TownerFan

Very interesting video interview with Giacchino by popular online film critic David Poland. He talks about Lost, Ratatouille, his approach to scoring and various other things. Poland also raved about Giacchino in his Ratatouille film review. Here's the bit:

That's an easy one for me: Above all, the french horn solo at the beginning of "Princess Leia's Theme" from Star Wars (the original LSO recording, with the great David Cripps). Then, the solo in "Luke and Leia" from ROTJ. Also, I have a soft spot for the horn solo in "Give Me Your Names" from Schindler's List. Very touching moment. Oh, and the beginning of "Arlington" from JFK too, especially when the horn does that chilling variation on the main theme.

Another superb moment of pure bliss: from The Empire Strikes Back, the final moments of the "Snowspeeders to the Rescue" cue: the airy, gorgeous, infectious melody played on strings when the pilot finds Han and say "I found 'em! Repeat, I found 'em!". This few seconds up until the end of the cue always give me goosebumps and make me giddy.

Ordered! I also picked up Intrada's new recording of SPELLBOUND by Dr. Miklos Rozsa, which sounds amusing.

I always loved Murphy's gorgeous trumpet solo in Monsignor. He's really a brilliant and unique musician.

At the LSO website, there's a tribute to Maurice Murphy, the legendary principal trumpet player of the orchestra, which has just retired. HERE you can listen to a special podcast where various musicians share their recollections about working with Maurice Murphy. John Williams remembers his personal memories about Murphy, especially about the recording of Star Wars (which was Murphy's first job after getting into the LSO).

Uuh, this brings to mind another favourite of mine: the mesmerizing and heart-wrenching flute solo in "Farewell Neverland" (4:13 - 4:43), coupled with harp and tremolo strings, which underscores Peter's awakening in the garden. You don't have to pick just one. Choose how many you want, start with the ones that pop up to your mind at first. I know it's hard, since there are literally hundreds of those kind of moments in many JW scores...

Hey, talkin' about bumping old threads... I have to ask this one: I recently found this 2-CD Expanded boot (which comprises the offically released tracks from the OST combined with the "Vol.2" bootleg tracks, in chronological order) and it seems to my ears that this version has the fixed unreleased tracks (with the exception of "Dunn and Duffy Circus Train"). Am I correct? Or are those tracks still at the wrong speed? Thanks! Maurizio -- who really wants an official expanded edition of this score (and ToD too, of course)

Exactly. I was talking more about little moments, maybe even few seconds of music that are meaningful and special for you... if you know what I mean.

The other day I was listening to the Complete Edition of Star Wars Episode I: it was a long time since I listened to the whole score in its entirety (and I almost forgot how freakin' good it is!). However, I really fell in a sort of rapture during "Anakin is Free", particularly in the moment when the reed flute enters and plays that melancholic, wistful melody (from 2:12 to 3:30). This is one of those moments which I like to call "pure Williams bliss": a small fragment of music that really captures me in an almost magical way. It's hard to explain this kind of feel just with words... but I'm sure every JWfan has experienced these kind of moments and every one of you has his/her favourites. It's maybe just a few minutes or even a few seconds of music... but it's something that grabs you and stays with you forever. So, pick your favourite moments of pure Williams bliss and share them with us

It's now clear this thing leaked from some source because an official CD is very likely on the way. I'll certainly buy the CD when it will come out (and I hope it will be mastered from stereo tracks), but now I'm very happy I can finally listen to this Williams' gem! Maurizio

Yep, right. There are several motif that now are more clearly associated to characters and situations. I'm trying to do a breakdown of all these.

If this is indeed the explanation, I think it wasn't very well executed in terms of writing. It's lacking something, there wasn't anything before that could have pointed to an explanation like that: in the past episodes, we saw Peter always succeeding in managing his new powers. It would have been more acceptable if the fight between him and Sylar provoked some serious consequences to some of his powers. Instead, we just saw him giving punches to Sylar and not much else. The creators were saying that the finale was worth of a 90-million dollars blockbuster. Well, talk about hype...

So, did anyone went to one of these concerts? What was the exact programme? I'm curious!

***SPOILERS*** Totally agree. It was an awesome season finale. It felt really like a movie. The great spin at the end about the flash-forward opens up very cool possibilities in the whole narrative arc and the storytelling. I stayed away from spoilers, so for me it was a complete and unexpected twist. Charlie's demise was poignant and moving, even if expected. Ben and Jack are going to be more and more the mirror of each other. Sawyer will go through a very dark and dangerous journey from now on. Kate is going to be more of a pivotal character than she was until now. And I bet Locke will be the one character who will "unlocke" Island's mysteries. A note about the music: another great job by Michael Giacchino. It was great to hear again the action-y passacaglia-like motif from Season 1 all throughout the episode.

I too think the finale wasn't up to all the cool premises and the build-up of the previous episodes. Heck, I wanted to see a real battle between Peter and Sylar! Also, it didn't make a lot of sense the fact Nathan has to flew Peter away (apart from the redemption of the character, who sacrifices himself for the greater good)... doesn't Peter have the power of flying too? Why couldn't he fly away by himself? Also, I found the dialogue between Peter and Shaft the Detective to be pretty lame... "All the world needs now is love" or something like that... Well, a bit disappointing, but the show was fun to watch up until now. Let's hope Season 2 will improve and make it even better.

My favourite Williams harp moments are the ones in Jaws 2, especially in the cue "Ballet for Divers". Some great writing in there! However, harp is an instrument which JW always treats with great care and love. If you see his sketches, you'll notice the harp writing is incredibly detailed. He uses harp not just to double melodic lines, but mainly in counterpoint, also to add color and nuance.

You can listen to the whole 3 minute loop HERE. I have to say it sounds promising and intriguing. It seems Hooper is staying much closer to Williams' approach and stylings (i.e.: the use of celesta) than Doyle.

Variety reports today that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will produce and direct a trilogy inspired from the popular comic-book TINTIN. Each one will direct at least one of the three movies, which will be realized with WETA's most recent performance-capture technology. Awesome news! Can we expect also Williams and Shore teaming up for the score?

I bet Locke isn't going out from the series just like some expendable punk (i.e. Nikki & Paulo). I'm pretty confident he is one of the pivotal characters (if not THE MAIN character) of the entire story, so I'm sure he will stay around till the end. BTW, "The Man Behind the Curtain" was a really awesome episode. The scene in the cabin where Jacob is revealed (well, sort of!) gave me spine tingles and was the first venture of the series into horror territory. I really have to tip my hat to Lindelof & Cuse for the way they write the show. The narrative is so dense, full of literary references and peppered with a lot of food for thought and imagination, without losing the entertainment core values. I couldn't ask more from a TV show, really. Did anyone noticed the score of this episode? I really loved the way Giacchino transformed the creepy Others/Ben motif (the one that sounds like Planet of the Apes) into a melancholic theme just played on piano. Oh, and Michael Emerson is a great actor. His portrayal of Ben is just great. Please, give this man an Emmy Award NOW!

So it's official, guys: Lost will end in 2010. I think it's a very, very smart move (and also an unprecedented one, in the history of network television). I like also the idea of three shorter seasons, instead of two regular ones, because it could help the storytelling to be tighter.

I think the whole "they're in purgatory" theory works only as a metaphor for the whole series. All the characters are clearly brought to confront their dark past, they have to face their guilts and they're tested in their beliefs. This was really clear since the first episodes of Season 1, imho. But if this would be the literal explanation of the whole narrative, I think it would be a very bland and trite one. Anyway, it should be noted also that J.J. Abrams is no longer directly involved in Lost. Of course, he left a clear mark on how the series works and in its narrative style, but he isn't writing or producing anymore. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are the masterminds behind the show (and they're really damn good writers, in my humble opinion, as the latest episode "The Brig" showed once again). I continue to enjoy very much Giacchino's scores also in Season 3. I spotted quite a few very good moments throughout this season and I loved the various nods to Jerry Goldsmith he did in several episodes (there's a motif associated with the Others/Ben that is very Planet of the Apes-like). I think he's still doing some amazing stuff for a TV show. Maybe we have now already accostumed our ears to the Lost scoring style, so now it doesn't sound as brilliant and provocative as it was back in Season 1. I really hope Varèse will give us a Season 3 CD soon

When it comes to woodwinds, John Williams never fails to write some of his best pieces (ditto for strings, brass, percussion and keyboard instruments ) I have many favourites JW pieces that sport great moments written for woodwind instruments, so it's not easy just to pick one or two. I think "Schindler's Workforce" from Schindler's List contains some of the best woodwind writing (especially for clarinet) he has ever done; "Lost Boy Chase" from Hook has some amazing, virtuosic passages for flute and piccolo that always leave me breathless; Saving Private Ryan is brimful of impeccable clarinet/flute writing; I also love the flute solos throughout The River and Sleepers. But if I have just to pick one single moment of pure Williams woodwind bliss, I choose the final minute of "Secrets of the Castle" from Prisoner of Azkaban. Pure delight!

Well, I've just checked at this and it seems the "Ciudad de la Imagen" (where all the conferences and one of the concerts will take place) is quite far the center of Madrid and it isn't very well served by public transportation (the only way to get there is by car or by bus). Too bad, as I was planning on doing some Madrid sightseeing and movida this year too...