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What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)


Ollie

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You're everything I never want to be!

Incidentally, I just saw this via JoAnn Kane. How extensive is the organ part in the score (Desplat's Grand Budapest Hotel)? Nice to see my "first" instrument continuing its presence in film music.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoM7_i5CYAE1rHM.jpg:large

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Stick It To The Man by Joel Bille

So glad that this was available on iTunes. I just finished up the game, and it's one of the most striking scores I've heard all year. Great jazz lounge sound that perfectly blends with the game design and aesthetics. The kind of stuff that you would never imagine getting a release. Probably nothing for most, but any jazz enthusiasts should give it a whirl.

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Nixon

Amistad - JW

Good stuff. :thumbup:

Amistad I feel is rather wrongly accused of being middle of the road Williams when it actually contains some of his most ambitious and interesting ethnic writing. But I guess it is the "safe" Americana writing that doesn't appeal to a whole lot of people and the general opinion of the movie also has something to do with it.

And then there is Nixon. What is there not to like in this tortured, psychological and nuanced score that became sort of a spring board for many later dark drama laden JW scores. It is sort of a combination of both Born on the Fourth of July and JFK techniques and styles ranging from gorgeous lyricism to some of JWs darkest and grimmest pages. Oliver Stone always brought the best out of him in his trilogy of collaborations.

Lincoln by John Williams

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The Amazing Spiderman 2 by Hans Zimmer and bunch of other guys: I made it little further into the score this time but my interest faded after So Much Anger (kind of fitting I guess). Still not my cup of tea. There is very little here that would intrigue, move or thrill me. Sorry Hans. Better luck next time.

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As our lord and saviour ol' John would say: I'll try! :thumbup:

But to give my ears something different before that try:

Vertigo by Bernard Herrmann (the original recording): I just bought the Varese release of the original tracks recorded at London and Vienna. While I adore the McNeely re-recording there is nothing quite like hearing the original music contained in the picture.

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Gladiator. Surprisingly, the girls like getting out of a car in front of their friends with the swaggering bit at 5:52 blasting in the background.

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How does the original "Vertigo" sound? Is it in stereo?

It is in part stereo, in part mono, The sound of course it not as good as of the re-recording but it is not as bad as I expected since all the elements have not survived in pristine condition (and some have not at all). On the other hand this version contains sections that are not on the re-recording (several pieces in fact) althought most of the significant material is on the McNeely re-recording. Still I would say it is worth investigating just to hear the original Muir Mathieson conducted performance.

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Snow Falling on Cedars - James Newton Howard

This one is one hell of a ride if one is in the proper mood for it. Personally, I consider the "Tarawa" track one of the finest pieces of film music ever written.

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alternating between the pre-Special Edition Episode IV score (favourite track might be "The Last Battle", starting with elements of I think Shootout in the Cell Bay and seguing seamlessly into Battle of Yavin) and currently, Shadows of the Empire. Between them Imperial City & Night Skies conjure this image of Coruscant brilliantly.

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How The West Was Won (Alfred Newman)

Newman's furiously swirling main titles rank up there with Star Wars as an exciting, showstopper of an opening.

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I've got to say, Memoirs is one of first and favourites of the maestro's work. The concert suite is just divine.

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Snow Falling on Cedars - James Newton Howard This one is one hell of a ride if one is in the proper mood for it. Personally, I consider the "Tarawa" track one of the finest pieces of film music ever written.

Top Howard score, that one.

Indeed. He hasn't done something quite like it since in my opinion but has come close a couple of times with the likes of The Village.

Memoirs Of A Geisha, The Last Samurai

Nice companion scores. The former is top-five material among the composer's body of work.

Memoirs is indeed some of Williams' top material. I would not claim it to be entirely authentic as far as its Japanese stylings go, but it is more of an allusion anyway like most of Williams' ethnic efforts with its feet firmly planted in the Western orchestral tradition. Meaning that Williams isn't trying to write a Japanese score but a dramatic score, where Japanese elements are there to enchance the feel of the movie and guide the audience but not the focus of the exercise. There are of course more of these ethnic colourings than in e.g. Angela's Ashes where any hints to Irish music are subtle turns of musical phrases without any specific instrumentational hints to the culture but I think Memoirs is more or less in line with Seven Years in Tibet in the overall way the composer uses ethnic instrumental colours to evoke time and place.

Sorry to say but even though The Last Samurai has its moments it is not top-tier Zimmer. I remember being a bit disappointed by the OST album back when the movie came out. But it has been years since I listened to it. I'll put it on my list along with Spidey 2 suites.

I've got to say, Memoirs is one of first and favourites of the maestro's work. The concert suite is just divine.

The concert suite is indeed a fantastic extension of the original score. I wouldn't mind hearing the complete Memoirs of a Geisha score one day though. ;)

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This was my first proper listen of Memoirs outside of the film. I've not heard the suite, but in the score, there is this fleeting melodic idea that is absolutely ravishing, and I don't think it makes more than a single appearance. If the suite involves that material, I must hear it.

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It's the first thing you hear in that suite. It's in fact a dance between the main theme and this one. And in the final movement there is a grander variation on it that's different from anything else in the film score.

And so you know, the score is great. But the suite is better.

Karol

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It's the first thing you hear in that suite. It's in fact a dance between the main theme and this one. And in the final movement there is a grander variation on it that's different from anything else in the film score.

And so you know, the score is great. But the suite is better.

Karol

In the suite, Williams treats this melody as a B section to Sayuri's theme. In fact, it might be exactly what it is.

Karol

That melody is actually Chiyo's Theme, which Williams employs quite often as a counterpoint to Sayuri's Theme as these two depict the two different sides of the main character, the person she was before and the one she becomes as a geisha. The suite version of Sayuri's Theme develops both ideas in the most wonderful way.

On the OST the A Dream Discarded is basically a lovely solo cello deconstruction of Chiyo's Theme. And as I said above the theme can be heard more than once on the OST album and in the film as well.

For more of my thoughts on the subject found in:

Original Soundtrack Review

Analysis of the Suite for Cello and Orchestra from Memoirs of a Geisha

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I've just listened to the suite. While it is expectedly lovely and I like the expansion of the "Chiyo" material, I ultimately prefer the impressionistic score to the more structured, "adapted for the concert hall" suite.

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Yeah, Mikko is the person to go to, when it comes to these things.

I've just listened to the suite. While it is expectedly lovely and I like the expansion of the "Chiyo" material, I ultimately prefer the impressionistic score to the more structured, "adapted for the concert hall" suite.

What about Chairman's Waltz?

:music:Fantastic Voyage by Leonard Rosenman

Karol

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Yeah, Mikko is the person to go to, when it comes to these things.

I've just listened to the suite. While it is expectedly lovely and I like the expansion of the "Chiyo" material, I ultimately prefer the impressionistic score to the more structured, "adapted for the concert hall" suite.

What about Chairman's Waltz?

Karol

Chairman's Waltz in the suite form gives Williams a chance to explore the material further and open up the rather neutral valse triste melody into a more romantic one as it obviously is meant to be including a very classic Williams-esque crescendo. The variations heard on the soundtrack album are perfect for the film, mirroring the outwardly passionless Japanese society where people are apparently quite serene and calm and in the chairman's case exudes also a bit of that loaned Slavonic or European sophistication, refinement and culture.

I also have to say that the recording of the OST is exceptional and as the Suite recording iwas done live, I would very much love a studio recording of it some day with the same team as for the film (Ma & Perlman).

:music:Death Storm from Shipping News by Christopher Young

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How does the original "Vertigo" sound? Is it in stereo?

It is in part stereo, in part mono, The sound of course it not as good as of the re-recording but it is not as bad as I expected since all the elements have not survived in pristine condition (and some have not at all). On the other hand this version contains sections that are not on the re-recording (several pieces in fact) althought most of the significant material is on the McNeely re-recording. Still I would say it is worth investigating just to hear the original Muir Mathieson conducted performance.

Thank-you for that, Canc, I'll check it out.

Snow Falling on Cedars - James Newton Howard This one is one hell of a ride if one is in the proper mood for it. Personally, I consider the "Tarawa" track one of the finest pieces of film music ever written.

A great score, form a quietly magnificent film.

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It came along with a book by Douglas Gordon called "Feature Film". Certainly not worth purchasing at this point because it goes for $1150 new on Amazon. I doubt the used copies would have the score attached to it. Pretty rare, but I'm sure it could be... erm... "obtained"...

Here's a sample on YouTube:

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It's the complete score, but presented in one long 74 minute track. Hmmm, there are cheaper used copies out there, too...

Karol

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:music: HULK - Danny Elfman

A remarkable achievement. Probably my favourite comic book score of all time (yes, beating SUPERMAN THE MOVIE and BATMAN RETURNS, although they're high up). Thank God Ang Lee pushed Elfman to his creative limits.

That four note clustral ostinato thingy will be following me all week.


It came along with a book by Douglas Gordon called "Feature Film". Certainly not worth purchasing at this point because it goes for $1150 new on Amazon. I doubt the used copies would have the score attached to it. Pretty rare, but I'm sure it could be... erm... "obtained"...

Here's a sample on YouTube:

I recently ahem 'acquired' it from some place, and I've got to say, this utterly batters the McNeely. There's real passion behind it, an edge. Hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it.

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