John Powell's FILM SUITES, VOL. 1 (2020)

[Smaug The Iron 510]

This must be the new album Powell has been teaseing. 

[WampaRat 1,105]

Yeah! Oh terrific. He mentioned a couple of years ago how he wanted to work on a suites album. A wonderful Christmas surprise. Can’t wait to give it a listen.

[Jay 37,287]

Vol 1! 

[Anthony 572]

Excellent, thought this project might have died a death. Glad it finally happened (and excited of the potential of other volumes...)

[Smaug The Iron 510]

https://www.facebook.com/1689850014571627/posts/2770816293141655/

 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

That playlist was by far the highlight of Christmas today for me. I needed that.

[A. A. Ron 1,738]

Cool, thanks for the head's up! Bought it on Qobuz.

[Arpy 4,145]

Is there a tracklist anywhere?

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

Downloading! What a jolly Christmas present. Only minor criticism... such dull artwork. I’m sure one of our super talented cover designers will come up with something. Otherwise I’m sure I’ll enjoy this release immensely. And getting Jose Serebrier and the Philharmonia is quite impressive talent too.

 

In other news, my thoughtful boyfriend got me HTTYD Omni score. Let the air conducting commence!

[WampaRat 1,105]

I wonder what suites will be on Vol 2?

Perhaps some Hancock? Horton Hears a Who? Paycheck?
 

I would LOVE for him to expand on the theme he wrote for Marie on the “Goa” track in Bourne Supremacy. I had that one on repeat for a while.

 

Im sliiightly disappointed that the suite from x-men Last Stand was mostly a shorted version of the final track on that album. But it’s a minor gripe. What a guy to put something together like this for lovers of his music:)

 

PS- Happy Boxing Day to our Canadian friends here!
 

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

The suites album is really great, a few changes here and there from the originals. The HTTYD suite is a bit longer than the one that has appeared in concert a few times already, with a few minor orchestration changes. Building the Crate from Chicken Run has a much more prominent choir; not sure how much I like it, as it feels a bit overbearing. Having said that, the concert ending he presumably wrote especially for the album, rounds things out nicely. Strangely, the HTTYD 2 suite doesn't include Flying With Mother (or at least not the memorable opening part), which is perhaps the most obvious standalone track from the whole score. Otherwise an enjoyable suite, if a bit heavier in overall tone than one from HTTYD (which Flying With Mother would have counterbalanced somewhat). Performance and recording both excellent, a slightly broader more symphonic sound than his soundtrack albums get but tempos etc. are pretty much the same as the originals.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

I like what I heard a lot, but I feel the older Powell material (like Ice Age 2, for example) doesn't work 100% with the purely orchestral-acoustic setting. I feel they lose a lot without the programmed drums and they don't fully work done acoustically. Also, these older pieces feel a little unbalanced in the spectrum of how much the instruments are heard. Continuing with Ice Age 2 as an example, on the original recording the woodwinds are really present, on a first level sort of speak -right in your face. Because Powell used to record his sections separately and manipulate the layers as he saw fit.

But here, the woodwinds sound really far back, overpowered by other sections of the orchestra.

 

However, with the more recent, more mature works, like HTTYD2, it sounds fantastic. Everything's perfectly balanced and feels more natural in terms of the concert, acoustic setting.

 

Mind you this is *my* impression, but I feel like this shows more than anything Powell's growth as a composer.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

This album is indeed a nice surprise, only slightly disappointed by the short runtime of the Chicken Run suite.

[Faleel 5,340]

51 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

This album is indeed a nice surprise, only slightly disappointed by the short runtime of the Chicken Run suite.

Bcause its not a Chicken Run suite, its a Chicken Run cue suite.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

It indeed is.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

I wonder whether this will get a physical release.

[Jay 37,287]

Most new albums of the 2020s won't get a physical release, and the ones that do are much more likely to get vinyl over CD

[Thor 7,468]

Great to see a selection from ENDURANCE on there, one of his finest scores. I generally lean towards older Powell. Hoping for FACE/OFF on Volume 2, the score that got me into his work in the first place (even if it's deeply rooted in the music of his mentor at the time).

[Jay 37,287]

Haven't seen the cover art posted here yet

 

 

1. Building the Crate Suite from “Chicken Run” (3:48)
2. Assassin’s Tango from “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (5:17)
3. Suite from “How to Train Your Dragon” (10:01)
4. Love Theme from “Two Weeks Notice” (4:42)
5. Main Title from “The Bourne Identity” (4:26)
6. Suite from “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (5:20)
7. Suite from “X-Men: The Last Stand” (4:47)
8. The Great Tree from “Endurance” (3:14)
9. Suite from “How to Train Your Dragon 2” (7:32)

TOTAL TIME - 49:12

 

How did he record an entire album in secret?

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

36 minutes ago, Jay said:

Haven't seen the cover art posted here yet

 

 

1. Building the Crate Suite from “Chicken Run” (3:48)
2. Assassin’s Tango from “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (5:17)
3. Suite from “How to Train Your Dragon” (10:01)
4. Love Theme from “Two Weeks Notice” (4:42)
5. Main Title from “The Bourne Identity” (4:26)
6. Suite from “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (5:20)
7. Suite from “X-Men: The Last Stand” (4:47)
8. The Great Tree from “Endurance” (3:14)
9. Suite from “How to Train Your Dragon 2” (7:32)

TOTAL TIME - 49:12

 

How did he record an entire album in secret?

That's kinda what I want to know, plus I would have thought that this would have been recorded like a regular classical album so the full orchestra in a room at the same time, rather than piecemeal (maybe save for the choir). Perhaps it was done much earlier in the year or during a period when the Uk wasn't as tightly locked down.

 

In response to some of the earlier comments, it is a bit of a shame that some of the selections aren't a bit longer, I'm sure he could have put together a decent 10minutes from most of those scores (although I think I'm too used to the shorter HTTYD suite played elsewhere and am a little bit less enthused by the HTTYD 2 suite, missing Flying With Mother definitely feels like a missed opportunity and some of the transitions are a touch clunky). I don't have any issue with the mixing, even if some of the inner instruments aren't as prominent as the original recordings, it still sounds great. It's probably a more realistic representation of the music as written.

[Jay 37,287]

Just got done listening to the whole album on Spotify.  I really liked it!

 

And yes, I must listen to Endurance more!

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

Just got done listening to the whole album on Spotify.  I really liked it!

 

And yes, I must listen to Endurance more!

You must, it's a great score! One I was only aware of recently (somehow).

[Jay 37,287]

I definitely never heard of it until many many years later

[bollemanneke 3,337]

Listening to the suites now. Some wonderful stuff, but the performances in HTTYD aren't really great and I somehow prefer the film cues.

[Faleel 5,340]

10 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Listening to the suites now. Some wonderful stuff, but the performances in HTTYD aren't really great and I somehow prefer the film cues.

Maybe the Vienna performed that one

[Arpy 4,145]

I love the choral work in the X-Men suite, it's unfortunate it didn't include the other theme from the film.

[Bespin 8,480]

Sorry I'm late, my name is Bespin!

[Anthony 572]

So I wonder when Vol. 2 will come out, and what will be on it...? I wonder if more was recorded along with the 9 tracks on Vol. 1.

[Bespin 8,480]

I love this album!