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Looks VERY cool. Best trailer for this film yet. I really want Dune to succeed, not just because it's Dune, but because I want big, epic, intelligent science fiction to have a place in cinema. And even though Dune is an established franchise (or at least the start of one), it's nice to have something this big on the screen that's not Marvel or Star Wars.

The orchestration alone may be the best of his entire career, which is saying something. He wields the orchestra like Mickey Mouse conducting the sea, new colors come in from all directions, and is that 6 flutes in "Blowing Dreams?" I'm not sure he's been this intent on color for color's sake since Close Encounters. Stylistically, it's in the same wheelhouse as Hook and Harry Potter, with a dash of E.T. and the lighter parts of Star Wars, and while it has no shortage of themes compared to those scores, it is more cohesive. The themes are more subtle, and easier to "lose" in a sense, but the orchestration and complex harmony make up the difference. The score is as harmonically complex as the orchestration, and while JW has always been a sponge when it comes to the Russian masters (Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky specifically) the harmonies on this score sound more personal and "true," if that makes any sense. He doesn't seem to be writing "in a style." It just sounds like John Williams. As always, his counterpoint and polyphonic writing separate him from almost every film composer in history. He has few equals, in this regard, in the last two centuries and it is on full display in the BFG. Music critic for the New York Times, Harold C. Schonberg wrote a review of Vaughn Williams's 9th Symphony, which I will quote here, but seems to fit The BFG nicely. "the symphony is packed with strong personal melody from beginning to end ... A mellow glow suffuses the work, as it does the work of many veteran composers who seem to gaze retrospectively over their careers ... the Ninth Symphony is a masterpiece" If this is John Williams looking back, well, what a view.

Haven’t read much of the rest of this thread, but think in an ideal world free of business concerns and contractual limitations, every release should be in print and available at all times. It would be very selfish to say otherwise.

I vividly remember the first time I consciously listened to the Stones (I'm sure I'd heard them in commercials or whatever before). My older brother was never much of an influence on my music listening, but one time in the car, when I was probably 11 or 12, he said "You'll love this song" and he put on "Paint it Black." That booming relentless drum beat made such a huge impression on me.

I think almost all JW scores display a high level of craft, and in that sense they are masterful in that master composer wrote them. Defining the term "masterpiece" is an exercise in naval-gazing, but I like to think of the Voyager Golden Record. What JW scores would be in the running to go on a new golden record? Like most composers, only a handful of pieces in their output, no matter well they are made. Beethoven's 4th is a great symphony, but it isn't going on in place of the 3rd, 5th, or 9th. There's only a few JW scores I consider a 'masterpiece" at that kind of level, and the most recent are The BFG and Schindler's List. That's not saying he didn't write some amazing scores in between, they just don't get to go to Pluto.

Where did you all listen to this piece?

I mean, the remaining quarter hour + of 13th Warrior is essentially “more of the same” (just as with the unreleased music from Rudy so many people seem to want!) But when it’s a score as good as The 13th Warrior, “more of the same” isn’t really a bad thing. It’s all very solid stuff! Hope they get to it some day. But first…Medicine Man! Yavar

So that they can play it when he wins for Indiana Jones 5. https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2021-08-13/film-night-with-the-pops-and-john-williams-2021

Nobuo Uematsu & Yasonori Mitsuda - Front Mission: Gun Hazard (OST) Great! Eric Serra - Goldeneye I don't care about the general consensus, I like this score! It's fun and interesting. Tan Dun - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon The latest off my pile of physical CDs I needed to listen to. I believe this was my first time ever hearing this score (I received the OST as a gift, I believe). Well, I liked it! Not only fun ethnic percussive action, but nice sweeping epic tracks too. Will be listening again!

I only listened to the BFG OST once, probably over a year ago. It felt boring then. I am relistening to it now, and every track feels great, on par with tracks in E.T., The Last Crusade, Shore's LOTR, and other such. Classy flow and orchestration that sounds refreshingly elegant compared to the "Christmas Tree" fests of Rimsky-Korsakoff and Co., and yet is as accomplished. It would sure make for some catchy orchestration textbook examples #FreeTheScores

Would be nice to hear some nods to Horner and Zimmer too. Karol

I've just heard, on the BBC. Fucking hell, this is deep. He was the beating heart of the Stones, and, possibly, the greatest - and most modest - straight ahead backbeat man. Not an inovator like Ringo, not a star like Moon, not florid like Peart, and not aggressive like Bonzo, he was the solid rock, upon which the Stones built their entire catalogue. He will be missed...very, very much.

Oh, I'm usually in the same boat and try to just keep one version of a score unless there's a good reason not to. I guess when it comes to Star Trek expansions it's particularly important for me to have the full set of Jeff Bond liner notes for all of them (he did all of the original ten films' expansions, I believe), as sort of an updated supplement to his excellent (but in need of a second edition) book, The Music of Star Trek. Yavar

I'm sad about this one. The more intimately familiar you get with the Stones' catalog, the more you realize Charlie's importance - which is otherwise less obvious from his stoic presence on stage. It was amazing to have so much of the core of the group intact for this long.

For me it may affect the timing of the purchase, especially if I know there aren't many left, but it doesn't affect the likelihood of me buying in the first place. And there are certainly releases that I didn't buy precisely because they were limited - not because their being limited made me lose interest, but because they'd already sold out by the time I became interested/aware/able to afford them.

It was years ago, so I don't remember who said it, but someone at one of the labels did mention this as a factor. That they sell more copies of releases if they announce that they're limited to X copies.

Well I heard from the start of the album through He Tasks Me this morning on the way to work. I swear it took me half my commute just to get the shrinkwrap off... What a fun ride home I'll have tonight listening to Surprise Attack to the end! Woo! The new sound quality is great. The new stereo field is wonderful. Just listen to "Spock" and hear the plucked strings in the left and sometimes in the right. Good stuff

If The Prisoner of Azkaban will ever get an expanded reissue, I want the shawm cue and "Discussing Black" to get that treatment.

Well said. I also want the second film to be shot at all.

Mate, this is a straw man. No one (at least here) "begrudges" Dune based on the format it was shot on. No one said there was something "wrong" with Dune being shot digitally. No one. The only issue is a personal preference on how the film looks. And that's inarguable. And even if someone doesn't like the way the film looks, that doesn't mean they "begrudge" it. In any event, none of us has seen enough of Dune to make any informed opinion on it, all we can do is comment on what we've seen in the trailers. People who are named Christopher Nolan and Steve Yeldin, or hold stock in Eastman Kodak or RED have a stake in this little film vs. digital thing. The rest of us just care about what we see on the screen. I think the vast majority of movies, no matter the genre, are shot on digital these days. Being against it as a format is tilting at windmills.

Aloft...To the Royal Masthead! The UKs Prince Phillip visited Boston in 1992, and who else to herald the royal arrival but John Williams with a short fanfare that some have noted shares a bit of similarity with material in Jurassic Park. It is more celebratory and brilliant than stately and reverent. I like it.

I think it's pretty clear what these two releases will be. Still super pumped though!

This is a real dang good release, even if it does use the album master! All I knew about this score and movie were the S/W piece and the basic premise, until crumbs' iso score came along and the score didn't manage to impress me that much in that strictly film C&C form. Here, on the other hand, I'm taken away completely! A great main program really fills the score out, and this kind of score lends itself to the slight chrono cheats employed by Mike. The less conspicuous thematic material weaves its way until the climax brings the big guns, the two main twinkly cues provide some break time but even the 6+ minute one changes enough to not be dull, Follow Me is such a well-earned break (and what a great little cue, so much better than the alternate! Despite its short length you really feel it went somewhere and explored its material satisfyingly), and then the alternates are all either very much or interestingly subtly different! I switched the Old Timer's Shacks and End Creditses for my main program, the one fault I feel the CD has is that the "film" End Credits reprises Dorinda Solo Flight too closely, right after Dorinda Solo Flight. But listening through as one big program, the two final tracks are a fantastic finale. Booklet's good too! Cover's great too! I'm really happy with this set.

Couldn't help myself. Here's a transcription of the soaring main theme, as it appears after the Jovian/Galaxy's-Edgesque opening. I left out some of the trumpet countermelody stuff around m. 14-16 for clarity's sake, and a few of the chordal inversions are speculative on my part, given the low audio quality at present. Really classic 1980s-sounding Williams, not-so-distant cousin of "The Mission" and a few other occasional pieces. Some of the harmonies and progressions are particularly characteristic -- oddly enough, most similar to the music when Willie is lifted from the lava pit in TOD!

In other words, "am I a selfish asshole" vs. "do I want art to be presented properly and accessibly". LLL should get on the digital train after Varese and Intrada, and convince JW too, including the booklets digitally too, THEN limited physical releases would be acceptable. I was insanely lucky to find this site just when all I wanted (or was about to find out I wanted) was about to come out or still available.

StarShipped!

Yes Do That CHINATOWN is, by a country mile, the greater of the two. THE RUSSIA HOUSE on the other hand is so damned sexy!

"No, I wish they were not limited." That was your choice of words to give us.

It might be hard to believe. But we used to live in caves and hunt in tribes too. Doesn't mean we haven't made progress.

Oh shit. What good is it to have Keith Richards living forever when the rest of them can die? It was the Stones who slowly re-introduced me to rock music a few years after Williams had turned me orchestral music exclusively. I was fortunate to catch them last two times they came to Austria, in 2014 and 2017. My father was a big Stones fan and used to put on their concert DVDs late at night at the end of family gatherings. Once the neighbours asked him the next day if he had been him playing them last night. When he apologised, they told him not to apologise but turn it up more next time.

@OneBuckFilms I’m the same way. Unless it’s a unique album I get rid of the previous version.

My favorite of the Excalibur recordings and one of of Rózsa's most interesting scores

Got this yesterday too. I'd say the sonic upgrade is pretty comparable to the one we got with Superman going from the FSM to the LLL set. In both cases, the FSM was very good, definitely better than what we had before and yet the LLL versions are warmer. I think this may say just as much about Mike Matessino's current mastering preferences as it does about the improved source elements. Still, the finished result sounds great and the added compression let's me hear more detail while listening the car, etc. Very glad to finally and legitimately own the narration-free Epilogue. Now I just have to sell the FSM version.

I've read the word Jihad is also used in the film. The book did use both "crusade" and "jihad", although the latter was more frequent

It's time for another "What Goldsmith do you want expanded next by Varese"-thread. But only after the next batch.

Never even heard of this one! I like Celebrate Discovery a lot more than most of the rest of this string of concert overtures. Looking forward to the concerto wave!

Could you throw some links my way? This is one of the few tracks that made an impression on me back in the day I'll give the score props for being more imaginative than Twilight Princess.

Yea the strings were what I instantly noticed when playing the first sample

The string writing is absolutely *lovely*.

John Williams, rising from the ashes?

@David Müller You are very welcome! Thank you so much for making an account just to comment here! That means the world to us. I'm so thankful to hear everything you had to say about the project, and that it has a life outside of people just clicking on it every Sunday. Your desire to hear thematic continuity is exactly why we started this project in the first place, so you've come to the right thread. Hope to hear more of your thoughts in the future! @superultramegaa Ok. So. Yes. This has been discussed many times, and I agree with you. I could barely go back and listen to the GOF cues when I needed to check or reference something while writing OOTP and HBP. So I feel you. We were toddlers at this when we first started, and absolutely want to go back and fix it up (as well as some stuff at the beginning of OOTP). It really came down to whether or not we wanted to restore GOF before or after tackling DH. I've finished my work on HBP and am planning to start DH1 in September while Molly finishes mixing and mastering for the remaining cues in Prince. So the short of it is that GOF is up in the air as to "when" but it's absolutely going to happen. BP

In the interests of rigour, and on the assumption that anyone cares about my opinion, I’m going to listen to as many recordings of each as I can face and give some thoughts on each. I’ll go roughly chronologically, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the best Main Title is the 1996 LSO/Williams one, so that’s that out of the way, bringing us to: Princess Leia’s Theme OST, LSO/Williams: Pretty good, considering they would have been almost sight-reading. There’s a wrong note in the flute at 2:16 (forgivable in the circumstances!) and the final violin solo is very good. NPO/Gerhardt: Feels slightly quicker at first, but more rubato means this runs more than half a minute slower than the OST. LAPO/Mehta: Similar tempo and running time to OST. Horn is quite strident over the melody (e.g. 2:27-2:44) which I don’t like. Timps unfortunately come in a fraction too early at 3:06 which ruins the big statement of the theme. The big crash at 3:43 is spot on, though. Final violin solo is excellent. Boston Pops/Williams: very nice - horns complement the melody without overpowering. Final violin doesn’t rall until the last moment, which is a bit too sudden, but that’s my only criticism. Utah SO/Kojian: rock-solid tempo with less rubato than the 1970s recordings, so that’s a plus for me. Violin solo at the end is perhaps a bit too self-indulgent and heavy on the vibrato. Skywalker SO/Williams: Lovely opening, but then the first horn solo isn’t dolce enough for me. At 2:29, why are the vibes going all Lionel Hampton when the score just has straight chords notated? From 2:36, the upper strings have an edge that needs softening. At 3:42-44 it sounds like there’s a rusty gear grinding on every beat. Final violin solo is fine until the last note, which is a shame. My verdict: No-one’s perfect, but for me the honours are split between Utah and Boston. Next up, it’s the Jawas… The Little People (Work) OST, LSO/Williams: Nice sprightly tempo which seems right, though that’s probably just because it’s what we’ve heard in the actual film for decades! Identical to concert version as far as it goes, the latter having about a minute’s recapitulation of the cor anglais theme at the end. LAPO/Mehta: Faster tempo than OST. Marimba accents starting at 0:42 are way more prominent. Someone makes a noise at 0:48 to distract from the start of the theme, which is a shame. I was really enjoying this, until the tuba came in at 2:13 sounding like a rutting stag with diphtheria. 3:09 onwards is wonderfully mysterious - just right. Someone then smacks the tamtam a bit too hard at 3:38 and has to quickly damp it. Skywalker SO/Williams: Noticeably slower than OST. Apart from that, this is pretty good which is just as well, since this and Mehta seem to be the only available recordings of the concert suite! Tuba solo is just right here. My verdict: Skywalker, once you accept the slightly leisurely tempo. As an aside, I’d forgotten how fun the concert version is - real shame it hasn’t proved as popular. The way the coda reverses the opening is very clever, and the final few bars make me smile.

That's why I actually thought it was a piece that he pulled off the shelf and dusted off! It was a nice work, and I really loved the new concerto as well. Makes me quite excited for the other new works expected, and I hope we get to hear it unlike a few other pieces that never surface like "A Toast".

@David Müller wow, thank you!! We've had a lot going on and somehow this notification got lost, but Ben will add his thoughts tomorrow as well - this means so much and we are thrilled that some of our initial plans when starting this project are hitting home for you and achieving the emotional beats we had also wanted to see from the beginning. It's still crazy for us that people are listening at all, so sincerely, thank you. I personally cried in theaters too when Desplat quoted Williams - it's really telling how powerful this music can be. We're really glad we can bring a little bit of that impact from Williams into the other films in some way (I would always listen to the JW scores while reading the series and it's been so exciting to work on this project with the thought of hearing those motifs over the whole journey). @superultramegaa hopefully! We feel the same! MS Also, we have two cues today for everyone! Lots of Prisoner of Azkaban-like statements as well. Here's Cues 16 - The Half-Blood Prince and 17 - The Cursed Necklace.

Total Recall - 4K-restored cinema screening for this Ahnult-in-his-pomp classic. Robocop, this, Starship Troopers ... without a doubt, Verhoeven used to be the go-to guy for sci-fi actioners with a satirical edge.

The new Han Solo and the Princess arrangement to me sounds like JW is eulogizing Carrie Fisher more-so than anything else. It certainly has no relation to the tone and feel of the TESB score or film

As far as I'm concerned, this album is a must have.

I can appreciate both approaches to a story but this is one moment where I hope Paul is painted in darker shades of grey. It's one of my favorite things about the novel Dune and I would be disappointed if they simplified Paul into being a hero or tragic hero. I don't think he is an anti-hero either. Paul is a unique take. It would get into spoiler territory to explain properly.