Josh500 1,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Do you like it more or less now than four months ago, when it was released? I find that, rather surprisingly, it has grown on my quite a bit. It's still not a masterpiece, or on the same level as Tintin or War Horse, but it's better than I thought at first. Especially the last track stands out. It's catchy. I find myself listening to it quite often these last few weeks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 It's a grower! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 So why do you reckon you were wrong originally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 I thought it was underwhelming at first. I even stopped listening to it after a few listens... But relistening to it again, I find it to be much better than previously thought. It will never be a classic, but it's not bad at all. Bespin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,456 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 I listened it a few time, I learn to like it, but I still did not saw the movie. So I can't really say more for the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 A little bit, but not much. I'm still playing it on Spotify. Waiting for prices to drop on the CD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 Haven't seen the film either. But I hear it's not very good... Wonder when we can expect Tintin 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,713 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 I have to admit that the score has grown on me. Just took a listen and there is a lot to admire. Sophie/BFG related melodies are terrific old fashioned nostalgic "they lived happily ever after" type of feel-good material and genuinely moving and things like Dream Jars is a fun curiosity but what brings this score down a couple of notches for me is the over-familiarity of the Williams' children's fantasy scoring tropes that he leans on quite heavily in many places here. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 I actually haven't listened to it once since a week or so after I saw the film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,621 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Sadly no. There are a few nice moments but they're not enough to make up for the sugary tone, weak themes (by Williams' standards), and a general "been there done that" vibe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BloodBoal 7,538 Posted September 26, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 26, 2016 Loert, Once, Pieter Boelen and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,443 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 4 hours ago, Josh500 said: I thought it was underwhelming at first. I even stopped listening to it after a few listens... But relistening to it again, I find it to be much better than previously thought. It will never be a classic, but it's not bad at all. I felt that way the first time I heard CE3K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 1 hour ago, Jay said: I actually haven't listened to it once since a week or so after I saw the film Really? Man, I've listened to this probably once a week since July! Wonderful, beautiful music. Much better than the movie! Josh500 and Will 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,612 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Voted No, I still haven't heard it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 55 minutes ago, Richard said: I felt that way the first time I heard CE3K. Gotta be honest with you, I still find CE3K underwhelming. I just can't get into it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,232 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 No, this score has not grown on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 It's better then A.I.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 I think it had all the building blocks to be a classic, but the themes aren't developed enough to be really satisfying. The score always seems to be building on something without ever getting there so no, it hasn't really grown on me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 3 hours ago, Josh500 said: Haven't seen the film either. But I hear it's not very good... That's the opposite of what I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 I didn't like the film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 47 minutes ago, Stefancos said: It's better then A.I.! Ha, ha...please, let me have some of that Dutch weed you're smoking. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 22 minutes ago, king mark said: I think it had all the building blocks to be a classic, but the themes aren't developed enough to be really satisfying. The score always seems to be building on something without ever getting there so no, it hasn't really grown on me I actually mostly agree with you while still really liking the OST. Maybe not an all-time classic Williams, but I just...like listening to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efegarcia 0 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 no..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 4 hours ago, Quintus said: That's the opposite of what I've heard. Well, I still haven't seen it yet. Have you? 5 hours ago, king mark said: I think it had all the building blocks to be a classic, but the themes aren't developed enough to be really satisfying. The score always seems to be building on something without ever getting there so no, it hasn't really grown on me Hmmm, developed or not, there is a hummable main theme. When I first heard MoaG, I thought Sayuris Theme was totally lacking and simplistic. But then it grew on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artguy360 1,839 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 I feel the same about it now as I did around the time of its release. It's a fun score with great colors but a fairly weak thematic core. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,615 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 4 hours ago, Josh500 said: Hmmm, developed or not, there is a hummable main theme. yes, the main sophie's theme is great..but it's never developed into a full version. We only hear teasing snippets of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted September 27, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 27, 2016 I'm likely one of the very few who liked the score from the start, so I'm likely biased. But further listenings revealed more nuances and lots of details I truly enjoy. Also, my appreciation of the score grew after seeing the film--there's a theatrical quality in the film (despite the technology) that Williams captured very well. It's surely a score that covers a ground Williams already explored well (and maybe better) in past scores, but it's filled with such graceful fun that I can't help but enjoy it. Josh500, Gurkensalat and Will 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted September 27, 2016 Author Share Posted September 27, 2016 5 hours ago, king mark said: yes, the main sophie's theme is great..but it's never developed into a full version. We only hear teasing snippets of it I disagree. The first portion of the very last track. That's the "full version." Now, may we see an even more developed and expanded "concert version"? That's a different question. But that's not always needed... And I don't think that for this theme it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amer 2,071 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 In all honesty, I haven't been able to get to it. Its resting under a pile of un-opened cds. I have to find the right kind of time and feeling to play it. My spare time is mostly spent with my toddler son and I enjoy his company more then my cds. I'am the 'Peter Pan' who has grown up suddenly-HELP! Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,443 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Take your son, over JW, always! Amer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerebral Cortex 3,357 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 It has grown on me, but not nearly in the same capacity as, say, TFA was for me a couple months after release. With The BFG, it went from me thinking it was okay to then being good, whereas TFA went from being good to a masterpiece. Never before has a score grown that much on me upon first listen. It's honestly a little silly how much my opinion improved on it, as I regard it now as one of the best film scores of the last 15 years. Perhaps The BFG hasn't been able to blossom in the same way for me, because I haven't brought it into the light for an objective and isolated listening experience free from expectations, and instead have it still firmly planted mentally in TFA's shadow, which is a quite unfair thing for me to do to it. Will and DarthDementous 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,205 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 No it hasn't grown on me. Because I saw/heard it first time in the theater and it was exellent instantaneously even if the terrible movie tried to alienate me from it. Great decade this is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Terrible movie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max McGuire 19 Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 The thing with BFG is that I kind of forget it exists unless it comes up whilst my playlist on Spotify is on shuffle mode. Due to the fact I haven't listened that much means I get pleasantly surprised whenever it comes on. Like others have said, some nice moments but nothing really stands out to me. That could also be due to the fact I haven't seen the film though so I don't have much connection with the music... Needs a few more listens really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crumbs 14,274 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 One of the most intriguing things I find about the score is that, despite Williams' evolving writing style over the last 25 years, this could easily pass as a score he wrote in the early 90s. He really is a chameleon composer in that respect. It makes scores like the Star Wars prequels and KOTCS even more fascinating, given the way they 'feel' quite different to the SW and IJ scores from the 80s. With the prequels especially, there's a clear evolution of writing style and orchestral textures used. Arpy and Cerebral Cortex 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkensalat 336 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I often listen to BFG in the car and always discover new nuances and details. it is such a finely crafted, exquisite score. Sure, there are similarities to other JW scores, but if I would never have heard one other JW score before, I would be totally blown away by this and see it as the best score of the decade, just for the quality of the composition and instrumentation. And even with the knowledge of all the JW scores before, I like it very much. And I am slowly becoming convinced that since 2010 we are witnessing a second golden era of JW scores with Tintin, War Horse, TFA and BFG, second only to his 1977-1984 phase. Josh500 and Will 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 Cripes, some very euphoric descriptions of latter-day Williams here. Figures that when I finally encounter some positivity on this board, it's in an area where I'm rather negative. It is my opinion that BFG -- like almost all of Williams' genre scores in the last 10 years -- suffers from "approximation syndrome", i.e. he's trying to approximate a more consonant sound he nurtured with ease in the 90s and before, whereas his own preference these days lies with stuff like "Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra" and "Conversations". Exploring more avantgarde and modern soundscapes. So these approximations become half-baked. That's not to say that BFG, TFA, TINTIN, INDY 4 etc. don't have values -- of course they do! -- but they're relegated to moments rather than an overarching, consistent level of quality. Williams has been at his best and most consistent in recent years with more "serious" fare, like LINCOLN, WAR HORSE (OK, except BOOK THIEF; that also suffered from 'approximation syndrome'). DarthDementous 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 4 hours ago, Thor said: Cripes, some very euphoric descriptions of latter-day Williams here. Figures that when I finally encounter some positivity on this board, it's in an area where I'm rather negative. It is my opinion that BFG -- like almost all of Williams' genre scores in the last 10 years -- suffers from "approximation syndrome", i.e. he's trying to approximate a more consonant sound he nurtured with ease in the 90s and before, whereas his own preference these days lies with stuff like "Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra" and "Conversations". Exploring more avantgarde and modern soundscapes. So these approximations become half-baked. That's not to say that BFG, TFA, TINTIN, INDY 4 etc. don't have values -- of course they do! -- but they're relegated to moments rather than an overarching, consistent level of quality. Williams has been at his best and most consistent in recent years with more "serious" fare, like LINCOLN, WAR HORSE (OK, except BOOK THIEF; that also suffered from 'approximation syndrome'). This is when we get the Marshall McLuhan scene from Annie Hall. (John Williams steps out from behind a pillar) Williams: I heard what you were saying. You know nothing of my work! Boy if life were only like that. Joni Wiljami and Cerebral Cortex 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I can think of a fair share of opinions on this board that Williams would have issues with. Mine is probably the least controversial; in fact, he'd probably agree (notice how his favourite score of his own has changed from JANE EYRE to CLOSE ENCOUNTERS). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Disco Stu 15,495 Posted September 28, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 28, 2016 Oh man, if Williams actually read 90% of what we say about him here, he'd never stop throwing up. Will, Bespin and Cerebral Cortex 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,443 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I'm sure he's laughing all the way to the Oscar nomination. I don't think that JW gives a single damn about us, which begs the question...why do we all care about him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I voted 2.5 stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien F 1,739 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 It grew on my after my third listen or so. Relative to JW's career, it is a solid 3 stars. Relative to current mainstream scores, it is 4 - 4.5 stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will 2,215 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 On 9/27/2016 at 4:54 AM, Josh500 said: I disagree. The first portion of the very last track. That's the "full version." Now, may we see an even more developed and expanded "concert version"? That's a different question. But that's not always needed... And I don't think that for this theme it is. JW wrote one concert piece for the BFG, "Suite from the BFG." It's basically the end credits suite with some material cut out but also some cool short additions (but nothing major; no huge thematic statements missing from the actual film score, certainly). Definitely worth a listen if you liked the score (as I did). This performance is the Boston Pops at Tanglewood on Parade in August: The_BFG_Suite.wav I agree that the beginning statement feels like the "full version." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Will 2,215 Posted October 1, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted October 1, 2016 I'm not very familiar with JW's oeuvre compared to most members here. That will take a long time. But based on my current knowledge, I really must refute the notion, stated by @Incanus and others, that this score is more or less a repackaged collection of old JW fantasy ideas. Because I find this score incredibly fresh in many respects (although, as you might imagine, it does have some stylistic continuity). There's a regal sound, a British sound, a musical sound, a classical sound ... I'm not sure what it is but it seems very unique and it's all over this score. This is a beautiful score. I haven't totally warmed to the "To Giant Country" material, but there is so much else that I have completely warmed to. And @Marcus has highlighted the incredible level of intelligence behind the notes, from the main (friendship) theme notes reading B(b) - F - G to the way in which JW approached this score as a collection of dances (minuet, waltz, galop, and Broadway) to the grouping of themes (sonata form). (As a side note he also reminded me that JW's thematic references aren't always intended completely literally, something it's easy to forget and that's influenced my thinking on various things ever since. It's easy to get bogged down in "oh, here when they say BFG you hear this theme, so it must be the BFG's theme" but what we really need to do is look at the broader strokes.) The main theme has such an elegance, a grace, a magic to it. I think it would work very well in some capacity at a wedding. I can imagine people walking down an aisle as the theme plays on piano and strings. And then the bigger performance during a reception. I remember it worked very well at the red carpet thing at Cannes. When the stars walked onto the balcony to the soaring version ... when they climbed the stairs to the soft piano. Sophie's melancholy theme has this incredible inevitability to it, as if it always existed and was just waiting to be discovered. The March of the Resistance B melody and Ren's B theme did too. The BFG's theme (the one Incanus thought was the queen's theme initially) is absolutely gorgeous. It has this great warm, classical feel. I gave the score five stars. I wasn't comparing it to anything else but rather looking at its own merits. I very much enjoyed it, it had thematic and orchestrational intelligence ... great. Five stars. Certainly, when I first really experienced the score (in the film; I listened to the OST after) I was really disappointed. It was another grower. I've been meaning for a while to post some of my favorite moments from the score, particularly the more unheralded ones, and now seems as good a time as any. I apologize for the extreme length of this post. The harmonies with the bass strings remind me of when my extended family goes Christmas caroling every year. We're a very musical family so of course everyone sings different parts and the sound is pretty good, with the sopranos bringing light and the bass bringing great warmth. The other JW composition that gives me this warm feeling is the Athens Bugler's Dream bells arrangement. So it's funny, the BFG sometimes reminds me of Christmas. How could I not mention this? So freakin' awesome!! The whole of Dream Country really is pretty great. It captures the feeling of magic the best. I love the moments where all the chimes and bells join together (such as and create this feeling of wonder, that you're surrounded by all sorts of amazing things. The shimmering textures are sublime. And the final payoff with that rolling bit above is very rewarding. I know some have said they are very disappointed that the "build-up" doesn't actually build up to anything, I don't mind. It's absolutely masterful. Stunning. Regarding that cue, there have also been complaints that it is too meandering and directionless. And I think that in that respect it might be that with a long cue people expected a long classic film set piece. Instead they got more of a concert work, where everything isn't quite as accessible and the pay-off is not quite as big and brassy and timpani-pounding, with clear themes, as some would prefer. My God that transition is heartbreaking. And what follows is great too... This above was my favorite moment of the score after my first listen to the OST. That bass note with the harp glisses over it... Williams is so masterful with orchestration. If you don't remember, these Blowing Dreams bits played over a lovely scene where the BFG sends in a happy dream and he and Sophie watch through the window. A shadow of what's in the dream appears on the wall of the dream receiving boy's bedroom as the BFG describes it. I remember this being a beautiful, beautiful scene, with a kind of mix of the joyful and the melancholy, and JW's music reflects that so well. This was a really emotional scene as well. You may remember that Sophie jumps from the orphanage ledge to force the BFG, who has left her there for her safety, to come save her. She falls right into his arms and he cradles her there for an incredibly touching moment of friendship. The build-up with the main theme fragments before the fall, which is scored brilliantly, and the its fully comforting lullaby style is heard. This music/scene can bring me close to tears sometimes. The BFG doesn't have very many kick-ass moments, but this is certainly one. 1:09. And the whole second half of that track is really beautiful. Really underscores the fairy tale element. The BFG chases away the mean giants. The whole of Meeting the Queen is really great, from the BFG theme statements to the queen's theme with those tubas (?) to the great snare and brass bit. And last but not least... So exciting. Okay, so you must not have fainted before finishing reading this incredibly lengthy post. Congrats. TownerFan, Marcus, Cerebral Cortex and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,232 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Have you heard A.I? You should hear A.I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Don't ruin the boy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 5 hours ago, Will said: I really must refute the notion that this score is more or less a repackaged collection of old JW fantasy ideas. Because I find this score incredibly fresh in many respects. 5 hours ago, Will said: I'm not very familiar with JW's oeuvre compared to most members here. There. That's all that needed to be said. You like The BFG? That's fine. You call it fresh? That's inaccurate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,443 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Have you heard MINORITY REPORT? You should hear MINORITY REPORT. Have you heard POA? You should hear POA. Cerebral Cortex and Will 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TownerFan 4,983 Posted October 1, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted October 1, 2016 7 hours ago, Will said: Okay, so you must not have fainted before finishing reading this incredibly lengthy post. Congrats. Beautiful post, Will. I like your enthusiasm and I share your love for this great little score. Marcus, Jay, Will and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now