Any love for Mychael Danna’s “The Nativity Story”?

[WampaRat 1,105]

Love listening to this one around this time of year. His blending of ancient eastern instruments with mediaeval and Renaissance carols is just spellbinding. 
 

While there are some tropes of “Epic” scoring from the early 2000s (BIG drums, duduk (?), occasional “wailing female vocals” , he puts his own spin on it enough. Really a classy take. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,508]

I've never heard a Mychael Danna score that I didn't like, but MONSOON WEDDING is my absolute favourite.

[WampaRat 1,105]

I’ll need to check that one out. Outside of this, Life of Pi, Aarat, and Camelot, I haven’t delved too deeply into his catalog.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,508]

You should; it's damn good.

[Edmilson 7,398]

Danna's work for Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Ride with the Devil and Life of Pi) is really good.

[WampaRat 1,105]

Ah. Never realized he was a regular collaborator with Lee until you just listed their work lol. Wonder why he didn’t score Brokeback mountain? 

[Edmilson 7,398]

It's not like they have a "Steven Spielberg/John Williams" style collaboration. Other composers have worked for Lee: Patrick Doyle (Sense & Sensibility), Danny Elfman (Hulk, Taking Woodstock), Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain), Alexandre Desplat (Lust, Caution) and Lorne Balfe (Gemini Man). 

 

In other words, despite reprising one composer occasionally, he prefers to decide on a movie-by-movie scale who will score his movies.

[Falstaft 2,132]

Beautiful score. 

[Matt C 452]

It's the finest score Danna has written. In terms of quality, it's up there with Williams' Home Alone in terms of great Christmas scores.

[Romão 2,274]

It's wonderful score. I'm particularly fond of the first two tracks and the last seven, or so

[WampaRat 1,105]

1 hour ago, Matt C said:

It's the finest score Danna has written. In terms of quality, it's up there with Williams' Home Alone in terms of great Christmas scores.

I’m inclined to agree. We get the classic “Christmas Magic” feel from Williams and the Religious/“Reason for the Season” side from Danna. 

Choral music always cuts right to my heart. I love how Danna employs a variety of human voices in this. Crystal-clear soloists like in “The Annunciation”, deep portentous choirs for Herods evil-doing, and the source-like cantor material in “Words of the Prophets”

It’s the same level of craft employed by Shore for his LOTR/Hobbit scores. Speaking of, Danna would do an incredible job on the LOTR Amazon series:) A fresh voice for that world but I bet it would still be true to the overall “sound” established by Shore.

 

[KK 3,307]

It's probably my favourite Christmas score.

[crocodile 7,990]

It's a wonderful score and a probably the most unique Christmas film music there is.

 

Karol

[Thor 7,478]

Yes, it's a fine score indeed, although I haven't seen the movie (it looks rather hokey, to be honest). Took some time adjusting to, however. I had expected something more traditionally pastoral and religious. But it has grown on me. Nice incorporation and variation of classic Christmas songs too, like "Silent Night". But "Veni, veni, Emanuel" remains my favourite.

 

Danna is a favourite of mine. Especially the Atom Egoyan collabs, but pretty much everything I've heard. Like Peter Gabriel, he was a pioneer of middle eastern elements in western music (including the wailing woman and the duduk) many years before GLADIATOR, but it never took off quite the same way.