James Newton Howard's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

[antovolk 95]

Score pre-order just went live - out December 4.

http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Mockingjay-Part/dp/B017RLB66G/

Thankfully they decided to ditch the pop/Various Artists OST....

Saw the film last week - it is basically around 60% stuff re-used from Part 1, as expected, with some nice new themes and brilliant new arrangements of existing themes thrown in. The credits suite with more Jennifer Lawrence singing is especially brilliant. You can hear a snippet in the background:

Interestingly - the drum beat track you hear at another point in the above video, which is from the final trailer for the film, is a remixed version of the march that appears in the film.

[Richard Penna 3,690]

I hope this is more memorable than Mockingjay Pt. 1. The only part of that soundtrack I noticed was The Hanging Tree.

[antovolk 95]

Digital release Monday. FINALLY they label the score as the Original Soundtrack instead of having a pop song album.

track list (spoilers)

Prim Visits Peeta (1:25)

Send Me to District 2 (2:09)

Go Ahead, Shoot Me (4:58)

Stowaway (3:36)

Your Favorite Color Is Green (2:25)

Transfer Command (8:14)

Your Next Step (2:30)

The Holo (3:46)

Sewer Attack (8:00)

I Made It Up (1:28)

Mandatory Evacuation (3:14)

Rebels Attack (5:17)

Snows Mansion (5:16)

Symbolic Hunger Games (2:08)

Snows Execution (1:57)

Plutarchs Letter (3:01)

Buttercup (1:09)

Primrose (3:16)

There Are Worse Games to Play / Deep in the Meadow / The Hunger Games Suite (feat. Jennifer Lawrence) (9:41)

[leeallen01 2,136]

Cannot wait for this. Hoping for some breathtaking new arrangements of Katniss' material and of course Rues Farewell theme that carries as the main tragic motif across the series.

[Mr. Who 919]

This will be interesting. I have seen the movie and while watching it I had the feeling that a lot of music was tracked or rearranged from the previous movies. The sound effects were very loud though so I wonder how the OST will sound! Oh and there is some awesome action music!

[leeallen01 2,136]

Just seen the movie. So looking forward to hearing it independently from the film. I agree it was sometimes hard to hear the music through the sound effects. It was great though. Some of the great action music was sensational, especially the action scenes in the sewers and booby traps. I also really loved the soft, subtle and almost inaudibly delicate moments like the mourning plucking of the strings in scenes as well. A lot was reused, but there was enough new stuff and new reworkings of previous themes to satisfy. I adored the use of the orchestral Hanging Tree in a few scenes and Rues farewell as well was used beautifully in a couple of scenes, though I would call it the tragic over-theme of the series definitely.

[Mr. Who 919]

I also saw it a few hour ago! Yes the music in the sewer, especially before an event which I won't spoil, is really stunning. Yes the softer tracks with the violin were great and really emotional. There's some really epic brass moments as well! I feel like I can't really judge the score before I've listened to it properly. I'm a huge fan of JNH's Hunger Games scores and even though I really liked what I heard in the theatre, a part of me wishes that there had been less tracked music. But let's wait till the OST comes out!

[leeallen01 2,136]

Yeah definitely looking forward to hearing it properly on monday upon release.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Sewer music you say?

[Mr. Who 919]

Lol, well there's a very intense and scary scene with very intense music! It's funny how the score album now gets to have Katniss on the cover after always just having the logo. Damn pop music OSTs!

[Richard Penna 3,690]

I'm liking the idea of an orchestral reprise of The Hanging Tree - I love that song.

I'll be happy if the action music is more interesting than that from MJ:1, of which not a single piece of score appealed to me.

[Mr. Who 919]

The Hanging Tree version is really nice. It's a bit slower than the MJP1 version.

I liked the action music in MJ1! Especially the Air Raid Drill cue!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Where is this being released? I don't see it on Amazon.

[Jay 37,364]

You must be blind

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017RLB66G

[Mr. Who 919]

It's also on iTunes (pre order only atm).

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You must be blind

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017RLB66G

I saw that but just assumed it was an import since the cover isn't in English. Guess I have to wait until December 4th to hear it!

[Richard Penna 3,690]

It's released on itunes tomorrow apparently.

Remains to be seen if Spotify, and the UK in general, follows suit.

[Jay 37,364]

Amazon haS put up wrong cover art before

Why would you have to wait until December 4th, Koray? Won't you guys get a review copy for FMM? Alternatively, you can just download the digital version that is dropping tomorrow.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0180NX4GU/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hunger-games-mockingjay-pt./id1058134891

https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Btv6zraclf42y4wrjqspliib3li

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I haven't heard anything about a review copy so I doubt it. I'll wait for the CD.

[Richard Penna 3,690]

And it's up

Listening now. Unfortunately this is turning out to be about as interesting as the first MJ score. Definitely prefer the first two scores way more.

What doesn't help is I don't like the love theme at all - doesn't do anything for me, and also feels like a copy of his Charlie Wilson's War theme.

[Mr. Who 919]

As an album, is it good? I'll listen tomorrow.

[LOTRHobbitFan 20]

I just finished listening to the soundtrack and it is quite a strong finale to JNH's Hunger Games journey. Sure, it certainly features a lot of music we have already heard in the other scores but he remixes them well and we do get some high quality action music. Highlights include Sewer Attack, Rebels Attack, Snow's Execution, and The Hunger Games Suite. The Suite itself is stunning and Jennifer Lawrence does a great job singing 'Deep In the Meadow' with the choir blending in the background. The London Voices have done a spectacular job in this soundtrack as well!

[leeallen01 2,136]

This may be my favourite from his 4 Hunger Games scores. I love the delicate nature of the first, the more dramatic and orchestral second, and the thriller nature of the third, but Mockingjay Part 2 combines the best of all of those into one Score.

1) Prim Visits Peeta - An ominous and immediate horror beginning to the score.

2) Send Me To District 2 - Katniss solo voice theme returns, followed by a kick-ass military fanfare.

3) Go Ahead, Shoot Me - Katniss' nature theme returns with her heroic theme coming in as counterpoint. Followed by a lovely mix of Shore's LOTR style strings with Williams' Star Wars style brass.

4) Stowaway - Katniss' nature theme returns, and goes into a short, but poignant rendition of Rue's Farewell (Which is clearly the overarching tragic theme for the series).

5) Your Favourite Colour is Green - JNH reminds us of his signature folk sound for the series, and then goes straight into a folk rendition of The Hanging Tree.

6) Transfer Command - First main Horror/Action piece with incredible Brass flourishes that begin at 2:30 and are glorious. Second half has some beautiful solo voice moments and soft woodwinds, brass and strings, including some female and male choirs.

7) Your Next Step - Mostly atmospheric uneasiness.

8) The Holo - Snow's material returns with a delicately sinister second half.

9) Sewer Attack - Highlight of the Score. First half is breathtaking action horror material. Second half is classic JNH emotional brilliance.

10) I Made It Up - Mournfully deep strings going into a lovely rising and falling motif.

11) Mandatory Evacuation - Male and female choirs begin as the orchestra builds. Katniss' nature theme appears as an ostinato counterpoints it and a beautiful motif comes in which leads to Katniss and Peeta's Love theme material resurfacing at the end of the piece for the first time in the score, but only the minimal piano notes, not the full theme.

12) Rebels Attack - Again another action highlight of the score. Sensational brass flourishes returning from the piece 'Air Raid Drill' from Mockingjay Part 1. The piece continues with Katniss' solo voice theme and ends with a gorgeous new version of Prim's Theme.

13) Snow's Mansion - Begins with a beautiful and uneasy feeling piano theme, extending from Prim's material. Snow's stuff returns throughout the second half of the piece.

14) Symbolic Hunger Games - His material from the Games sections from the first two films returns in new ways.

15) Snow's Execution - Katniss' solo voice theme is joined by full choirs and continues in a crescendo.

16) Plutarch's Letter - An emotional highlight of the score. Beautiful folk style stuff that accompanied the team as they called themselves (Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch and Effie) is reprised in a more rich and emotional way.

17) Buttercup - Prim's material is reprised.

18) Primrose - Full reprisal of Katniss and Peeta's lush and beautiful love theme. The second half of the piece is a sensational folk moment that just reaffirms why JNH was made to score this film series.

19) There Are Worse Games to Play/Deep In The Meadow/Suite - Full grand reprisal of Rues Farewell (Overarching Main Theme). It then flows into a serene choir section and into Katniss singing Deep in the Meadow with JNH orchestral and choir accompaniment. It then flows straight into the 'Requiem for the Tributes' theme, and then the theme from the piece 'Bow and Arrow' from his Catching Fire score, which he then expands into a fantastic amalgam with Rue's Farewell. Wonderful stuff. Then it goes into one of the new themes for Mockingjay Part 2, before going back into Rue's Farewell again. It ends with a reprisal of another 2 themes from Catching Fire; the Rebellion theme and one that is used for Peeta showing compassion in the games.

[Richard Penna 3,690]

These days JNH's action material just isn't doing it for me. I'd even go as far back as King Kong, where a lot of the unreleased action stuff is just.. there.

I like his thematic structure for these scores, and much of the more emotional material from the first two is among my favourite JNH music, but MJ 1&2 aren't exciting me at all. There seems to be some stylistic change between CF and MJ for the dramatic material which I can't put my finger on, but seems to make a big difference.

Now Healing Katniss: bliss.

[publicist 4,643]

As usual with JNH doing these kind of event movies there's light and shadow. The suite, for a change, is not a graveyard of discarded ideas that never show up in the score proper (MALEFICENT and AIRBENDER come to mind) and it's really a delight, but the whole album just is too damn long - a lot of dead wood that easily could've been omitted - though there are some pleasures along the way.

A playlist of Mockingbird 1&2 is in order: a good hour would make for a great album.

[leeallen01 2,136]

There are some huge brass fanfare-esque moments that make me want to hear more of that from JNH in the future. Like 2:30 in 'Transfer Command' 2:30 in 'Sewer Attack.' Really great stuff!

Also the way he goes back to the innocent folky signature style of the Hunger Games that was dominant throughout the first film before it got more serious of course, is breathtaking. 'Plutarch's Letter,' 'Buttercup' and 'Primrose' is a wonderful way to end the series.

I also like the tragic strings version of Prim's theme at the end of Rebels Attack that gives us a full statement of her material, and then SPOILER! - as we know what happens to her at the end of that piece, JNH makes the strings sound like they're in pain by having the musicians almost screeching the notes.

[Foundling 11]

It's all slightly underwhelming, and there's too many moments when I'm listening and thinking it's nice yes, but the sound is crap.

[DemonStar 57]

Having watched the films recently, I've really began to appreciate JNH's scores even more. This one is really so wonderful with such beautiful emotional reprises of the tender themes at the right moments, especially the final three tracks. The action music is really fantastic. I cannot stop playing "Snow's Execution" which is just so deliciously dark, dramatic and powerful. I just wish the OST was not so hideously mastered with the dreadful loudness war. The recording sessions version is a vast improvement.