Dunge_Onmaster

Hi, Jerry Goldsmith's score to the 1987 medieval adventure film LIONHEART is widely considered his magnum opus in terms of leitmotif-structered composition and grand symphonic orchestration. The final cue of that score is one of my absolute favorite pieces of music for over 20 years now and since there weren't any piano arrangements to be found, I transcribed it myself. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m beginning with the famous 1997 Universal Studios fanfare. Composed by Jerry Goldsmith as well, this piece in my opinion fits perfectly with the LIONHEART track... both in terms of key (E-flat major) and general musical gesture. In both compositions perfect fifths and fourths are the central intervals. “King Richard” itself consists of only three melodic sections. First, a brief introduction that presents the march-like “Journey” motif in the left hand, which will accompany almost the entire piece as an ostinato. Here the three-note main motif makes its first appearance, which is associated with the main character of the film (Robert): an ascending fifth, followed by a descending major second. This motif is the melodic base of the subsequent sixteen-bar “Robert's Theme”. After a brief harmonic shift to A-flat major for the B section, Goldsmith then modulates back to E-flat major to reiterate the theme. These skillful modulations (and there are quite a lot!) keep the piece fresh and interesting, while the melodic material remains straightforward and concise. Enjoy! Dustin

Hi, Bernard Herrmann’s minimalist approach to thriller scores from the 50s and 60s has always fascinated me; in particular, the title music for Psycho (1960). This piece, which for its time is unusually reduced in terms of melody and harmony, is essentially constructed using kind of a modular approach from just two basic ideas (Herrmann himself spoke of “musical cells”): • On the one hand, the so-called “Hitchcock Chord” consisting of a minor triad plus a major seventh on top, hammered out five times in a row in B-flat second inversion right at the beginning of the piece and reappearing repeatedly throughout. • On the other hand, a central motif consisting of four sixteenth notes (major third ascending; minor second + minor third descending), which melodically dominates the entire “Prelude” and also recurs throughout the rest of the score in dozens of variations. Once you know what to look for, it’s actually hard to miss. In accordance with Hitchcock's deliberate choice of black-and-white visuals, Herrmann decided to limit the instrumentation to string ensemble. Woodwinds, brass, and percussion are completely absent from the score. Even though special playing techniques like pizzicato or sul ponticello are missing in a piano-solo version, the limited range of timbres on a piano follows a similar direction. While several film music songbooks by Hal Leonard contain a certain piano arrangement, this “official” version is full of errors, such as dominant seventh chords instead of a double-diminished chords etc. Therefore, I had to write my own arrangement. If anyone wants the sheet music, just let me know. I’m happy to share it. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/xejDXqAPk40?si=vwjAq0VGnLCDWsta Best regards, Dustin

Yes, if they like soulless, generic ethno-wailing and trailer-style ostinati. But I don't care, since I would never have watched it anyway. It's just a waste of Williams' musical legacy.

I have the utmost respect for him and his oeuvre, but such general statements are somewhat presumptuous and unfortunately reflect the typical clichés that still exist in parts of the more classically oriented music elite when it comes to film music. Fortunately, Goldsmith saw things quite differently, and personally, besides grand themes and concert suites, I also like the less prominent incidental part of film music (especially action and suspense pieces) and enjoy listening to this typical “background music” while working or exercising. Interestingly, very few pieces by Williams end up in my shuffle playlists because I find his agitated, playful, often strongly contrapuntal compositional and orchestration style simply too exhausting and too rooted in the Viennese classical style. That's why I find this specific statement here quite problematic, at least in its form: “Film music, however good it can be – and it usually isn't, other than maybe an eight-minute stretch here and there ... I just think the music isn't there.” Tastes differ, and that's a good thing, but I always view such global judgments about an entire genre very critically and counter them with a famous quote from Goldsmith: “If our music survives, which I have no doubt it will, then it will because it is good.”

As always: Great episode, Yavar. Keep 'em coming!

Despite the false credit claim in the video's title (and on all the streaming platforms), the theme and most of the orchestration work is of course by Ira Newborn and has now been re-arranged by Gordon Goodwin. Barfe has actually nothing to do with this particular piece of music. However, he learned from Zimmerboy to always put his name on anything remotely related to him. Last year it was the same with Harold Faltermeyer's Axel F Theme and that new Netflix produced Beverly Hills Cop sequel. You could get the impression that Barfe wrote this iconic theme instead of Faltermeyer, since Harold's name was nowhere to be found. It's a matter of honour and integrity to acknowledge the original creator. As a composer myself, this really makes me angry.

Thanks a lot for your feedback, Thor. Glad you like it. If I remember correctly, you once said that you were a big synth head, too. You got a valid point there. I tried to achieve something similar with the timpani "solo" after the first interlude (02:28–02:43), but maybe that section still is too busy. I'll keep that in mind for future projects!

Hi, the last few weeks I was busy arranging a pure synth version of an old composition of mine from 2008 and recorded it with both software and even some analogue synths. Although I really like all kinds of synth music, I have to admit that I lack the necessary production experience in this field. I have a more orchestral background. Maybe you have some suggestions. Thanks!

Sadly, the score to Gladiator II is nothing more than purely functional background music. It's a shame that this is yet another wasted opportunity for potentially great film music... I just can't understand why they didn't build on Zimmer's solid material or give HGW the chance to write something at least roughly on a par with it. The main problem probably still is the producers and their silly expactations, shying away from any kind of creativity and always wanting the same stereotypes reproduced: in this case, unimaginative ethnic droning plus the occasional percussion automation. Soon AI will takeover this kind of "composing".

You can argue about the aesthetics of the orchestral growling in “The Last Ballad of Damrod” (and I say that as both a film music and metal fan), but it is highly creative and probably effective in scenic context. The musical highlight of both scores (season 1 and 2) for me is the "The Sun Yet Shines”: Nolwa Mahtar chorale and Galadriel theme FINALLY come to musical bloom over a rapid, but nevertheless varied ostinato, not only in fragments, but fully developed in an orchestral tutti. The basic structure of the piece is very reminiscent of the suite that McCreary conducted at the Comic Con in San Diego in 2022. Unfortunately, there are only amateurish live recordings of it on YouTube. I've been waiting two years for this piece and here it is at last, and even without the a little bit too obtrusive solo violin. Really a great end to one of the best series scores ever. We don't know how TRoP will actually continue... I'm afraid there's not much more to come. But in terms of film music, it's an absolute highlight, both in 2022 and yet again in 2024!

For me this music really has zero recognition value. Clichéd horror score at AI level. Soon you won't need a composer and expensive orchestral recordings for something like this. It's a shame when you consider what other great music has been created in the series. Even Gregson-Williams and Kurzel have contributed some solid material. Similar to Blade Runner 2049 and IT (2017/19), there would have been an opportunity here for truly great genre music, but it was missed once again due to the choice of composer.

I just can't understand the criticism of this score, especially from today's perspective, when you consider the hollow, melodically insubstantial dilettante bombast fabricated in comparable genres over the last 20 years... (Junk(ie) XL, Zimmer and his clone warriors, Tyler Bates, Balfe, Two Steps from Hell etc.). Cutthroat Island, on the other hand, has a very strong main theme with, at least for me, an enormous recognizability and replay value, including even a certain chill factor when the choir finally comes in. From a composer's perspective, the thematic variations, especially in the B and C sections of “Morgan's Ride” (the actual main theme begins at around 01:40) and the consistently powerful but always clear and colorful orchestration of Debney's score are just outstanding. Definitely part of my top 10 list of the 90s and still one of my absolute favorites in the adventure genre.

“Human Hunt” is one of the strongest action cues of the past few years. The Goldsmith quotes ( instrumentally and in terms of motifs) have been perfectly transformed into a more contemporary Hollywood sound without losing the modernistic flair of the original. Really a great piece! Apart from “Very Clever Apes”, this is unfortunately the only cue in the score that clearly stands out from the expectedly heavily Giacchino-influenced mass. However, I also really like "A New Age" with its brutal 11/8 ostinato. I'm positively surprised by the score. Very refreshing that the producers and their hired composer have finally decided to pay tribute to Goldsmith and that Paesano has delivered a pretty solid score of his own. The movie is supposed to be pretty good too.

Can't understand why, given the huge demand, this hasn't simply been released digitally long ago... I would have bought it immediately. I'm simply no longer willing to pay at least 50 € including shipping to Germany for one or two polycarbonate frisbees and then the package might end up at customs and I have to pay more and wait even longer. Anyway, after all these years, the best cues have already been unearthed in one form or another, albeit a little less... officially That's quite enough for me.

The original recording is in some passages quite unsatisfactory from a musical point of view, as particularly the brass section of the Hungarian orchestra had problems with intonation and rhythm. For me it would be option 5 and 6. Lionheart is simply one of my favourite scores of all time and I am hoping for a re-recording as brilliant as Tadlow did for Conan and Destroyer a few years ago. Although I greatly appreciate Goldsmith's pure synth scores as works of art with deliberately reduced timbres, I think an orchestration of those ideas would be hugely exciting. A re-recording of the end credits from Rambo II as a bonus track would be the icing on the cake. And as a further mini addendum, I might suggest a newly recorded version Jerry's theme to the short-lived TV series H.E.L.P. (1990), which was never available before. Just an idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Xl0_1W-5s