SteveMc

I don't know how the cue lines up in the film, but I find it interesting you call it silly...while it's definitely exaggerated with all of those trilling woodwinds, I find the tone to be ominous with a great feeling of the characters getting in something way over their heads, further building all the way through to the end of the trash compactor sequence. Too much, probably, but not a tonal misfire. If anything, I would say the music would have slowed the pacing of the film down too much, drawing the scene in its own "shell", so to speak.
 
 
On a general note--and I apologize if this has been stated before--it's important to note with a good number of the cues listed in this thread, and elsewhere for other film composers, that before a single note was written, the director and composer could have very well agreed that the scene in question could be better with no music, but want something covered just in case-as George Lucas said once, "useable, or loseable." Or,  the director could have an attitude of--and I've experienced this personally--"I don't exactly know what I want here, could you just come up with something? We'll go from there." 
 
Personally, I find it incredible that composers such as John Williams can write such captivating, full-grown music with that angle of experimentation in the short time frame they have.

I just updated my James Horner Playlist. Obvious choices, but a very pleasant playlist!
 

It was an f’ing awesome day!!!
 

 

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Star_Wars_Producer_Gary_Kurtz_Passes_Away_At_Age_78_181969.asp
 
A very talented producer and a crucial figure in bringing George Lucas' vision to life. RIP.

I've always adored this theme, and particularly this performance. The bit where he ascends and transitions from playing to conducting at 1:10 is just glorious - almost a kind of choreographed dance move; the 90 degree turn timed to the beat. 😅
 
 

Some pictures from the above link:
 

 

Sorry to double post but here are a few more pictures courtesy of Daniel James Chan on FB
 
 
 

Hmmm, haven't posted my score listens in a long while for some reason, so let's catch up
 
 
Mark Mancina - Twister (LLL)
 
Super fun.  I don't even mind that it's shorter than most action/adventure scores I listen to - everything I need is here!
 
 
Yasunori Mitsuda & Nobuo Uematsu - Front Mission Gun Hazard
 
Hadn't listened in a while, probably because of all the Xenoblade II listens, but when I returned to it I found I loved it as much as ever
 

Danny Elfman - Mission: Impossible (Complete)
 
Glorious.
 

Michael Giacchino - Spider-man:Homecoming
 
Still find this to be one of his best efforts of recent years that never gets old with repeated listens.
 

Eric Serra - The Fifth Element
 
Still a favorite of mine since my teenage years, still hope for a 2CD complete edition one day.  I do prefer the fan edits made from iso score rips over the OST presentation, though it's hard to argue that the OST doesn't cover all the highlights.  I just like more time in this musical world I guess.  

 
Brian Tyler - Crazy Rich Asians
 
MEH.  Don't see what all the hype is all about at all.

 
James Newton Howard - Waterworld (Complete)
 
Still a wonderful action/adventure/fantasy score!
 

John Barry - Dances with Wolves (LLL)
 
Lovely LOVELY score, but I find it to be so emotionally draining that I rarely listen to it!
 

Fantastic arrangement and performance of Gremlins 2 end credits suite!
 
 

Interesting interview with JG about religion and its influence on his life and music:
 
 
Source: http://jewishjournal.com/old_stories/1351/

Ooh, that is sublime.

A contemplative Monday morning.  On my third listen of just the adagio from Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G.
 
Music does not get more expressive than this.  The flute line that breaks the spell of the solo piano is just indescribable.
 
 

It's aged the same as any other Zimmer score from that era, that is to say not very well, as far as its aesthetic design goes. All of Zimmer's scores will in turn suffer from this problem, since he has a strong preference for cutting edge synth and sampling. The time eventually comes when any computer processed music comes to sound like a product of its time; as apposed to a more traditional and 'timeless' acoustic approach.
 
Regardless, I still am able to enjoy a great deal of Zimmer on the music's own terms, same as I can still enjoy 80s ditties or whatever else like it.

Actually, if I recall correctly, Rosa Lhevinne was the one who told Williams that his true talents lay in composing and arranging, and encouraged him to pursue a career in that realm.
Apparently, he would transcript larger works for piano performance while at Julliard.
 
I do very much like his approach at the piano, but it is certain he is no incredible virtuoso, which seems to be what is demanded of a top tier concert pianist.  

Giuseppe Verdi: String Quartet in E minor: III: Prestissimo 
Brilliant!

Every John Williams cue are right, it's movie scenes which are sometimes wrong.
 
🙄

That honour clearly belongs to Tron:Legacy. Martinez's exercises in static-ness are mostly good background listens.
 
Legrand's flowering score for a neglectable 1970 Shepperton version of 'Wuthering Heights' is on par with Williams' Bronte reading of 'Jane Eyre', both featuring prominent, opulently romantic main themes for their female protagonists' fateful activities in the forbidding Yorkshire moors. While Legrand makes a more forceful use of his London Studio Orchestra brass section, which Williams mostly eschewed, strings and flutes dominate, with guitar, harpsichord and violin solos strengthening the connection of both works. Sadly hard to find, it's another very good Legrand, who did rarely misstep in his film music (not counting 'Never Say never Again') and should satisfy friends of sophisticated romanticism.

https://www.amazon.com/Sergei-Prokofiev-David-Ward-steinman-Music/dp/B000S58M1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537654698&sr=8-1&keywords=prokofiev+john+williams

And just the feeling JW was going for (taunting, berating, bullying...). Yes, brilliant stuff indeed.

I am not sure if this deserves a new thread, but Wow, i loved it!
I would definitely watch a movie of this although I'm generally against remakes.
 
 

Has Titanic aged well?  Yes and no.  Horner knew his stuff, so, for the most part the score is rooted in technique and approach that indeed lasts, and definitely leaves genuine impact.  
Yet, I feel he was being too contemporary with some of the material, especially the synth choir.  Electronics can be a mixed bag to be sure.  

In my very humble (and fairly ignorant) opinion, I've come to revere his conducting style such that I compare every other conductor I see to him.
 
I know very little about conducting besides what I observe at concerts. But I've come to like JW's style because it looks so effortless, functional, unpretentious, and not so flamboyant that it makes a mockery or steals attention from the musicians. 
 
Three of my favourite examples:
 
Soundings (especially the last two notes!).
 
See 4:08 in this!
 
And him loving the choir at 2:40 here:
 
I would say in polar opposite is Keith Lockhart, whom I don't hate, but he really exemplifies how different one can be to JW. He doesn't use a baton, and he feels the need to almost 'dance' to get the message across.
 
It's unfortunate, that since his pace-maker operation a few years ago, his shoulder movement seems to have become somewhat inhibited, and he seems to have become less animated in his public conducting. I look forward to seeing (if, indeed, it gets video-taped) how he gets on at the LSO concert next month.

This popped up earlier this month on YouTube, not sure if it was mentioned here all those years ago or slipped under the radar. Enjoy!
 
 

I think the electronic choir sounds like 90s midi samples.