece was composed for the National Schools Symphony Orchestra I kinda assumed they would have been the performing orchestra here.

It would make sense. And then it would also make sense to put their name on the cover, either back or front. It would have been nice publicity for the orchestra.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,994]

Also, was it not really hard to get the funds to record an album now?

Isn't that basically why the only official release of the LOTR symphony is a live performance recorded in Switserland?

[Incanus 5,858]

Also, was it not really hard to get the funds to record an album now?

Isn't that basically why the only official release of the LOTR symphony is a live performance recorded in Switserland?

Yes they record companies have cut down on their recording expenses and often record live concert performances now. I believe the LotR Symphony was recorded that way as well.

[Koray Savas 2,256]

No orchestra credit?

I know right, Doyle is stealing credit from the musicians. Everyone is going to think he performed all the instruments now because their names aren't on the cover. What a hack!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,994]

Ok, that is genuinely funny!

[Incanus 5,858]

No orchestra credit needed. It is in fact a secret recording of Doyle singing this stuff in the shower! Voilà! Obviating the orchestra altogether!

[crocodile 9,219]

Maybe he's like on of the beat-box people. Only he can do all the orchestra.

Karol

[crocodile 9,219]

The samples can be heard on the US iTunes.

Sounds good. Kind of George Fenton meets Thomas Newman. A definite buy for me.

Karol

[Richard P 4,795]

I thought this was released on Tuesday, but apparently only digitally on Amazon - everywhere else waits until next Tuesday.

But agreed - the samples sound excellent.

[Jay 42,762]

Up for sale on Amazon MP3 now

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CDRLAMA/

And iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/impressions-of-america/id635379633

[Jay 42,762]

No orchestra credit?

It's James Shearman conducting the Hungarian Studio Orchestra

Here's Koray's review

http://www.filmmusicmedia.com/reviews/impressionsofamericabypatrickdoylereview

[Jay 42,762]

This is currently on sale at Varese for $11.99!

http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1101/Patrick-Doyle-cln--Impressions-Of/Detail

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,994]

I guess it's a non-seller then....

[crocodile 9,219]

It's a pleasant album, actually. You can always check it out on Spotify.

Karol

[Richard P 4,795]

I got it a few months ago - it's not amazing, but has some good ideas.

I wrote a small review I haven't bothered to touch up/post yet.

[Disco Stu 15,510]

I just listened to this release for the first time.  It is certainly a pleasant album, with lovely orchestrations.

 

My problem with Patrick Doyle, who is a fine composer, is that he writes music that sounds like it should be carried by melody but often his melodies are just not up to snuff.

 

My favorites of his tend to be the cues where the melodies are strongest ("Harry in Winter" for example).

 

But these are just my first impressions of the album, maybe it could grow on me.

[Thor 9,311]

I had such high hopes for this, being a Doyle fan and thinking the concept would right up his alley. Alas, I was massively disappointed. Lots of directionless textures, and barely a sign of his melodic finesse. I think I deleted my digital copy after having tried it 2-3 times.

[bollemanneke 4,030]

I was also massively disappointed. Barely worth listening to.

[Marian Schedenig 10,275]

On 21/09/2017 at 3:47 PM, Disco Stu said:

My problem with Patrick Doyle, who is a fine composer, is that he writes music that sounds like it should be carried by melody but often his melodies are just not up to snuff.

 

 

It depends, though I'm not sure on what. There's stuff he seems to have been excited about (at least according to his liner notes) that sound nice but end up being rather generic because they lack a strong melody, as you say. But then there's stuff, like his early Branagh scores and recently Cinderella, that very much delivers in this regard.

 

It's true though, this isn't one of those cases.