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WAR HORSE score premieres Saturday on WQXR (Streaming online as well)


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Excellent!

Here is a direct link:

http://www.wqxr.org/...es/2011/oct/22/

Movies on the Radio presents the exclusive broadcast premiere of John Williams's score for the forthcoming Steven Spielberg film “War Horse." The film, which will open on Christmas Day, tells the inspiring story of a brave young man and his bond with an extraordinary horse, set during—and on the frontlines of—World War I. The film is based on the same book that inspired the current Broadway show "War Horse."

The ongoing collaboration of Steven Spielberg and John Williams is one of the most prestigious and successful director-composer collaborations in cinema. Their movies include "Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial," the "Indiana Jones" series, "Jurassic Park," "Schindler’s List" and many other classics. John Williams has won five Academy Awards, and has been nominated 41 times. His music has been wowing movie audiences since the 1960s.

In addition to the premiere of “War Horse,” host David Garland presents highlights from the other new Spielberg/Williams film, “The Adventures of Tintin” (which opens in Europe on Oct. 22, and in the US on Dec. 21), plus familiar music from previous Spielberg/Williams collaborations.

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I am assuming just a few tracks

It's only an hour-long show, and they mention several other scores they will play

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Oh, dear god... it's really too much in such a short time! I'm still waiting to listen to Tintin and in a few days we'll have this as well to listen to... and I'm also still waiting for my copy of 1941!

I think I'll die in a Williams rapture over the next weeks :)

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I hope somebody is going to record this. In what time zone is it broadcasted anyway?

Can somebody make a thread an hour before the broadcast?

Just to let you know... if you happen to miss the show "live" it is archived and can be heard on-demand a few hours later!

-Erik-

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AWESOME! What a great day for Williams fans...the first complete Tintin samples plus news of the first ever War Horse samples. I'll be busy when this is playing but I'll listen to it as soon as I can.

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What a great few MONTHS for Williams fans. Complete 1941, complete Midway, possibly complete Hook around Christmas, and TWO NEW scores from the maestro heavily praised by insiders!

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Just posted to FSM:

Hi, folks,

David Garland, host/producer of Movies on the Radio on WQXR, posting here for the first time. I've received the packaging graphics for War Horse, and thought you'd be interested to read this statement from Spielberg, which is included in the booklet:

"The dramatic countryside of Dartmoor has

inspired John Williams to compose a score of such

beauty and quiet majesty that one might think

the earth was speaking through him, much as the

heavens have done for nearly five decades. When I

first heard John’s sketches of the four central

themes for War Horse, I didn’t need my memories

of the film to underscore the feelings I was having.

The music was a stand-alone experience and it

affected me deeply, as have so many of John’s

scores during our nearly 40-year collaboration.

I feel that John has made a special gift to me of this

music, which was inspired not only by my film

but also by many of the picturesque settings of

the poet William Wordsworth, whose vivid

descriptions of the British landscape inspired much

of what you are going to hear. I’m not sure what

I can give John in return, other than a promise

of more films to come ... for as many more years as

we both can imagine!"

–Steven Spielberg

Kind of makes me want to hear it, you know? I'll have the music in a couple days, in time for my on-air premier on Saturday. I'll play a couple tracks, not the whole score, but I'll do my best to represent the key themes and emotions.

Source: http://filmscoremont...?threadID=83741

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It's amazing that Spielberg continues to find new ways to gush about Williams. This one was rather lovely.

Yes indeed and it made me want to hear the score all the more. :)

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Interesting too that Spielberg said the score contains four themes. Filmcomposer518 said there were 3.

All the better if there are 4. And I love Williams' nature inspired music so this is probably going to be a fantastic lyrical and poetic score.

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The exciting part is that, if I am remembering what FilmComposer518 said correctly, we've only heard ONE of them in the trailers!

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Hmmm, I just re-read FilmComposer518's comments (they are available on the main page). So we actually heard 3 themes in the trailer:

“The ‘Battle Cry’ esque theme from the trailer that many think is just in the finale is actually LACED throughout the whole score quite a bit. In many many different variations. There was also a little Irish sounding bit that came in near the end of the trailer, and that is another MAJOR theme for the score, but is expanded a LOT more than that in most cases. That was just one bar from a probably 6-8 bar theme.”

“There is a LOT of Celtic, or Upper English music in the score…but it’s not over-done…it mixes in nicely with the gorgeous string writing Williams has done.”

“The action scenes hark back to old Williams ala Raiders, Far and Away, Last Crusade. I’m telling you…this score is brilliant…can’t give it enough praise.”

“That piano theme (from the trailer) is the VERY last music you hear in the End Credits. It is interspersed throughout the score a TINY bit, if my memory serves, but it’s not a big theme that is heard often.”

“You know how a lot of the emotional music from Jurassic Parkactually had very ‘pop-like’ chords (including the main theme and journey to the island) that just perfectly worked because Williams twisted them and molded them into his own frame? A lot of War Horse has that.”

“What I am saying is that the most emotional music is very chord based…but the progressions Williams uses are wonderful and surprising a lot of the time. Wonderfully done.”

“I can promise you that if Williams were allowed to unchain himself from modern conventions in film (no, even Williams can’t do that if he wants to continue to work) we would be hearing those same classic setpiece action overtures. But before anyone gets down on the current state of film music, let me clarify that War Horse (for the most part) does not follow that trend in writing :)

“The action pieces in War Horse are pretty neat, and while they don’t use the same style as say, Forest Battle, or Indy’s First Adventure in concert scoring, they certainly come close…and are DIFFERENT than his latest generic action music that has been accompanying most of his films (cue the xylophone and upper woodwinds chirping out endlessly). The few action cues in War Horse have great unique personality.”

War Horse does NOT have a ton of action material. But that is what is so cool about the ones it does have. Most of the score is so spellbinding and beautiful that when all of a sudden something millitaristic and ugly crashes through the background, it is incredibly striking. The action music in War Horse is less about fun adventure ala Indy, and more about nastiness of war. It’s harsh and brutal in most cases. There is definitely a rhythmic drive (done not with percussion, but more with exciting instrumental figures) but also strong melodic fragments. Again, I can’t give out tooooo much detail about individual cues, but I think that should answer your question a bit.”

“Obviously I haven’t SEEN War Horse, but I have heard the score, and I think Spielberg might have asked Williams to harken back to his older style with it. Either that, or Spielberg harkened back to HIS old style a little bit, because the action cues are very very focused in it.”

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I counted three! :)

. The theme on harp/piano that plays over the opening scenes.

. The theme on strings and horns that plays over most of the trailer.

. The "celtic" motif on flute that plays over the film's title.

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Right, and those are the same three FilmComposer mentioned. So according to Spielberg, there is still one more we haven't heard.

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I hope somebody is going to record this. In what time zone is it broadcasted anyway?

Can somebody make a thread an hour before the broadcast?

Just to let you know... if you happen to miss the show "live" it is archived and can be heard on-demand a few hours later!

-Erik-

Also using the iPhone app..?

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Having been to Dartmoor and being completely awestruck by the beauty and atmosphere of the place, if fills me with giddy enthusiasm of a JW movie score deeply rooted in the ambiance of the region. He as always been great in conveying the "spirit" of a place with simple melodies (like in Far and Away, of the Dalai Lama theme in Seven Years in Tibet, or Cinques Memoires of Home from Amistad)

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Steven Spielberg and John Williams' longstanding partnership is one of the most prestigious and successful director-composer collaborations in modern cinema. From Close Encounters of the Third Kind to ET: The Extraterrestrial, Jaws to Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones to Schindler's List, their films have been dazzling movie audiences since the 1960s.

On Saturday, October 22 at 9pm, MOVIES ON THE RADIO - WQXR's Saturday evening program devoted to film music, produced and hosted by David Garland - will present the exclusive premiere of the five-time Academy Award-winning composer's soundtrack for the forthcoming Spielberg film, War Horse. Slated to open Christmas Day 2011, War Horse - based on Nick Stafford's best-selling novel and now a hit Broadway play - tells the inspiring story of a brave young man and his bond with an extraordinary horse, set against the backdrop - and on the frontlines of - World War I. Listeners will hear tones of beauty and quiet majesty in the score, inspired by the dramatic countryside of the British landscape.

"I've always been impressed by the range of John Williams' mastery," said Garland. "From comedies to thrillers, sci-fi epics to love stories, he always finds the most expressive way to enhance a film with his music. War Horse may be one of his most soulful scores."

Additionally, Garland will present highlights from another upcoming Spielberg/Williams collaboration, The Adventures of Tintin, as well as familiar pieces from their previous films.

MOVIES ON THE RADIO airs live on Saturdays at 9pm on Classical 105.9 FM WQXR in New York. It will be available for both live and subsequent on-demand listening at http://www.wqxr.org/#/programs/movies/ and via the WQXR mobile app, available in the iTunes Store.

WQXR is the nation's most listened-to classical music station, presenting live broadcasts

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/WQXR-to-Premiere-John-Williams-WAR-HORSE-Soundtrack-on-Saturday-1022-20111019#ixzz1bH24m6NI

From: http://broadwayworld.com/article/WQXR-to-Premiere-John-Williams-WAR-HORSE-Soundtrack-on-Saturday-1022-20111019

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I'm actually pretty pumped for this score. I think that while Tintin makes for a fine appetizer, War Horse will prove to be the main course.

(Yes, I'm a horse-eating cannibal.)

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I'm actually pretty pumped for this score. I think that while Tintin makes for a fine appetizer, War Horse will prove to be the main course.

(Yes, I'm a horse-eating cannibal.)

Wouldn't being a cannibal in this case mean that you are a horse yourself? :o

And yes we are lucky to get both an action/adventure romp and a dramatic and lyrical score the same year from the Maestro. I have a feeling War Horse might be the more emotional and soulful experience of the two.

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I counted three! :)

. The theme on harp/piano that plays over the opening scenes.

. The theme on strings and horns that plays over most of the trailer.

. The "celtic" motif on flute that plays over the film's title.

What about the theme we hear a snippet of in between the 'Bonding Theme' and the flute melody..? The part that got looped to death in the second trailer..?

I always assumed this was that 'Celtic Theme' FilmComposer was talking about, the one we only heard one bar of.

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Hmm - it doesn't sound very celtic to me. Might just be the orchestration. I automatically thought the celtic motif was the flute solo from the title. But didn't filmcomposer say that the piano theme from the start wasn't a major theme, and you only hear it at the end of the credits? Which makes me think we haven't yet heard the "Dartmoor" theme

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Hmm - it doesn't sound very celtic to me. Might just be the orchestration. I automatically thought the celtic motif was the flute solo from the title. But didn't filmcomposer say that the piano theme from the start wasn't a major theme, and you only hear it at the end of the credits? Which makes me think we haven't yet heard the "Dartmoor" theme

The flute solo doesn't sound very 'celtic' to me either... Could have been written for The River... And FilmComposer said it came up 'near' the end. If it was the flute solo he could just as well have said 'at the end', possibly even mentioning the instrument.

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