Leaderboard

Next he will combine the two, and it will result in John Williams's greatest masterpiece: Koray's Theme

Absolutely. I've done liners for albums where I've had to pin down developmental arcs well before the score has even finished being composed. It's often a case of asking the composer, "Well, what do you think might happen?" You have to choose your words incredibly carefully, because you could easily tie yourself to something that makes no sense later. The first Hobbit was particularly tricky. Neither the film nor the score was done when I did the notes. And it was only part one of three, so the initial themes could have gone in almost any direction in future installments. Since I wanted to be able to revisit everything more comprehensively down the line, I tried to avoid naming anything or giving anything more than general structural parameters. But even that was difficult since I had maybe four different sketched out or mocked up versions of the end of the score, and no one knew yet what the final draft would sound like. I wouldn't trade the experience for the world -- and I worked with amazing, supportive people -- but it was a difficult gig! By the way, I'm told that much of the issue with the lead time these days is that CD manufacturing plants are closing down left and right. If you want to press something in semi-large numbers, you basically need to reserve a time months and months in advance ... and that time may or may not be near the actual release window. It's usually not. And woe be he who gets behind schedule and can't deliver materials to the manufacturers on time. You either pay through the nose to adjust the date (which in the case of the niche film score market likely means bye-bye profits) or you get the next available spot, which could -- and likely would -- delay the project by months. As they say: Creativity is easy. Logistics are hard!

The film will be put online at some point on the Sports Illustrated site. Would be nice if they sold the score as a single.

Gotta love YouTube commenters

Obviously because it sucks!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone In Concert Oulu Sinfonia, 3rd of March, Oulu Finland A Review by Mikko Ojala Film music fans are living in an exciting era right now as more and more of the famous and beloved scores from equally popular films are making a transition to the concert halls around the world via the live projection/in concert tours where the full film score is performed live to the movie. While such an event might be a hard sell for a wider audiences if there were just 2+ straight hours of music on its own, the combination of film and music makes it a more marketable premise, which has been a growing trend for a decade now and a really welcome boon for film music enthusists around the globe. Entire franchises are now being presented this way and Harry Potter In Concert tour which will eventually span the entire eight film saga is making rounds of performances around the world. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s Stone to the North American fans) is now touring in several countries across Europe and two such sold-out concerts performed by the Oulu Sinfonia orchestra conducted by John Jesensky took place in Oulu Finland on 2nd and 3rd of March 2017 at the Madetoja Concert Hall packed full of excited fans of Harry Potter and John Williams. I had the privilege of attending the second night and it was nothing short of spectacular. I feel that John Williams’ colorful scores are essentially tailor made for such a concert setting. They employ the full register of a symphonic ensemble with a wide array of percussion and choice synthesizers to complement the standard orchestral roster. More over the scores are intricately orchestrated and thematically expansive and follow the narrative of the film from start to finish, which makes them ideal in a symphonic setting as they are akin to an opera without a libretto to paraphrase composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s analogy of his own balletic films scores. Williams’ scores might feel to some people like an oversaturation of sound and almost a distraction in their exuberance but in a concert hall the lengthy soundtrack like Philosopher’s Stone came to life in an electrifying way and with nearly wall-to-wall musical presentation left no dead spots of lengthy silences between pieces and flowed very naturally from one cue to the next akin to a regular symphonic concert. The audience was highly enthusiastic throughout and actually was encouraged by the conductor at the start of the concert to applaud and cheer their favourite moments, characters and pieces of music. And they did, admittedly sometimes to the detriment of the music as the whistling and excited clapping drowned out a few moments of Williams’ score. I know this is supposed to be something of an event but I personally went to enjoy the music rather than to make huge giddy noises at every appearance of a well-known actor but all in all it was a minor inconvenience and it was nice to see people enjoying the music and the film so much. For the usually reserved Finns this was a surprisingly strong reaction which speaks volumes of the fondness people feel towards this movie and its music. On a more technical note the In Concert series follows the music of the final film very closely, including replications of tracking (e.g. Entry to Great Hall music is used for the Diagon Alley introduction) and not restoring unused passages of music (like parts of the cue You’re a Wizard, Harry for Hagrid’s initial revelation) but in this case the transitions were seamlessly handled and luckily such interferences with the music are kept to a minimum in the original film without heavy handed editing or cutting of the score. I thought that the mix of the sound effects and dialogue was very well balanced in the hall so that the music received its undisputed spotlight as the main event of the evening and boy did it deliver. From my seat in the middle of the hall I had a great vantage point over the entire orchestra and the big movie screen behind them and I have to admit that at times I was so lost in the whole experience I forgot to pay attention to the orchestra and the music. The reason was simply that they played so perfectly and in-sync with the film that the music just flowed seamlessly with the picture to form a complete experience. And the music truly filled the 800 seat concert hall to the brim as the acoustics of the Madetoja Concert Hall are rather excellent and it was a true thrill to hear the whole venue ring with the sheer orchestral thunder of Williams’ most exciting setpieces like the in turn rousingly heroic and kinetically tense The Quidditch Match, the menacingly marching and percussively brilliant The Chess Game sequence and the malevolently slithering and booming The Face of Voldemort finale. But it was not only the loudest parts that impressed me as the softer and delicate moments throughout shone thanks to the deft and sensitive playing of the orchestra members, e.g. the magical Harry Gets His Wand and the wonderfully ethereal and soothing Dumbledore’s Advice voicing the old wizard’s wisdom or the sleepily serenading harp solo of Fluffy’s Harp. For a keen fan of Williams’ music the evening was full of musical highlights. A live performance really breathes a life and energy of its own into the music as the orchestra responds to the mood and excitement of the audience and there was a tangible feeling of high spirits in the air. I concede that there is that certain Max Steiner spirit to the score’s technically admirable and intricate connection to the physical action down to the minute physical detail of Mickey Mousing swish and flick but what is more important is the emotional atmosphere this music creates. From those opening swirling notes that underscore Warner Bros logo to the last giddily triumphant blast of Hedwig’s theme in the end credits the audience held under the enchantment of Williams’ writing that so openly speaks to the heart and imagination. And with a highly thematic score like this it feels like you wouldn’t really need the visuals to be able to follow the story as the music is so expressive, so balletic and so clear in its narrative intentions that it paints the events with an aural ease that still impresses me after all these years. Hedwig’s theme rules supreme over the proceedings in the first score as Williams presents it in countless variations throughout, in a way equating the melody and its airy orchestrations with magic, the theme a trigger for wonder and marvels about to unfold. And though there might be some repetition in this process, music conditioning as it were, there is a reason this theme has become the signature tune of the whole franchise, so well it captures the very essence of Harry Potter’s world and the sheer feeling of magic and mischief. And besides the main theme the score is a treasure trove of musical ideas large and small that all add their combined splashes of colour and texture to the whole and enhance their respective story elements from the weightless whirls of flight to the rumbling motifs for the main villain. One of the rare pleasurable opportunities these events allow for the audience is to see and hear in front of their eyes the connection between the image and the sound in more depth, enhanced by the fact that the music is brought to the foreground. This highlighted some aspects of this score even for me, a seasoned Williams fan, who has heard the music countless times before. Now I could more clearly than ever feel that gradual progression from the opening half full of Hedwig’s theme towards the second half of the film as the music becomes slowly more diverse and gathers darker colours to it for the dramatic final scenes before drawing the musical story to a tenderly cathartic “And they lived happily ever after” denouement of Leaving Hogwarts. It might be a textbook case of how to score such a film but it worked wonders, further enhanced by the live performance's energy. Also an observation I made during the concert is that apart from the celesta (played on synthesizer as per Williams’ original intentions for the singular celesta sound he developed with the piano player Randy Kerber for the first film) there are no really prominent soloist moments in this score and even though there certainly are solo moments they blend very much to the orchestral tapestry. All orchestral sections do get their workout at some point or another whether woodwinds, strings or brass but in comparison this music is rather closer to Star Wars and Jurassic Park than Memoirs of a Geisha or Schindler’s List in the way such elements are handled. The playing of the whole ensemble was exemplary on Friday night with particular praise going to the keyboard player whose numerous celesta solos were flowing and flawless and to the stalwart brass section which in typical Williams fashion had a lot of breathless music to play and came through with flying colours. And after the end credits had finished I could not help but to start a well-deserved standing ovation to them for delivering to us this memorable evening. As I was walking out of the hall after the emotionally intense two-and-a-half hours of music I was thinking how lucky we film music fans are to be living in times like these. Although I have seen such live projection events before and knew what to expect, hearing the music of my favourite composer performed live to the film was simply a magical, inspiring and unforgettable experience that made me more than a bit giddy when I was stomping my foot to the tune of Williams’ music or smiling and nodding approvingly to a particularly finely performed passage. Truly a night to remember. Now bring on the rest of the music from this series! -Mikko Ojala-

Flawless. Fantastic transcription, amazing performance!

He needs to score a hurling doc/film/short next

Again, we're pretty sure they were new arrangements recorded in 2004, or maybe 2003 in preparation for the 2004 games

The ROTK album was finalised in early October 2003, while writing and recording of the score continued well into November.

I was vaguely aware of this "superhero" show Legion, but hadn't paid any attention to it until a few days ago when I realised that it's a Noah Hawley creation. On the basis of how great Fargo is (especially the second season), I thought anything else that he's behind should be worth a shot. I've watched the first two episodes of Legion so far and thought they're excellent, with some real brilliance; I can't wait to see more. As to whether it's tiresome to have another show in the superhero / mutant genre, I wouldn't know because I haven't seen the other ones...

Werent you famous in Norway? Scandinavia even?

So is this technically Williams' second animated film score, after Tintin?

My brief report of the 3rd of March Oulu Sinfonia concert is now up and can be found HERE.

Yes. And the third act encompasses more than just the climax through to the end. These are of course up for debate but third acts for the films approximately start in TPM starts when they leave Coruscant. in AOTC when they leave Tatooine in ROTS right after Order 66 in SW when they leave the Death Star in ESB when Luke arrives on Cloud City in ROTJ when the fleet enters hyperspace in TFA when they leave Takadonna So if we're really talking about music for the third act, it's a bit more extensive than what's in the poll.

I've been thinking about that phrasing quite a bit over the past couple days. For the longest time, I couldn't quite put into words why I liked Rey's theme quite as much as I did, or even why I liked it more so than other great Star Wars themes, even when they seemingly seemed equal to me at the surface level, but I think you just put it into words for me. It's that distinct lack of a sardonic or derisive underbite to the theme that, as you said, does seem to dominate the musical vernacular of the films that really makes it stand out. I didn't really realize that that was what it was specifically that did it for me until I came across your post. Thanks for putting into words what I could not.

I did know it uses the Summon the Heroes melody. I have just thought ever since I heard it that it was in a much more accessible language than Williams usually writes in. Maybe others will disagree.

Batman's great, but Batman Returns is even better.

Somehow I have a feeling this will sound kind of like the "NBC Olympic Basketball" music he wrote a while back: It almost sounds un-Williams-y in its level of accessibility -- but accessibility and instant gravitas may be exactly what Kobe wants. It's awesome in any case so I certainly wouldn't mind if Williams worked in the same style.

I would also add that JW, Stravinsky, RVW, and Takemitsu were strongly influenced by the French. Debussy's La Mer, Nocturne, and Ravel's masterpiece Daphnis et Chloe which cast a very long shadow that should not be diminished. So much of CEOTK is based on Ravel who also beautifully influenced Takemitsu too. For me, Daphnis et Chloe is one of the seminal 20th century works along with Rite of Spring. Everyone borrows something from those works.

For what it's worth (which, probably isn't much) I've just watched PROMETHEUS, for the 5th time. It really is good, and if Roger Ebert gives it 4/4, then who is anyone to disagree? I can't wait for ALIEN COVENANT, so... !

Prisoners - Denis Villeneuve (2013) Competently made, with a solid first half and some interesting ideas, but ultimately, it didn't win me over. A problem is that I figured out how it could all fit together pretty early on, so the story ended up not being particularly engaging to me and in the second half I was just waiting for Gyllenhaal's character to put the pieces together. There was stuff to enjoy for sure, such as good visuals, good performances, and a few memorable moments (notably a short scene with a character driving in the rain towards the end of the film) but it didn't make for a really entrancing experience. By the time the film was over, I was left thinking: "That was it?". For something people consider Villeneuve's best film, and a great film in general, it felt a bit underwhelming. Expected a more gripping story with a bit more twists and turns: what I got was something fairly straightforward without any major "wow" moments. Shame. Maybe Denis isn't the right guy for Blade Runner 2 after all? Is it too late to change? 6/10 Ranking of Villeneuve movies so far: 01. Enemy 02. Prisoners 03. Sicario 04. Arrival

I did say "public person", didn't I? There is absolutely no OBLIGATION to know anything about their private life. It may be of interest to you, which is fine (to some degree), but OBLIGATION? That's pushing it.

A couple of fine animation films "for adults" released recently include THE RED TURTLE, WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE and LOUISE BY THE SHORE.

It's one of my favorites with him. I admit, I'm a bit of a Sam Mendes fan and not so much a Leo fan.

If people look at Batman as an unrivaled masterpiece, then yes, it's overrated. But it's still a terrific score and mostly worthy of its praise. It does not fit in the same conversation as Back to the Future in my opinion.

Clearly you need to watch more animated stuff than just the usual Disney fare!

Hmm. There's some great stuff, in there. THE WARRIORS is fantastic - as is the film - and any John Cacavas is worth listening to. THE BLACK HOLE is nice, and RAISE THE TITANIC is lush. I've always liken the main title of ANGELS IN AMERICA, to the main title of SIX FEET UNDER - which is, unquestionably, the finest American TV series, this century. One of those scores is excellent.

Gorgeous Anne-Sophie is now studying the "new cool piece by JW":

Mid-April is going to be awesome guys. This and Last Jedi trailer!! I love Williams fanfares so I am absolutely hyped for this. So glad to be finally 100% certain that it hasn't been cancelled.

Indeed. Takemitsu brought the language of Debussy, Ravel, Milhaud, Koechlin, and even the already contemporary Messiaen and Dutilleux fully into the present day. He, along with Schuller, was among the first to really exploit the potential that lush idiom had for a subtle melding with jazz stylings - as opposed to the more overt, delineated attempts at injecting jazz into concert music by some other composers like Stravinsky and Gershwin, and the aforementioned Ravel and Milhaud. As Schuller was the one to coin the whole "Third Stream" idea, it isn't surprising to find him as one of the first to really achieve it, but Takemitsu, in my opinion at least, was even more successful with it. Alex North had taken it quite a distance as well, and he obviously was a presence for the young Williams, along with Mancini who also did this. But Takemitsu's earthy, mystical, nature-infused aesthetic must have really seized on Johnny's sensibilities. Look no further than the early flute concerto - that could easily be mistaken for a piece of Toru's. I know when Williams' "influences" are talked about, the favorite candidates are always Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Wagner... but I think those are mostly rather facile guesses. Takemitsu is where it's at.

That video thumbnail...

It's more apparent in his concert works. Listen to Takemitsu's Viola Concerto (A String Around Autumn) here:

I wonder what he studied for Memoirs Of A Geisha.

To its credit, the pre-credits cue in AOTC is fantastic, mostly. I love the force theme rendition as Dooku travels to Palpatine and the solo voice that sings during their conversation and the ominous build up during Yoda's monologue leading to a great rendition of the Imperial March which transitions into a full blown, sweeping Across the Stars. That whole musical sequence is beautiful. But iirc there are some inserts or some weird editing along the way that chop it up a bit.

I feel the same way. There's something cold about Scott's latest films. Like they're made by a man with the technical expertise to easily put these big projects together, but with little real interest to do so. With Nolan, he gets so caught up in the ideas that he tends to lose sight of the bigger picture, so his films are sometimes held down by overwrought plot machinations or exposition.

I'd rather watch a piece of shit, by Scott, rather than a "classic" by someone like Nolan.

It's unbelievably good in complete form.

Give Tim Burton a shot at it.

It's Star Wars... 1977.. 2017... 40 years... The Episode VIII is coming... I would appreciate a little more enthusiasm.

I'd love to see JW's reaction if someone presented that picture for his autograph at a concert.

His neck looks cold.