Smaug

Apollonian and Dyonisian as I understand them, are two different approaches to life. These are the best explanations I?ve found: Apollonian: Derived from Nietzsche?s symbolic use of the name of the Greek god of light and truth, Apollo, to describe a psychological condition, the term can be either a noun meaning "one who must have order and discipline in his or her life" ? or an adjective, referring to the orderly, rational component in a person, a society, or a work of art. The Apollonian spirit is scientific and critical; by emphasising reason, it offers assurance that the universe is intelligible. More than that, it demands that intuition be held in check by the clear light of rationality. An Apollonian person delights in connections that make sense out of apparently unrelated phenomena. Dionysian: Derived from Nietzsche?s symbolic use of the name of the Greek god of wine and vegetation, Dionysus, to describe a psychological condition, the term means "one who enjoys excess in pleasurable activities" or "one for whom intuition and spontaneity predominate," and as an adjective refers to the spontaneous or creative components in a person, a society, or a work of art. The Dionysian spirit is found in abundance in the humanities. It is the moving force behind most of the world?s great music, dance, poetry, theatre, and visual art. The Dionysian person is not afraid of trusting hunches and intuition, of expressing deep-rooted emotion So there ya go??

I like many of the works conducted by Bernstein, Solti, Karajan and Williams (!) but I've got to go with Zubin Mehta on this one.

I hate to diagree, but as someone who teaches music to teenagers, I have been inundated with questions and requests about the music for LOTR, there are some serious film music fans getting started through that music (though I think Orlando Bloom may have something to do with their enthusiasm as well). I'm also studying film music with Year 9 (14 yr olds) and they love it, every single bit, especially trying to do their own. As for Titanic? Well, I have a soft spot for 'My Heart Will Go On", but that's for personal reasons. As a teacher I'm sick to death of the thing, its all any kid wanted to play for at least 4 years after it was released......AAARRRG I like most of the music, but its not up there with my favourites.

Re: To kill a Nazgul In the book, the scene is as follows: After Theoden is struck down, Eowyn (Dernhelm) stands between him and the Nazgul and they 'chat'. When she draws her sword Eowyn says: "Do what you will; but I will hinder it if I may" Nazgul: "Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!" Eowyn: "But no living man am I!" etc. There is no mention of why Merry thinks he can affect the Nazgul, just that he feel s he has to do something to help her. Maybe the prophecy should have referred to 'the male of any species'! Smaug Who can't see the film for a while and is much relieved to be able to read about it (currently surrounded by people who know NOTHING about Tolkein and won't talk in case I reveal something from the next film).

What can I say? I Love Cats, the picture was too much to resist. She also looks very like a cat called Sammy who lives near me. Jennie

I can't say that there is one Indy film that is really bad. They all fit different film watching moods. The only difference is that Last Crusade is the 'after dinner' film - very easy to let it wash over you. Possibly the one I'd re-watch less.

WOW!!! That was excellent! Have now heard it at least five times, and it seems to be getting better each time! Any more where that came from?

Among the may great composers: Debussy and Grieg (no real favourite pices) Gorecki - Miserere Bizet - Pearl Fishers duet Bernstein - Overture de Candide Doppler - Andante and Rondo (for 2 flutes) - amazing to listen to, even better to play! Also a range of Renaissance composers including: Josquin De Prez; John Dowland; Palestrina; Guillaume de Machaut; Ockeghem and Monteverdi.

At first I just thought that combining all threads into one for LOTR would be good just 'cos I wouldn't have look through fifty thousand other threads before I found what I wanted. Now, I think it was worth it for the amusement value of watching everyone else scrapping over it!!

What a response!! I have to agree with musicpete - there are good things in all of them: Batman Definitely one of the top contenders I think. Interesting start, the composer creates and builds an atmosphere to start before introducing the theme. Throughout the piece the theme reappears in different forms and moods echoing, I think, the different aspects of the chosen character. I especially like the way that the earlier quiet reflective form of the theme is drawn together with the more sinister version to create a ?semi-heroic? passage nearer the end. But it is long, very long. I felt there were some passages that nearly lost the plot. This entry has some epic qualities that, if scored for full orchestra, would be outstanding. Introduction and Superman Theme A very strong drone accompaniment feature at the beginning and the strong bass immediately after caught my attention. The ideas for the theme are also very strong especially with the chosen sound, but I?m not sure about some of the chromatics. It did seem a little too busy in places, the overactive triangle for example, I found very distracting. At a slower tempo and with more sweeping strings and woodwind it could be promising. Superman The choice and use of instruments at the beginning gives this an interesting ?mystical? quality. Whilst the theme is strong, the first section did not do it justice. The composer has tried to be so rhythmically clever at the start that it is easy to lose track of the melodic line. I liked the driving ostinato patterns and the interesting use of the flute, but the string passages felt ponderous instead of sweeping. A real effort has been made to use the theme in different ways, but for me it doesn?t quite hang together. The Punisher This had an atmospheric beginning. Excellent orchestration and use of effects. The two full orchestra sections (near the beginning and the end) are stunning, although very short. I hear recognisable motifs, but am struggling to call any a ?theme?. I felt there were too many changes and not enough development. It would be well suited to the title sequence of a film, following a character?s actions, but does not establish a theme to associate with the chosen character. The Hulk My other main contender. Another an atmospheric start, interesting, and effective, choice of piano. The subtle use of tremelo and ?growls? from the low strings add to the brooding feel. I like the way it builds up to, I imagine, the character?s transformation in to the Hulk, and the use of a 3 beat ostinato against the 4 beat time signature. The full orchestral sections, especially with the addition of the choir, are very effective, but the lack of woodwind at times makes it a little ponderous in the middle. An interesting ending - the music leaving the impression that although the character has transformed back, the monster is still a part of him. Theme from X-Men Interesting choice of instruments and pitch at the beginning, very atmospheric. The repeating pattern in the clarinet is recognisable and would serve well as incidental music during a film, but cannot really be called a theme. X-Men Atmospheric at the start and a strong memorable theme (too memorable!!). An interesting combination of ostinati on bassoon and snare creating drive and I liked the prominence of the strings towards the end. It was, however, very short. I thought this had great potential and would benefit from using a much wider range of the orchestra. OK, I know there?s a lot to read here, but I?m entitled to justify my choice. For me it was a two horse race - Batman and the Hulk. My vote goes to the Hulk. It is not necessarily a ?nice? piece to listen to, but it invokes the character most effectively and shows development of a main theme. Above all, the music creates as unsettling a feeling as the character does - nice one!