The Illustrious Jerry

Typical JWFan to have confirmation of an album release for John Williams’ latest and potentially last collaboration with Steven Spielberg in 2022 at the age of 90, and a significant portion of the response is that it’s “not enough”.
 
Scoring a film is never about how much music there is but where it goes and how it supports a scene. Being fortunate enough to know what to expect from this, a 30 minute “concept” album with a healthy serving of the main theme, rounded out coherently by the classical piano, sounds like a perfect presentation and a guarantee for many reflective listens in the years ahead. Rest assured Williams has delivered a gorgeously restrained outing that’s no less effective than his most wall-to-wall work. I said it before, but being reminded of his grace and deftness after the sequel trilogy years of blockbuster bombast is almost doubly impactful. I welcome something smaller like this, because it will always stir that same feeling of hearing the maestro’s work for the first time. That’s why we love JW, because he’s always finding ways to bring us back to that moment, while still transporting us to new ones.
 
Anyway, the runtime comes basically as expected after seeing the film. People will probably spend the next decade talking about the 20-second toy train insert we never got to hear clean, and I say why not, that’s their right. I’m thinking the opener must be the 4-5 minute credits suite, but then I’m not sure what the last track is made up of. And that’s all I can remember really, other than Mom’s Dance.

I can’t wait to hear this with you all. 

Typical JWFan to have confirmation of an album release for John Williams’ latest and potentially last collaboration with Steven Spielberg in 2022 at the age of 90, and a significant portion of the response is that it’s “not enough”.
 
Scoring a film is never about how much music there is but where it goes and how it supports a scene. Being fortunate enough to know what to expect from this, a 30 minute “concept” album with a healthy serving of the main theme, rounded out coherently by the classical piano, sounds like a perfect presentation and a guarantee for many reflective listens in the years ahead. Rest assured Williams has delivered a gorgeously restrained outing that’s no less effective than his most wall-to-wall work. I said it before, but being reminded of his grace and deftness after the sequel trilogy years of blockbuster bombast is almost doubly impactful. I welcome something smaller like this, because it will always stir that same feeling of hearing the maestro’s work for the first time. That’s why we love JW, because he’s always finding ways to bring us back to that moment, while still transporting us to new ones.
 
Anyway, the runtime comes basically as expected after seeing the film. People will probably spend the next decade talking about the 20-second toy train insert we never got to hear clean, and I say why not, that’s their right. I’m thinking the opener must be the 4-5 minute credits suite, but then I’m not sure what the last track is made up of. And that’s all I can remember really, other than Mom’s Dance.

I can’t wait to hear this with you all. 

Typical JWFan to have confirmation of an album release for John Williams’ latest and potentially last collaboration with Steven Spielberg in 2022 at the age of 90, and a significant portion of the response is that it’s “not enough”.
 
Scoring a film is never about how much music there is but where it goes and how it supports a scene. Being fortunate enough to know what to expect from this, a 30 minute “concept” album with a healthy serving of the main theme, rounded out coherently by the classical piano, sounds like a perfect presentation and a guarantee for many reflective listens in the years ahead. Rest assured Williams has delivered a gorgeously restrained outing that’s no less effective than his most wall-to-wall work. I said it before, but being reminded of his grace and deftness after the sequel trilogy years of blockbuster bombast is almost doubly impactful. I welcome something smaller like this, because it will always stir that same feeling of hearing the maestro’s work for the first time. That’s why we love JW, because he’s always finding ways to bring us back to that moment, while still transporting us to new ones.
 
Anyway, the runtime comes basically as expected after seeing the film. People will probably spend the next decade talking about the 20-second toy train insert we never got to hear clean, and I say why not, that’s their right. I’m thinking the opener must be the 4-5 minute credits suite, but then I’m not sure what the last track is made up of. And that’s all I can remember really, other than Mom’s Dance.

I can’t wait to hear this with you all. 

Typical JWFan to have confirmation of an album release for John Williams’ latest and potentially last collaboration with Steven Spielberg in 2022 at the age of 90, and a significant portion of the response is that it’s “not enough”.
 
Scoring a film is never about how much music there is but where it goes and how it supports a scene. Being fortunate enough to know what to expect from this, a 30 minute “concept” album with a healthy serving of the main theme, rounded out coherently by the classical piano, sounds like a perfect presentation and a guarantee for many reflective listens in the years ahead. Rest assured Williams has delivered a gorgeously restrained outing that’s no less effective than his most wall-to-wall work. I said it before, but being reminded of his grace and deftness after the sequel trilogy years of blockbuster bombast is almost doubly impactful. I welcome something smaller like this, because it will always stir that same feeling of hearing the maestro’s work for the first time. That’s why we love JW, because he’s always finding ways to bring us back to that moment, while still transporting us to new ones.
 
Anyway, the runtime comes basically as expected after seeing the film. People will probably spend the next decade talking about the 20-second toy train insert we never got to hear clean, and I say why not, that’s their right. I’m thinking the opener must be the 4-5 minute credits suite, but then I’m not sure what the last track is made up of. And that’s all I can remember really, other than Mom’s Dance.

I can’t wait to hear this with you all. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BKLW6J58
 
Tracklist 
 
1    The Fabelmans
2    Mitzi's Dance
3    Sonatina in A Minor, Op. 88 No. 3: III. Allegro burlesco - Joanne Pearce Martin
4    Midnight Call
5    Reverie
6    Mother and Son
7    Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36 No. 3: Spiritoso - Joanne Pearce Martin
8    Reflections
9    Concerto in D Minor, BWV 974: II. Adagio - John Williams / Joanne Pearce Martin
10    New House
11    The Letter
12    The Journey Begins (includes excerpt from Joseph Haydn: Sonata No. 48 in C Major, HOB. XVI: 35: I. Allegro con brio)

All this pearl-clutching about the amount of original score is absurd. It’s x minutes more original score in the JW canon than we have right now, and we know every minute of it is going to be quality. Surely that should be enough to satisfy us. 

Judge a score by its size, do you?  

When I was a kid, it took me a long time to understand that there was a "link" between Star Wars, E.T., Indiana Jones, Superman... In fact, I decided to build seriously a CD collection of John Williams after the release of Jurassic Park and Schindler's List, as I realized... ok that guy wrote the soundtrack of my life, I have to send him all my money from this moment on.
 
Then, many years later, I discovered this forum.
 
Since, I have no money left in my pockets.
 
Thanks! 

Having listened to the Britell album last week, what's missing isn't originality (that's the last thing i'd expect cited on a Williams forum as great attribute ) but a much simpler thing, which Britell could have provided: musical form. 
 
There's no need for elaborate rondos, fugues, scherzos or swooning romantic gestures as back in Williams' heyday, but this stuff barely hangs together as succession of sounds. It's mostly unharmonized rhythms, increased by more percussion layers. This becomes even more apparent when - for a few fleeting seconds - something like this violin duet in 'Past & Present Suite' appears. Out of nowhere, seemingly, to hit a specific moment they seem to deny the composer(s) except for when it's absolutely necessary.
 
I'm not especially taken with what McCreary did on Amazon's LOTR series, though it's night and day compared to this. What he offers in mammoth release after mammoth release is certainly form, melody and storytelling, though it comes in form of a mishmash of source/folk music and thumping trailer music clichés. It is certainly better than any of Disney's SW offerings of late, though it's just another form of creative cop-out. But it ain't gonna get much bette than this, i'm afraid. I fully expect JNH to nosedive the same with his upcoming 'Willow' tv series score, but i'm up for a happy surprise all the same!

I liked the album well enough and think that Brittell’s score fits the series like a glove.  There are pieces I’m really looking forward to on the next volume, especially from episodes 6 and 7.
 
Also loving that they’re not aiming for the Star Wars sound, because what people really mean is the Williams sound - and that just leads to dreadful Haab-style stuff.  Not to mention, Williams significantly altered or expanded what “the Star Wars sound” meant eight times, with every subsequent score starting in 1980.  Asking a different composer to come in and ape Williams is a much different matter - significantly narrowing their toolkit when Williams (with his own toolkit) broadened and broadened.

II would be perfectly fine with only the things I am interested in getting released.

Fans of real music instead of glorified sound design should take a listen here: Daniel Hart's new score for the 'Interview with the Vampire' series.

At this age (he's what 65 yo in the movie), that's not the quantity, but the quality that matters!

Mr. Bear, on page 720 of The Lord of the Rings, there is a quote from Frodo, he says “In a world full of mirth and magic, you lose time within yourself”.  Do you agree with this comment?

"Inspiration at War" is not only my single favorite McCreary cue it's one of my favorite film music cues from the last 10 years, period.  It's definitely the McCreary score I feel the most emotional connection to.
 
 

Maybe there will just be one album for the whole season

First Man - Justin Hurwitz
 
The cut at 2:55…. goosebumps every time…
 
 

An additional Milan date is extremely unlikely as the theatre is fully booked in either previous or following days.
 
I too believe the demand this time was particularly high given what was available. It wouldn't surprise me if there were around 10,000 people online at that moment.
 
Btw, in an incredible turn of the events, a kind-hearted JWfanner decided to sell to me one of the two tickets he succeded to get during yesterday's sale. I will be forever grateful to him

Oh yeah, baby! Even though I personally believe that RotS has one of the better SW OSTs, hearing the final act in full always reminds me that no album arrangement can do justice to the grand and dramatic opera that unfolds in the last hour or so. 
 
I think the stretch that includes the cues I Am The Senate, Lament, Swimming, Droids and Yoda Farewell, Moving Things Along, Anakin's Dark Deeds and It Can't Be is one of the strongest in all of SW, uncontested by all save perhaps ESB. And that's before we even get into all the Battle of the Heroes materials and The Immolation Scene. Plus there are dozens of golden nuggets in the first half too!
 
As for AotC, it gets a bad rap but it has some of the highest heights in the prequels IMO (The Meadow Scene, Finding Kamino, Yoda and the Younglings, Chase Through Coruscant, Finale). I don't often listen to the full score though, as the OST is a perfect presentation for my taste.

Henry Fonda in two different John Ford movies, leaning back in a chair, feet up
 

That's me waiting for a Star Wars expansion boxset.

You can't go wrong with the triple threat of Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water (my personal favourite JNH). That early to mid-2000s Shyamalan period remains his best work, I think.
 
In more recent memory, A Hidden Life is another one worth checking out, although definitely more oriented towards Malick's propensity for keeping his classical music temps.
 
Happy discovering!

Here's a string quartet piece of mine that premiered this summer at the Banff Centre:

Would love to hear thoughts!

Ha! I’ve pre-ordered this book so I’ll try and skip this page. I was very fortunate to meet Alan Rickman thanks to my work with Patrick Doyle a few years ago. Well, nearly 10 now! They were both very close friends being part of the London theatrical scene in the 70s and 80s. 
 
Shameless (!) photo below.

That must be true, since we already established that it goes for words of any length.
 
 

https://xkcd.com/853/