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batmanand

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Everything posted by batmanand

  1. Mmm yes... (runs away slightly scared). The bit in ESB where Han and Leia kiss in the tunnel in the Rebel HQ on Hoth I always found to be quite "charged".
  2. Neighbours. Yes, it is cheesy. Yes, it is hilariously unrealistic (the way characters forget their back stories with each other, change behaviour seemingly overnight, have infinite wardrobes, have no, then infinite, then no, then infinite money and so on). And yes, it is Australian. But still, I somehow love it.
  3. The worst score I have heard for a long time is for Shore's Se7en. It is meant to be quiet and threatening, and it becomes so instantly forgettable it is depressing. The only moment of note is when they are going to the thin guy; and then the music is a loud, misguided hodge-podge of orchestral rubbish. Oh dear. To make it even worse, there is a commentry by Howard Shore on the DVD in which he tries to say how deep and meaningful it all is. No, it is just crap.
  4. I heard a rumour once that Horner had overtaken the Maestro in terms of albums sold. Is this true?
  5. The LSO was the orchestra that performed the Raiders soundtrack. Neil Yeah just realised it was. Oh well, one factual error in that much text ain't bad...
  6. Report on London Symphony Orchestra concert, 20 February 2005, Barbican Hall, London Having been fortunate enough to have got my ticket for this concert a number of months in advance, I was able to pick a fantastic seat, five rows from the orchestra and right in the centre. This being my first ever JW concert, I was not sure what to expect. The LSO, who I have seen only once before and never live, are well renowned as one of the best orchestras in the world, and as the evening began with the members taking their places to spontaneous applause, and conductor Dirk Brossé striding on stage with no baton, excitement welled up inside me. The concert hall was packed full - having sold out several weeks earlier - and the crowd was of all ages and nationalities. The programme for the evening was clearly a crowd-pleaser rather than an attempt to introduce some of Williams' less well known works to the general public, but nevertheless for a first concert that was perhaps what I needed. The evening began with the Superman March, played energetically by the LSO. The cellos were the centre of my attention for much of the piece, as I had never fully appeciated how much they have to do in a typical Williams piece. It is only live that you see just how well the Maestro uses the whole orchetra to its fullest. The xylophone was also an instrument I had not heard before in the March, but the LSO player made sure I caught it this time. The sound was simply fantstic, and the giant cymbal crashes were adrenalin-pumping. The brass, as always thoughout the evening and throughout the LSO's JW scores, was superlative, proving why they would later in the concert be called the best brass section in the world. As the piece ended, the right mood had been created for the night, and everyone was hungry for more. The "presenter" for the evening was Tommy Pearson (a classical music radio presenter and finalist in the first BBC Young Musicians competition many years ago), who through the evening made us all feel very welcome as well as interviewing members of the LSO, reading out greetings from Williams' collaborators (Rick McCallum, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg) and introducing the pieces. The next piece, conducted with great gusto by Brossé, was Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter. It was, to use a somewhat overused phrase, magical. The quiet at the beginning, the strings leading into the main horn statement and then the huge middle section with the Nimbus 2000 themes were spectacular. The brass, for me, outperformed the CD, and the timpani was great. The keyboard, which I did not realise existed until Pearson mentioned it later, apparently plays the violin part, and it is very difficult. The horns in the middle section were beautiful, and the harp shone. The ending burst was greeted with much applause. The next piece was in a totally different direction. The Theme from Schindler's List, with the violin leader of the LSO as the soloist, was hauntingly beautiful played live. Granted, the soloist was not Perlman, and I doubt anyone will ever match the remarkable performance he gave on the original soundtrack, but the still he was excellent. The opening part before the soloist comes in was fantastic. Aagain, the cellos were notable, and there truly was pathos in the music. Another Second World War piece followed, in the form of Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan. To be honest, it was somewhat forgettable. Firstly, the lack of choir made it sound a bit weird. Also, the orchestra did get out of time a couple of times. Brossé was waving his hands like mad throughout. Despite all this, the LSO did get the key sections spot on, and it was an interesting listen nonetheless. I would have preferred to have heard something that did not require a choir, and something a little bit more different (something from A.I., or Minority Report for example). If Hymn to the Fallen was a little disappointing, Adventures on Earth was a triumph. The only word to describe it is "wow". The power, the beauty, the glory of the piece were all fully brought out by the LSO in a fabulous display of orchestral brilliance. Both the kinetic and the sentimental parts of the piece were played to their full. The ending, one of JW's undoubted greatest moments, was just magnificent. The cyballs, the brass and above all the horns were out of this world. Near the end, the horns were held up high, and as the piece concluded I was in no doubt that I had just heard the best piece of live music in my life. It was orchestral magic. Afterwards, Pearson interviewed, to spontaneous applause, Maurice Murphy, the prinicipal trumpetter of the LSO. He is a true living legend, confirming the urban myth that the first notes he played for the LSO were those opening trumpet blasts in Star Wars in 1977. Calling Williams "the governor", he said he loved the man, his music and his conducting. To end the first half, two Star Wars pieces were played. Firstly was the Main Titles from Star Wars. Put simply, it was the best playing of it I have ever heard, including recordings. The LSO, buoyed by Adventures on Earth, were on top form. The Princess Leia's Theme part was fabulous. The best part about it was that it was clear that the whole orchestra were having tremendous fun as well as making phenomenal music. The final piece of the half was the Imperial March, with Stormtroopers entering the concert hall to add atmosphere. It was thoroughly enjoyable, although played a little slowly for my liking. The brass, as always, was perfect, in this case overbearing and malicious. The playing was immaculate, and as we left the hall for a drink and an ice-cream, everyone in the audience agreed that the only thing they wanted the LSO to do better was to play for longer! The Olympic Fanfare and Theme provided a rousing opening to the second half. The brass were again excellent, and the piece is such a fantastic celebration of orchestral majesty that it was not hard to see why the LSO relished the challenge. The strings were wonderfully rhythmic in the long end section. Brossé again conducted with passion, ensuring the pace never slowed and the brass flourishes were highlighted. The applause was still loud, confirming that the audience, whose appetite had been very much wheted by the first half, were still hungry for more. Next, one of my favourite parts of the evening. The Close Encounters of the Third Kind Suite is a piece I have never heard, from a score I am not very familiar with. To heard it for the first time, performed by the LSO, then, was a gift. The atonality at the beginning was played with remarkable skill by the strings, and the whole piece was lyrical, almost poetic. The oboe solo of those famous five notes was fantastic. The string playing thoughout was nothing short of virtuouso. After the music, Pearson introduced us to Neil Percy, the principal percussionist for the LSO. He was also full of praise for Williams, and revealed to us something I did not know: that Williams' brother is a professional percussionist who almost performed on the recording of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Next was the only really "non-standard" piece ofthe evening. The Main Theme from JFK is a wonderful piece too scarcely performed or heard on the radio (the same goes for the score). The woodwind were excellent, the trumpetters (who got a bow afterwards) outstanding. The piece is tender, restrained and emotionally charged; perfect on an evening of grand fanfares and famous themes. One of Williams' most famous is of course the Raiders March, wonderfully played by the LSO. Except for one bum note near the beginning, the brass were as good as the studio orchestra in the film. One truly gets an idea of how complex the orchetration of a piece like the March is watching it live, and my attention was drawn to the second violins, who seemed to be performing a complex counterpoint throughout. Marion's theme was played better than on the soundtrack CD in my opinion, but the day was stolen by the trumpets, who thundered along with main motif fantastically well. The Main Theme from Jurassic Park was the penultimate programme item. It was an energetic suite, and with no piano it cut between different bits of different cues. The main theme segued into the Island theme, and then the ending was from T-Rex Rescue. The trumpets and horns were again amazing. The strings in this piece are so symphonic, in the true classical tradition; such is Williams' genius to bring this to the silver screen and the concert hall. One weird thing was a bells glissanto about halfway through the piece; a rare mistake or a later addition? Pearson then interviewed Nicole Wilson, a first violinist, about the Revenge of the Sith music they had just finished recording. Giving little away (the most we got was that the Imperial March does play when Anakin turns into Vader... now there's a surprise!), but she seemed excited and exhilarated by the music. The finale (we thought) was the Throne Room and End Title from Star Wars. Again, the combination of the LSO and Star Wars was irresistsible. With hints that the Throne Room will appear in the ROTS soundtrack, it was interesting listening to the piece, composed almost 30 years ago, and considering how apposite it will still be. Much of the piece was a repeat of what we had heard in the first half; not adventurous but definitely a crowd-pleaser and excellently played. As the last, glorious, chord was played, the audience clapped louder than ever. A standing ovation began, and within 30 seconds most of the audience was on its feet. Just as we thought we were about to leave, Pearson said "I think you want more". We sat down, with no idea what was going to happen next. And what an ending it turned out to be. Firstly, Pearson gave a "Williams update". He is in LA now, writing War of the Worlds. We heard official confirmation that JW is going to do Memoirs of a Geisha. And then the LSO performed Flying, from E.T., to a grateful audience. The strings and woodwind had their turns to shine, the violins and flutes being particularly impressive. It was as good as on the original soundtrack; pacy, cellos leading the way, and in time. The brass was well restrained, and the greand ending was just gorgous. Just as we thought that there would be no more, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and the stromtroopers returned. Brossé and Vader duelled: Vader's lightsaber snapping Brossé's baton. The conductor, defeated, fled, leaving Vader to take the rostrum. From here, he conducted the LSO in one final piece, aptly the Imperial March, including Boba Fett who had held the percussionists to ransom and now took over the cymbals. Incidentally, in terms of musical quality, this performance was in my opinion better than before, as it was nearly at my prefered tempo. The brass leading the way with enormous gusto, it was flighty, weighty and above all fun. Brossé was then led back on in handcuffs like Chewie, and as the Dark Lord released him, everyone gave their final applause. No-one who left that concert hall can possibly doubt the genius of Williams, the LSO... or the conducting skill of a Sith! It was a triumph, and hopefully will be the repeated many times in the future.
  7. Shoreplay is either the end of The Fields of the Pellenor or the end of Forth Eorlingas. Best Hornography is undoubtedly the End Credits of Apollo 13. I used to by the hard core A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics, until I realised it was fake. Dannygasm is The Grand Finale from Edward Scissorhands. I maestrobate every day to either the Prologue from Hook or various bits of SW music.
  8. I would have recommended you to listed to ESB anyway, regardless of what trailer it is in!
  9. My criteria for underrated scores are as follows: 1. The score must not be considered to be very good by the majority of film score fans 2. The score must be considered to be good, but not excellent, by JW fans 3. The score must actually (IMO) be excellent Therefore, on this basis, I think the following scores are underrated: 1. Seven Years in Tibet. That main theme, swooping as it does, and with that sumptuous brass backing, is amazing. And Yo-Yo Ma is genius. The whole score is hardly ever discussed, but I think it is all brilliant. 2. Minority Report. First time I heard it, I thought "boring". But repeating listenings have revealed a complex mess of underscore, tension and some brilliant themes. "Anderton's Great Escape" is the best JW action writing since Phantom Menace; "Spyders" is the most apposite theme for years; "Sean's Theme" is just remarkably emotional. Overall a 5* score, but often given 4 or even 3! 3. A.I. Now some will argue that JW fans think it is excellent, but I would say that it is beyond excellent. It is, at least, the best score of the 21st Century; perhaps the best since Phantom Menace. Totally cheated out of the Oscar, it contains the best minimalist writing of the last ten years (better even than The Hours IMO), some fantastic themes (the Abandoned in the Woods theme; the various themes in Hide and Seek; the cybertronics theme; and of course Monica's theme, which is up there in JW's top 10 themes of all time IMO. The score is so eclectic, such a mesh of styles and ideas. And yet it works SO well in the film, and it is SO effective as an album I would vote it underrated.
  10. I was a "lurker" for a year and a half! Then I got a life and joined....
  11. What is the difference between the first two options in the poll?
  12. In my humble opinion, Chamber of Secrets is overrated. Yes, the Chamber and Fawkes themes are wonderful; perhaps the best good and evil themes of the whole series so far. But the score: on the album, it plods along with no focus (too many minor themes (unlike PS, or SS for you Yanks), no really new ideas or styles (unlike POA)), and no outsanding cues. In the film, it is poorly cut and the filler PS/SS music is annoying.
  13. I think that the ideas sound interesting, but a 9 film series would have been almost impossible to maintain quality in. Also, it would have taken the better part of 30 years (assuming Lucas worked continuously). Doing the maths, Lucas would have just finished Episode IX (assuming he did 4-5-6-1-2-3-7-8-9) last year. This is, I think, slightly ridiculous. Arguably, 6 is too many. 9 is WAY too many. Also, Han Solo can't die! [or rather shouldn't] But 9 JW SW scores would have been good!
  14. ... and the black box on wheels mouse thing is the MOST interesting!
  15. The bit in SW where Chewie scares away the little black box on wheels that sounds like a mouse is "cute"
  16. Hahaha I love Airplane (music is also quite funny)
  17. Edward Scissorhands has on it one of my favourite "emotional" tracks of all time: The Grand Finale. It really is a classic. The score as a whole is excellent, but the album can be a little samey (particualrly with all the upbeat stuff in one half and all the darker stuff in another). Still, in the film, it is amazing. Batman is pretty good. The Theme is excellent: second only to Superman IMO for superheros. The rest of the score is quite good, although Elfman cannot write action like Williams can. The Joker's theme is also a little overblown....
  18. OK, my two cents. Best quality composition has to be Schindler's List. I honestly believe that every piece that JW composed for the film should proudly enter the canon of great classical works. The "Theme from Schindler's List" is, to a certain extent, beginning to get that recognition (although I still think Remembrances is better). The most impact on the film has to be Jaws. Simply put, the film would be crap without the music. It probably works better than Psycho, and taht is saying something. The most innovative and most impact on film music as a whole as to be Star Wars. It is hard to overstate the effect it had back in 1977. It, almost singlehandedly, revitalised orchestral film scoring. It is in my opinion the most important film score ever composed for that reason. The most beautiful music is ET. The flying theme, as he is lifted off by ET, is the most magical moment in cinema history (voted for by Empire magazine). I also love the sly Yoda's theme quote.... for the quick-eared JW enthusiast. Every time I hear it, it is like Williams himself looking over his shoulder as he is conducing and winking at us. Fantastic. Overall, then, it is a toughie. In the end, I voted Star Wars, simply because I think it wins its category and comes runner up in all the others; and because I cannot see any of the others (obviously excepting Jaws) existing without it. Shame he was robbed in 1980, cos ESB would have been my ideal choice.
  19. The LSO concert in London on the evening of February 20 is now SOLD OUT! http://www.lso.co.uk/home/ Yours truly, along with many other happy JW fans will be there, and will deliver a report asap. It promises to be a fantastic night... just shame the Maestro himself will not be there (but reading the Episode III recording sessions blurb it sounds like he is keeping busy in a very productive way!) PS First post!
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