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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/12/12 in all areas

  1. Quintus

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    Gandalf the Chicken Shit!
    2 points
  2. OK, I finally have some time to write down a few thoughts on the concert. I attended Saturday night's performance (Dec. 8th), but preceded with the Gala dinner. The dinner was really quite nice, and the tables were labeled with each hit film scored by our beloved maestro. I was at the Harry Potter table, and there were also tables for Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and E.T. All the hits, all the time! I happened to sit next to the Chief Operating Officer of the San Diego Symphony. We had quite a nice conversation about music and its role emotionally. While he could not seem to admit directly that he was a fan of John Williams' music, he did assert that he longs for a by-gone age of film music by greats such as Bernard Herrmann and Alex North. When I told him that John Williams had scored Hitchcock's last film, The Family Plot, he didn't believe me at first. He checked his sources (iPhone), and suddenly was quite interested in my viewpoints. Funny thing. That was when he asked me if I had ever met John Williams. "No," I said, "I have never even imagined that such a thing would even be possible." He then asked me if I would like to after the concert.... Hmmm... meet my biggest idol of all time? Nah, I'll pass... kidding of course, I readily accepted. That was a wonderfully personal experience that I won't share here. As for the concert, it absolutely opened beautifully! Close Encounters was stunning, nearly perfect! I really thought the Cello Concerto was fantastic, as I had never heard it live before. Moser, the soloist, I thought had some definite skill, but it seemed as though he hadn't taken on the concept of the piece, but instead focused on the technical wizardry of it. It seemed like he was busy trying to be amazing the whole time, but he really could have paced himself better. His interpretation seemed a bit anticlimactic because of this. Elegy for Cello was a different story. Moser clearly had a conceptual handle on this one. Beautiful. During intermission, I attended a short party, where the CEO of the Symphony felt he needed to assure everyone that the second half of the concert would be much "easier on the ears". What an odd thing to say to your own benefactors. Incidentally, I found out that the program itself was completely John Williams' idea, and that he had explicitly insisted that he be able to perform the Cello Concerto. This was in exchange for completely donating his time. What a nice man! The second half of the concert was a really great program! I was especially excited for Adventures on Earth, as I had heard the entire cue to screen at the Hollywood Bowl. Here was a chance to hear the concert version! The real shining star ended up being the Far & Away Suite, a rare treat, and a very underrated score. I enjoyed every minute of that. The Harry Potter selections were really great as well, especially the middle one, which featured only the woodwinds. This, I think rivaled the Far & Away Suite for my favorite part of the concert! I do agree that the Theme to Schindler's List was quite rushed, although I thought it was rushed all the way to the end, instead of just in the beginning. Despite all of this wonderful music, the entire second half was plagued by a problem that I just could not get over. The execution in the brass section, namely the trumpets, was like a ball and chain. It seemed that anything requiring the trumpets to stay on task at what would be a brisker tempo was just too much for them, as pieces had a tendency to slow to a crawl. This was especially true for Adventures on Earth, as well as for the Raiders' March and even the two Star Wars pieces in the encore. I am aware that there is a delay between the front and rear of the orchestra, but the tempos actually suffered quite a bit. Personally, I thought the french horns were spot on. I was sitting in the grand tier, which is a pretty decent place to hear, so I'm told. When I went backstage later, I wanted to find the trumpet players and slap them all. Maestro's tempo, not yours! The concert arrangement of "Malice Toward None" from Lincoln was really well done, and a perfect first encore. I enjoyed the principal cellist's playing even more than Moser's from the previous half. I cannot seem to remember what was different about this arrangement vs. the film score, as I am not completely familiar with Lincoln yet. Rest assured, it seemed much more tightly woven into a package, as concert arrangements often do. When the concert was over, I went backstage to meet John Williams. I won't talk about what happened, as that is personal. However, I can tell you all that although he was very tired from the performance, he seems to be in very good shape, and just as thoughtful as ever. He definitely doesn't seem like someone who just celebrated his 80th birthday. So, here's to many more scores from our most beloved, the best of the best!
    1 point
  3. Indeed. But I find the appearance of the Gondor Reborn and Nazgul theme a bit disturbing.
    1 point
  4. Muad'Dib

    Film music for the gym?

    I was going to suggest The Rite of Spring, but since you asked for film music.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT37n3WvAuE It does work, though.
    1 point
  5. Melange

    Film music for the gym?

    Glad you liked it. It certainly gets the "Raaaaaaaaaarrggh!!!!" savagery going in me when I listen to it Below is one for you that would be great for an early morning long distance run over a frosty plain or similar. From 3:36 onwards, I guarantee that you will feel utterly invincible as you pick up the pace. Of course, this beauty below could also fit the same scenario. 1:28 as you pick up the pace, and 2:35 for that whole body orgasm!. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjErcQVg0-Y Melange - "Raaaaaaaaaarrggh!!!!"
    1 point
  6. Score_Fan

    Film music for the gym?

    Russds, for me, the tracks that really work are : (TDKR) Gotham's Reckoning Bane Suite Imagine The Fire The Fire Rises Why do we Fall? TDK Agent of Chaos Introduce a little Anarchy BB Myotis Molossus
    1 point
  7. The Untouchables by Ennio Morricone I have to say that Disc 1 55-minute presentation makes for a very fine album. Not too long, just perfect length. The original album felt a bit more like European suite-like approach to scoring, which is fine. But here you have get a chance to focus more on the storytelling. And it works very well on disc. The updated sound is a welcome as well. Never actually got around to buy this score (as the album availability seemed to be quite elusive), so I'm really glad I bought this superb release. The score itself is a classic that needs no introduction. One thing: Randy Edelman performing Ness/Malone theme as a love ballad seems quite strange... Karol
    1 point
  8. While there is not a lot of plot details in the trailer, it is pretty clear that Superman will have an actual character arc in this film, which is something new. Maybe that will help to engage a lot of people who dismiss the old films and most comic book for making the character flat. That would be a good thing. Karol
    1 point
  9. I don't think Doug said anything about album sequencing at all, did he? Well, I thought he did. It's presented this way for a specific musical reason. It will all make perfectly logical sense. Ah! My apologies, I didn't realize you were talking about the bonus tracks -- thought you meant the main body of the score, which is essentially in film order. Gotta keep track of my own posts!
    1 point
  10. Die Hard With A Vengeance by Michael Kamen To my surprise, the score is much more original than the film would lead you to believe. It is also quite different in tone. It feels more delicate, slightly melancholic. More autumnal as compared to the Christmassy first one, and all out snow-blizzard-like second one (except maybe for the sleigh bells of Santa Claus cue). We're back to more suspense-driven music after all out assault of Die Hard 2. A lot of in jokes: Ode to Joy gets even more interesting variations this time and Kamen also quotes Johnny Comes Marching Home. Both of these themes are often stated in counterpoint to each other, which seems like a nice connection between two Gruber villains. The liner notes mention that they also serve as a sort of tribute to Stanley Kubrick (to his films A Clockwork Orange and Dr Strangelove), which is also confirmed by a short snipped of Daisy (of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame). There are some Wagnerian nods as well (from both Tristan and Isolde and The Ride of the Valkyries). I really like the percussive Taxi Chase, a deviation from the usual sound. Kamen has a wonderful musical sense of humour, and this series is a perfect example. They are the kind of score you wouldn't hear in a modern action thriller. Even Marco Beltrami's Die Hard 4.0 score was mostly dead serious. While not as effortlessly fun on album as the recent Die Hard 2: Die Harder (due to its more suspensful nature), it nevertheless belongs to any collection. Thriller scoring at its finest. And I'm so glad we got all three scores within a year. Karol
    1 point
  11. I am seeing the film in an hour. Wish me luck and strength! The hour of Radagast the Birdbrain is upon us!
    1 point
  12. Incanus

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    1 point
  13. I think I can understand where you're coming from. I had a similar problem with LOTR scores at some point. While most people marvelled how many motives there are in there and that means the music is good, I thought there was something over-cluttered about all this construct, that he seems so absorbed with adressing every single detail he loses sight of the bigger picture, by which I mean the flow of the music and its emotional impact (for me at least). But then I heard The Two Towers live to projection and realised how this scores literally makes the film (which is not all that good in itself). It's a great way to experience these works, if you haven't tried it. And, also, it struck me that the thematically dense scores don't necessarily try to follow and adress what's happening on screen, but rather describe larger world and try to expand it, in a same way Tolkien's writing did in books. So when places, different characters get different themes means there is a larger sense of history and heritage going on. So, in a sense, it leaves the canvas of the film itself and does more than your usual film music. I'm not exactly a big Tolkien or Peter Jackson fan and I can't say I entirely understand the absolutely exaggerated fan following Howard Shore's works get. It is really overblown: symphony, live projections, CR recordings, books... But I've found my own way into them, if that even makes sense... Karol
    1 point
  14. I haven't seen the film yet. It is going to be interesting to see how viewers with no knowledge (or interest in , really) of the source material respond to the adaptation as that , I imagine, will determine the popular success of the film. That general audience is, in certain ways, the key audience for the movie : those people looking simply for a movie that offers them 'escape' and entertainment for a few hours. The release of this movie is going to be an interesting case study, I think, in what it is to be a fan and the importance of online communities in cultural conversation. I'd still like to see a review that really discusses the movie as a piece of filmmaking in and of itself rather than only in terms of its qualities as an adaptation. Ultimately, the two considerations are connected, of course, so it's more an issue of emphasis in the response. Maybe we can look forward to such a piece from the film scholar Kristin Thompson. I hope so as she always writes so clearly and precisely. You can read her work here: http://www.davidbord...t-is-he-padded/ Take care , gang JC
    1 point
  15. Surprisingly good trailer. The best thing I can say about it is that it doesn't looks very much like a Zach Snyder movie. There are shades of Nolan and even Terrence Malick in there. I remain cautious about the whole thing but this trailer has given me more faith in it.
    1 point
  16. what a very ineffectual trailer. how utterly disappointing. The difference in Donner and Snyder is simple, one is optimistic and hopeful, and the other is cowardice and untrusting. Jonathan Kent suggesting Clark should have allowed those kids to die......
    1 point
  17. These 60 seconds are better than anything in Burton's films:
    1 point
  18. I finally got to see the latest restoration of Metropolis this past summer (the same summer I saw Blade Runner, fittingly enough!), and I loved it to bits. A truly iconic film, and Gottfried Huppertz did a superb job with the score, which definitely deserves more recognition.
    1 point
  19. Hello There, for the ones who saw my tribute to Yoda and E.T, i did this time a tribute to Alan silvestri and on the movie Forrest Gump. there are a lot of dialogues, but as the main purpose of the video is the music, the voices are not put "in front". so i created english and french subtitles so everybody can enjoy it without any difficulties, to be disturbed by the music and not hearing the dialogue or trying to hear them and not enjoying the video. Thanks for your comments ! hope you'll like it ! Next videos will be on : Twin Peaks, Return of the Jedi, What Dreams may come for an unknown date, and , i hope for a christmas release, a tribute to John Barry, on the music of the black hole with my friend Marc Papeghin on French Horns as a musical guest !
    1 point
  20. I was gonna say that I don't work out and that we should discuss music to poop to, then I realized that we actually had a thread about that. Only at JWFan.
    1 point
  21. Sure, but none of those issues make it any less of an artform. Every artform has practical concerns surrounding it. Michelangelo had a deadline for his Cistine chapel painting too. I've never said anything like that. Of course, there might be a cue I like in a film (when I watch said film) that is not on the album, but if the album works as it is, I have no desire to have it inserted there. Perhaps it wouldn't even fit in, no matter how nice it was? The crucial thing is that the ALBUM works, not necessarily the individual track. I hear you, but i'm afraid this all is a bit too much of an academic exercise for me whereas i'm just a bit more pragmatic. Two flaws i find in your dogma: 1. Time available: you spend as much, if not more, time writing about this stuff on messageboards as it would take to do the necessary steps to reduce a C&C presentation to your personal liking. This may not work for any 145-minute monster, but on the whole, it would work for a sizeable number of releases. This year, it would mean no new Williams and two Elfman releases to work on. 2. Passivity: you claim you as musical illiterate would have no competence whatsoever to fuddle around with music composed by an experienced composer (this may not be as relevant in today's composer line-up than it was 30 years ago); isn't a hobby a cerebral and bellicose experience where you become more and more of a scholar with every passing year you spend your time with it? It just doesn't compute why someone who has travelled many miles on that route should not be able to produce a listenable album modelled after his own preferences - with today's readily available editing software, it should be even more manageable to do so. Mind you, i know that this discussion will lead to nothing, but it seems more than strange to read such views in today's techno environment - everyone can edit his or her own mp3-archive to their own likings, and this, for me, takes the hobby to a whole new level.
    1 point
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