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

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

The battle music is shocking because it's clearly pushing outside of John Williams standard action sound. If anything it sounds very much like Goldsmith action music. Once the trumpets come in (after what we are calling the "Pirates of the Caribbean" section) it sounds like what Goldsmith would write for a patriotic military movie...think Rambo or Air Force One.*

And you know what? I LOVE it. I always felt John Williams action music relied too much on technical elements and a (now overused) texture palette rather than raw emotional power to carry its energy. Here we see a near complete reversal. He writes with emotional power rather than using his standard action textures to create the sensation of action and frenzy.

And he knocks it out. Way out.

I'd been waiting for this approach to action for 17 years since I started listening to the man's music. And let me tell you, I am not disappointed. I have goosebumps.

*He definitely makes it his own though.

+ =

[Brónach 1,301]

I seem to be able to handle not listening to it, while I only could hold on for about ten seconds for Tintin (which I really like actually). We'll see...

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Agreed on that the action track sounds Golsmith-esque! Love that. I also detected some Morricone influences.

Lovin' this!

Edit: Some Poledouris too?

[Lewya 360]

I'm totally blown away. Sounds so much better than Tintin from the three tracks, imo. Although Tintin is awesome. I do hope he recieves the academy award for this, he plays in his own league.

I'm convinced after the three tracks, they're so much better than the rest of the soundtracks released this year.

[Incanus 5,713]

This is also almost a complete opposite of what Tintin is in style and spirit. There are broader strokes here, the music is not as nearly as busy and frenetic as most of the score is in Tintin. For the lack of better term this music breathes more easily. It is great to have two such scores from the other ends of the spectrum from Williams in the same year.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Agreed on that the action track sounds Golsmith-esque! Love that. I also detected some Morricone influences. Lovin' this! Edit: Some Poledouris too?

I detect hints of film music I grew up listening to here and there as well.

There's something spectacularly broad and cumulative about the track (and this score as from what we've heard) isn't there? As though it's John Williams heroic ode to all his great peers of the pre-2000 film music.

The maestro is saying, "Yeah, my peers and I could write this stuff better than you Mr. Modern Film Music. This one is for them"

It leaves me slightly sad, because when I think about it...he's pretty much the last of that amazing group of composers.

[Dr. Know 326]

I'm sure Dr Know meant to say "The Homecoming"

Actually, it was Richard who mis-spoke -- I just quoted him without correcting the error. I love "The Homecoming."

[Hedwig 5]

This is my first post on the forum - This music is sounding beautiful! I've been looking on the forum for a while now and I've just remembered what the guy who has heard the score 'FilmComposer518' said a couple of months ago;

“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.”

I don't think the piano theme was in 'The Homecoming' so if he is right, it must only be part of the end credits - if it is played then at all. I didn't think it sounded like an end credits piece anyway, especially at the beginning. It's still a great arrangement of some of the themes

[crocodile 7,984]

I listened to it again. Didn't have so much time in the morning. And while it doesn't quite hammer you over the head with its themes the way the old Williams scores do, it is undoubtedly really, really good. Don't think that I didn't like the music. It's the kind of pastoral writing that has been sorely missed. I wouldn't say that it sounds like drama Williams though. It has much more idealized broader almost-fairy tale like feel to it.

Karol

[Henry B 50]

I love this.

I'm really trying to like Tintin but it's leaving me cold. But War Horse is cutting straight to my heart. Amazing.

[Josh500 1,615]

Okay, I gotta admit I was slightly disappointed that they didn't play the "trailer music" in its entirety...

But these 3 tracks are breathtakingly gorgeous, yes. Can't wait for the album and the movie!

[Sandor 796]

Can anyone confirm or deny:

The theme heard at around 6:16 of The Homecoming, is that a rendition of a song from the stage show..??

Ok, can anyone please confirm or deny this? I'm totally unfamiliair with the songs from the stage version of War Horse. A friend of mine heard the piece and his reaction at 6:16 was: "Oh, that's one of the songs from the show arranged by Williams."

Jason; is there a way your contact can confirm or deny this..? Perhaps he has access to the credits in the booklet. I think it's a great theme and I really would like to know if it's Williams who wrote it.

[TownerFan 4,983]

We're in for another superb score. I honestly can't wait to listen to the full album. Between this and Tintin, I'm really overwhelmed by Williams' artistry.

Can anyone confirm or deny:

The theme heard at around 6:16 of The Homecoming, is that a rendition of a song from the stage show..??

Ok, can anyone please confirm or deny this? I'm totally unfamiliair with the songs from the stage version of War Horse. A friend of mine heard the piece and his reaction at 6:16 was: "Oh, that's one of the songs from the show arranged by Williams."

Jason; is there a way your contact can confirm or deny this..? Perhaps he has access to the credits in the booklet. I think it's a great theme and I really would like to know if it's Williams who wrote it.

I don't have time to check myself now, but here's samples from the stage show soundtrack:

http://www.amazon.co...d_album_lnk_alt

[Jay 37,287]

Can anyone confirm or deny:

The theme heard at around 6:16 of The Homecoming, is that a rendition of a song from the stage show..??

Ok, can anyone please confirm or deny this? I'm totally unfamiliair with the songs from the stage version of War Horse. A friend of mine heard the piece and his reaction at 6:16 was: "Oh, that's one of the songs from the show arranged by Williams."

Jason; is there a way your contact can confirm or deny this..? Perhaps he has access to the credits in the booklet. I think it's a great theme and I really would like to know if it's Williams who wrote it.

I'll ask

[Sandor 796]

Can anyone confirm or deny:

The theme heard at around 6:16 of The Homecoming, is that a rendition of a song from the stage show..??

Ok, can anyone please confirm or deny this? I'm totally unfamiliair with the songs from the stage version of War Horse. A friend of mine heard the piece and his reaction at 6:16 was: "Oh, that's one of the songs from the show arranged by Williams."

Jason; is there a way your contact can confirm or deny this..? Perhaps he has access to the credits in the booklet. I think it's a great theme and I really would like to know if it's Williams who wrote it.

I'll ask

Thanks

[Incanus 5,713]

I would have thought Garland would have mentioned this in the radio show since he played that particular track but could be that he has gotten a promo that does not have all the information on the music.

[TownerFan 4,983]

Listening briefly to the stage show songs' samples on Amazon, I didn't recognize any of those as the theme heard in "The Homecoming"

[Sandor 796]

Listening briefly to the stage show songs' samples on Amazon, I didn't recognize any of those as the theme heard in "The Homecoming"

Didn't recognize anything either. I just hope my friend got it all wrong, because I really love that theme.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

At 6:16 I don't think that's a new theme. It sounds like an extension or b part of the celtic theme heard at 3:36 and 4:20.

[Brónach 1,301]

Could you people recommend me Vaughan Williams, Walton, etc, that sounds like this?

I'm only familiar with Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (I love that one).

[Incanus 5,713]

A Lark Ascending and English Folk Song Suite first come to mind as something in similar style.

Add Concerto for Oboe and Strings, Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus", Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 and In the Fen Country to the list as well.

This Ralph Vaughan Williams guy is not a bad composer at all is he? Nor is Ralph John Williams for that matter.

[TownerFan 4,983]

Could you people recommend me Vaughan Williams, Walton, etc, that sounds like this?

I'm only familiar with Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (I love that one).

First of all, check out the RVW's Symponies No.3 and No.5--they're brimful with gorgeous pastoral writing.

The Lark Ascending (Romance for Violin and Orchestra) is also a must, as Incanus already pointed out. There's also the well-known Fantasia on Greensleeves, with its Jane Eyre-like flute solos.

The English Folk Song Suite is also recommended.

[JamieC 13]

Hi again, gang

The War Horse selections we heard over the weekend are mesmerising aren't they ? The lyrical themes suggest not only RVW , as so many have pointed out, but also the beautiful music of the composer George Butterworth. What I find fascinating is that, in a sense, JW's music takes those 'classical' (it's all just music really, though, isn't it ? ) idioms and gives them a certain emphatic quality that is consistent with the Hollywood movie-mode.

Listening to the War Horse music reminds me of the first time I heard about Ralph Vaughan Williams which was in a review of the score to Born on the Fourth Of July back in 1989 when the Film Review magazine's soundtrack review picked up on the JW / RVW connection. (As an aside, if you really enjoy this English-inflected pastoral movie music check out Richard Rodney Bennett's score to the film adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel Far From The Madding Crowd) I went and listened to Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis as soon as I could and really fell for RVW's music. Incidentally, and I think I have this correct: did you know that RVW composed more music for movies than he did for the concert hall ?

As folks have been acknowledging, the War Horse samples suggest a sure and steady connection back to the Jane Eyre score. To my ear it also connects to the more tonal tracks found on the score to Images.

JC

[TownerFan 4,983]

Yes, I heard also some gorgeous Delius-like textures.

[Brónach 1,301]

Thanks people for the suggestions.

There are several composers who write music that I know I'd like, but I just never got to listen to them.

[Foxfan 128]

Not very familiar with RVW's work yet, but many have compared JW's War Horse and Bot4J with him by mentioning the "string technique". Is it the sliding, multi-layered string effect that brings about this comparison?

[Romão 2,274]

The show has been re-uploaded with better audio

http://www.wqxr.org/#/programs/movies/2011/oct/22/

[Jay 37,287]

Oh wow, how'd you find that out?

They put the set list up too

[Romão 2,274]

Incidentally, and I think I have this correct: did you know that RVW composed more music for movies than he did for the concert hall ?

With respect, I don't think you're right. As far as I know, VW only wrote about 8 scores, plus scores for a handful of short movies, and Rumon Gamba has recorded the main bulk of it for Chandos

Oh wow, how'd you find that out?

They put the set list up too

He made a post on the FSM board announcing it

[JamieC 13]

Here's a terrific RVW quote: "But in the next world I shan't be doing music, with all the striving and disappointments. I shall be being it. "

[TownerFan 4,983]

At 6:16 I don't think that's a new theme. It sounds like an extension or b part of the celtic theme heard at 3:36 and 4:20.

Listening to the CinemaMusica samples, in Track 15 you can clearly hear a statement of that theme (right after the piano) heard at that timemark on "The Homecoming", so I guess it comes from Williams' pencil.

[Incanus 5,713]

At 6:16 I don't think that's a new theme. It sounds like an extension or b part of the celtic theme heard at 3:36 and 4:20.

Listening to the CinemaMusica samples, in Track 15 you can clearly hear a statement of that theme (right after the piano) heard at that timemark on "The Homecoming", so I guess it comes from Williams' pencil.

Somehow I highly doubted that Williams would incorporate the song into the underscore as a melody. More likely it will be featured in the film if one of the songs from the stage production was used in the end.

[TownerFan 4,983]

I suspect they scrapped the decision to use the stage version's songs. I guess Spielberg wanted to give Williams all the highlights

[Sandor 796]

The stage shows songs are more designed to be 'folk songs', so it could possibly be that during the movie one of the characters sings a song while walking or something. In that way, it never really becomes part of the actual score, but it is part of the movie.

[Jay 37,287]

Exactly. It could be in the movie but not on the CD.

[Percival 0]

As John Tams was there for filming at Castle Combe (the Wiltshire village location standing in for Albert's Devon village), and Richard Curtis asked him "Do you want to see your f------ song in the film or not?" (http://theglamourcav...elberg-and.html), and as Tams plays a part in the tv series 'Sharpe' so is a seasoned actor, I wonder whether they got him to play a small part in the film and sing one of the songs from the stage show? That way you wouldn't expect it to be on the soundtrack as it would have nothing to do with JW.

By the way - has anyone seen this?

Interesting that in the comments, Adrian Sutton's score is likened to RVW as well.

[Incanus 5,713]

Interestingly the stage production music uses among all the songs also the Dives and Lazarus which is an old folk tune on which RVW also wrote the Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus". Connections, connections.

Adrian Sutton's score is actually very good as well, judging from the clips of the suite.

[Percival 0]

I've got the cd of Adrian Sutton's music for the stageplay and it's fantastic, (I put some YouTube links up to some of the music here: http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18813&st=400) so I was wondering how John Williams could top it, as people would be bound to draw comparisons. Based on what I've heard of JW's samples and the radio show tracks, he's pulled it off (not that I doubted he would for a minute). He's just so incredible.

Once the excitement of having the JW soundtrack in my sweaty paws has died down a little, I think it will be fun to compare the two soundtracks theme by theme - I see Sutton's track 6 is 'Learning to Plough' and JW's track 6 's 'Plowing', for example ...

[nightscape94 965]

Alas, Sutton is but a mere mortal.

[Incanus 5,713]

Alas, Sutton is but a mere mortal.

Yes the shadow of film music's great giant looms over other composers dark and intimidating.