Thor 7,504 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Sounds quite lovely, sort of halfway between Jane Eyre and Presumed Innocent, with a lot of A.I. style writing in it as well. The running obstinato is certainly familiar, and the score does seem to a large degree to be a patchwork of familiar Williams ideas and techniques for light drama; quite different from the syrupy sweep of War Horse.I love the 'syrupy sweep' of WAR HORSE too, although I wouldn't use that term, exactly. To me, much of that score falls in a more "English", pastoral mode (Vaughan Williams-style) with elements of Americana.But yeah, I get what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,364 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I knew samples would turn up somewhere international first before I got anything official. Oh well.Sounds good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Sounds like a mix of Memoirs and Angela's Ashes and A.I. The main theme seems to be a reworked version of Angela's Ashes theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyD 1,223 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Just from these samples alone…Yet another masterpiece from the Maestro (than again, there is nothing less to expect from John Williams)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelzter 0 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Sounds quite lovely, sort of halfway between Jane Eyre and Presumed Innocent, with a lot of A.I. style writing in it as well. The running obstinato is certainly familiar, and the score does seem to a large degree to be a patchwork of familiar Williams ideas and techniques for light drama; quite different from the syrupy sweep of War Horse.I love the 'syrupy sweep' of WAR HORSE too, although I wouldn't use that term, exactly. To me, much of that score falls in a more "English", pastoral mode (Vaughan Williams-style) with elements of Americana.But yeah, I get what you mean.I love the syrupy sweep of War Horse as well! And it is definitely Ralph Vaughan Williams inspired - but it feel it gets more syrupy because of the condensed format of the film score. "Dartmoor, 1912" runs three minutes, where as a piece like Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, runs 18 minutes - leaving a lot more room for subtlety and complexity, while still maintaining the sweeping strokes and lofty pastoral quality what Vaughan Williams does so perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,690 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like the progression right at the start of the last track, but I'm not sure about the melody that follows it (the main theme I assume) - verryyyy similar to Angela's Ashes. Almost to a temp-track level with some of these samples actually.Hate to be a voice against 'Rudy is Taken', but I agree with critics who consider that style of scoring overbearing. But I've never liked 'Death of Topthorn' much either. Pelzter and Jay 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelzter 0 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Hate to be a voice against 'Rudy is Taken', but I agree with critics who consider that style of scoring overbearing. But I've never liked 'Death of Topthorn' much either.I generally agree. Williams did this kind of writing gorgeously in Schindler's List, because the quality of that score and every single cue is so overwhelmingly superior to any other drama score he has ever written, in my opinion. Thus, the choral lament of "Immolation" or the stark violin of Auschwitz are so gut wrenching, because they are pure emotion; as a listener, one does not feel manipulated or forcefully "made to feel" a certain way - as The Death of Topthorn, and many other cues, like the funeral cue for Anakin's mother in Attack of the Clones does to a much larger extent. I have to say, however, that the crescendo at 2:30 in Topthorn is very powerful - and definitely elevates that track beyond competent but token Williams despair. Again, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,016 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I think most people and critics didn't get War Horse at all. It wasn't a historical drama (or weighty drama of any kind). It's a film based on a children's story and made in the style of the 40's cinema. If you look at it from this perspective, the score is one of the few elements of this that puts it in the right genre. Dated or not.Karol Not Mr. Big and Once 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once 605 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 As sublime as the main theme is, I personally find Williams's underscore for SCHINDLER'S LIST maudlin and tepid - lacking guts or anger. Spielberg should have gone with Kilar for that one. As far as Williams's drama scores go, I prefer NIXON, A.I. (if that counts), ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, THE RIVER, SLEEPERS and GEISHA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,016 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like Schindler's List because it's not exactly a dramatic underscore - more of a source-like music. And very accurate.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelzter 0 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 NIXON is awesome - a fantastic score, which somehow escapes the fundamental silliness that could have come from giving that character and that film such a overly operatic and hyper emotional musical treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 It's SCHINDLER'S overwrought choral stuff I can't stand. NIXON is awesome - a fantastic score, which somehow escapes the fundamental silliness that could have come from giving that character and that film such a overly operatic and hyper emotional musical treatment. Well said. Pelzter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,016 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like Nixon music, but it didn't work very well with the film. Too much of a caricature.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once 605 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I especially love the Jewish parts of Schindler's List. crocodile 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like Nixon music, but it didn't work very well with the film. Too much of a caricature. Caricature of what? It fits the film like a glove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Some of the sinister brass writing in Nixon sounded like it could have been written for Dracula. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelzter 0 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like Nixon music, but it didn't work very well with the film. Too much of a caricature.KarolThat is how I feel about WAR HORSE. A lovely, occasionally gorgeous listen on album - but very badly placed in the film. Grand, sweeping strings tell us how to feel within the first couple of minutes - before we've had a chance to get to know any of the characters. And if it was just landscape scoring, that would be fine, but the birth of the horse right at the beginning is so heavily scored, that it actually distracts from the narrative. That is a fundamental flaw, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo 3,709 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Really like what I'm hearing here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,016 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like Nixon music, but it didn't work very well with the film. Too much of a caricature.Caricature of what? It fits the film like a glove.If it took me out of the film, with all the best intentions, then it didn't.I like Nixon music, but it didn't work very well with the film. Too much of a caricature.KarolThat is how I feel about WAR HORSE. A lovely, occasionally gorgeous listen on album - but very badly placed in the film. Grand, sweeping strings tell us how to feel within the first couple of minutes - before we've had a chance to get to know any of the characters. And if it was just landscape scoring, that would be fine, but the birth of the horse right at the beginning is so heavily scored, that it actually distracts from the narrative. That is a fundamental flaw, IMO.I think Spielberg's schizophrenic direction is to be blamed here. It's as if he didn't know what kind of film he was doing. I know what you're saying, but, again, Williams was one of the few crew members who understood the core of this story. And it's old-fashioned needs.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mari 279 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Here's another clip from the movie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,715 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Now we know where the track Snow Fight goes at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Hmm. It is true the main theme isn't immediately gripping but then again Williams has been doing quite a bit of different kinds of scoring of late. None of Tintin or War Horse or Lincoln have clearly delineated "main theme" in the traditional sense. Tintiin has a motif, not a proper theme. War Horse has one but again no singular concert arrangement just highlighting the theme. Lincoln had a couple of gorgeous pieces, but it was barely used in the film.But the score within the movie sounded fantastic for Tintin and War Horse. So i hope same is the case here. Maybe once we listen to the music with the visuals, it will have more emotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 My god, I hope that isn't the edit that's in the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 390 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I find the main theme very moving, memorable, and marvellously sculpted. To me, these samples already reveal a gem of a score, of a quality not likely to be penned by anyone but Williams. There's a lot of heart in these brief sonic glimpses; this sounds like a very personal effort to my ears. Incanus and Sharkissimo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I have a feeling that piano motif on the second track is part of the main theme. I'm sure it's one of those complex JW themes that is comprised of 3 or 4 distinct phrases that could work independently almost as seperate themes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,690 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I find the main theme very moving, memorable, and marvellously sculpted. To me, these samples already reveal a gem of a score, of a quality not likely to be penned by anyone but Williams. There's a lot of heart in these brief sonic glimpses; this sounds like a very personal effort to my ears.I don't... but again, just my opinion. Feels like a not-so-great alternate approach to Angela's Ashes. (don't take that as a general negative - I love the theme from Ashes)Regarding previous comments about War Horse, I liked the movie, and the score as a whole. It's really only isolated cues where Williams uses these forceful string 'elegies' and throws subtlety out the window. This is not inherently a bad thing - I just don't get much out of Williams using that technique. Angela's Prayer is one of probably few examples where I enjoy it, but that's primarily because it has an underlying melody that's stronger to my ears than what I'm hearing in these clips. (2:50 onwards....sublime) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post filmmusic 1,829 Posted October 26, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted October 26, 2013 Melodic comparison of Book thief theme (its first part anyway) and Angela's Ashes theme: Incanus, mrbellamy, scissorhands and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scissorhands 16 Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 I find the main theme very moving, memorable, and marvellously sculpted. To me, these samples already reveal a gem of a score, of a quality not likely to be penned by anyone but Williams. There's a lot of heart in these brief sonic glimpses; this sounds like a very personal effort to my ears.That's what I though after the first listen. The main theme is at the core of Williams' most personal voice. Incanus and TownerFan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Tintiin has a motif, not a proper theme.Not true. Tintin's theme is not the main focus of the score, but its certainly a full theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Andrade 1,263 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I find the main theme very moving, memorable, and marvellously sculpted. To me, these samples already reveal a gem of a score, of a quality not likely to be penned by anyone but Williams. There's a lot of heart in these brief sonic glimpses; this sounds like a very personal effort to my ears.That's what I though after the first listen. The main theme is at the core of Williams' most personal voice.That! TownerFan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 26, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted October 26, 2013 I love the exuberance of JW in Max Lives. Incanus, Not Mr. Big and Sharkissimo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis 245 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Wonderful!! I LOVE the new theme! You don't hear that kind of themes often today anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Skywalker 1,795 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 i like what i hear.can't wait for the CD!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesy 55 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I liked the samples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I just feel sorry for people like Richard P. and the likes who can't take the beauty of music like Rudy Is Takenor The Death of Topthorn. They are unique. Generic music we have more than enough. Incanus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,690 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 'Beauty' is not particularly a word I'd use to describe either, actually.'Tragic' certainly, but it feels more like Williams is shouting 'feel sad now!' and laying on the strings. I just don't get it.Oh, and 'unique'? Sorry, no. There's absolutely nothing new here. Pelzter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Thor 7,504 Posted October 26, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted October 26, 2013 I like the progression right at the start of the last track, but I'm not sure about the melody that follows it (the main theme I assume) - verryyyy similar to Angela's Ashes. Almost to a temp-track level with some of these samples actually.Hate to be a voice against 'Rudy is Taken', but I agree with critics who consider that style of scoring overbearing. But I've never liked 'Death of Topthorn' much either.That's fine. To each their own.For me, a track like "Rudy is Taken" (the little I could glean from it) is why I am a Williams fan in the first place. Once, Mari and Incanus 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 'Beauty' is not particularly a word I'd use to describe either, actually.'Tragic' certainly, but it feels more like Williams is shouting 'feel sad now!' and laying on the strings. I just don't get it.Oh, and 'unique'? Sorry, no. There's absolutely nothing new here.Well for me this tragic music is a synonym for beauty.I don't mind Williams shouting "feel sad now!" like I don't mind JW shouting "feel triumph now!" when listening "The Helicopter Landing"in Jurassic Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 woah seems like I missed a few things today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,690 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Well that's Williams' way of doing it - throwing everything at you.It seems that with triumph/exhilaration, it works well for me, but tragedy, it doesn't.---And the supreme priestmaster enters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 You're not going to love this KM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad'Dib 1,802 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Wow!!! Sounds even better than I expected!Absolutely LOVING what I'm hearing here. This one will be one of the greats.Brilliant, brilliant writing all around. Incanus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 You're not going to love this KM On n the contrary, I love the samples indy4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 You're not going to love this KMReverse psychology? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Love the samples. Definitely hearing hints of Angela's Ashes in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I think it sounds like an amalgam of what's best in Willliams dramatic scores. There doesn't seem to be "auto- skip" tracks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Any examples of those from other scores, KM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis 245 Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I think it sounds like an amalgam of what's best in Willliams dramatic scores. There doesn't seem to be "auto- skip" tracksTrue in a very positive way. I hear the best things of Angela's Ashes, Seven Years In Tibet, War Horse, Lincoln. I hoped for something like this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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