Best epic & operatic blow-out track from the late 90s / early 2000s

[Jay 37,368]

I'm talking about the climactic cues that feature big, prominent vocals (bonus points if Latin), not just anything "epic" from this timeframe.

 

Unfamiliar with all the selections?  I got your embeds:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know if I forgot any, but I'm looking for major ones, not any action cue that features some choir

[michael_grig 472]

Duel of The Fates link does not work for me

[Jay 37,368]

Damn, must be region-blocked

 

Does this one play for you

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I'd include "Victorius Titus" for such a list

 

 

[Jay 37,368]

My first time ever hearing that... it's a much slower-tempo piece than all the other options.  Not really the same thing, I'd say.  Maybe others would disagree!

[Edmilson 7,466]

I like all of them, but I voted for Davis' cue because it's in my opinion the "most epic" (epic-est?) of the bunch.

 

I know it's not from the early 2000s, but I think War from James Horner's Avatar could've been alongside the other tracks in the poll.

[Jay 37,368]

I couldn't decide whether to put Neodämmerung  or Navras in the poll, but I guess Navras is more of a pumped up remix of Neodämmerung for the end credits than an actual film cue....

[Holko 9,526]

Film versions of End of All Things

[Edmilson 7,466]

This amazing cue from The Two Towers could've been in the poll also:

 

 

I guess one could make a poll like that composed of just Howard Shore Middle Earth cues, lol.

[Thor 7,508]

Of the titles in the poll, "Duel of the Fates" wins easily.

 

A couple of others that might or might not fit your criteria (I made sure to have the vocal element and the timeframe, at least):

"Sanctuary!" (THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME)

"The Mummy Returns" (THE MUMMY RETURNS)

"Where?" (MISSION TO MARS)

"Roll Tide" (CRIMSON TIDE)

"Tarawa" (SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS)

"Arthur's Farewell" (FIRST KNIGHT)

"The Battle" (CUTTHROAT ISLAND)

"Stygia", "Cimmeria" & "Aquilonia" (they are sorta one climactic suite) (AGE OF CONAN)

"Eternal Alexander" (ALEXANDER)

 

....and many more.

[crocodile 8,017]

Hmm...difficult choice. I feel the X-Men cue is probably the weakest of the lot. I also won't pick Howard Shore, largely due to the fact this specific track not representing the film scene at all (and I also prefer the Rarities version). Don Davis' track is a magnificent culmination of the ideas in the trilogy but I also find it often bit too much. One-Winged Angel is an iconic piece as well but it's more of a collection of different ideas. Plus the later arrangements are bit more interesting (FFVII symphony, Advent Children). I also love Liberi Fatali but as a far as composition goes, it is not as distinctive as Duel of the Fates.

 

Unsurprisingly, Williams wins. Shock, horror! 

 

By the way, where's Sanctuary from Hunchback?

 

Karol

[Thor 7,508]

Just now, crocodile said:

By the way, where's Sanctuary from Hunchback?

 

I mentioned it in the post right above yours!

[Jay 37,368]

That's completely unfamiliar to me - I'll check it out!

[Chen G. 3,949]

For cataclysmic chorus you quite simply cannot beat "The End of all Things."

 

Sorry, can't be done.

[Edmilson 7,466]

16 minutes ago, Thor said:

"Tarawa" (SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS)

"Arthur's Farewell" (FIRST KNIGHT)

 

These two are great indeed, even though SFoC is not an action film like the others on the list.

 

I'd also include the music Silvestri wrote for the final battle of The Mummy Returns:

 

 

[thestat 348]

Will this madness suffice:

 

 

God, hearing this Goldenthal roar live!

[Mephariel 451]

Duel of Fates no doubt.

[mstrox 6,651]

I love the prequel scores in spite of Duel of the Fates and Battle of the Heroes.  Not my cuppsa.  Never heard the Final Fantasy tracks before now - first one sounds like standard video game music and the second one sounds okay.  Never been a big fan of Powell’s X-men.  Maybe need to give the OST a relisten someday.  Goldenthal’s FF track linked above (not in the poll is a good one - never saw the movie, but a very good score to listen to.

 

 I voted for the LOTR track.  

[publicist 4,643]

My musical bête noire. Never-ending bombast of dubious entertainment value.

[GerateWohl 4,370]

Might Not be operatic enough, but would have fit here somehow.

Spoiler

 

[Chen G. 3,949]

12 minutes ago, publicist said:

Never-ending bombast of dubious entertainment value.

 

Bombast is underrated!

[publicist 4,643]

Whatever rating it has, there's entirely too much of it.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433]

I start to think that it would be an hard poll for me until I read Duel of the Fates. All the others tracks are really great but this one is absolutely perfect. Simply the best epic & operatic blow-out track from all time

 

I might also have add Battle of the Heroes to the pool which would have been the only contender in my eyes to Duel of the Fates

[Edmilson 7,466]

And what about Anakin's Dark Deeds? It has epic LOTR-esque choir, and it's probably my favorite cue from ROTS. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

That's not early 2000s!

[Edmilson 7,466]

In my view, 2000-2005 are the "early 2000s", 2006-7 are the mid-2000s and 2008-9 are the late 2000s. 

 

Either way, that decade was great no matter how you describe it.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433]

37 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

That's not early 2000s!

It's still before that one: Battle for the Cure / Phoenix Rises by John Powell (2006)

 

[Romão 2,274]

Goldentha's Final Fantasy indeed is some of very best and most tastefully done orchestral bombast in the last few decades

[Van_Etten 111]

This arrangement of One Winged Angel works best for me, even though it's from 2008 really.

 

 

[crocodile 8,017]

People might think I'm crazy but I really do like the heavy rock arrangement from Advent Children. 

 

 

Karol