Angela's Ashes - opinons about the score

[Pelzter 0]

I personally love the score for its melancholy power and beauty, and I particularly love the secondary string theme, which makes prominent appearances in the 3rd and 5th track. And furthermore, the 5th track contains yet another gorgeous incidental melody, a wonderful piano melody beginning roughly at the 2:20 mark in that track.

But what do the rest of y'all think about the score?

--Pelzter.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I bet you have made Miguel Andrade's day with this post, Peltzer.

Personally, I haven't seen the score and only seen excerpts from the film.

[Romão 2,274]

I havent' seen the film, but the score is breathaking. I agree with you about the theme in track 3: gorgeous. Trully a surprise.

[ST-321 4]

I too have not seen the film but think that this score is wonderful. It is too bad that I have the American release with all the dialog, but the music far outweighs that.

[Adam 1]

I agree Track 3 is a highlight. It has some of the stylistic charcter of Jane Eyre.

The director apparently didn't want an Irish score. Even JW says he opted for a more general, straight emotional approach. Nonetheless, he uses a style that, at least to my hear, has a bit of a celtic feel at times, though not in a particularly obvious way. Its a very sad score for a relentlessly sad movie. Its not until the very end that we get relief, with a cue that is unabashedly optimistic and American - its an interesting contrast.

I have to say, the music is treated rather badly in the film. Lots of music taken out or replaced with old American tunes from the era like the ones on the soundtrack. A little bit like Seven Years in Tibet, where I ask myself "Why hire the world's best film composer and than act like you're scared the audience might hear his music!!??" I mean there's still music in the movie and its effective when it has the chance but there's a lot missing, pretty clearly. Oh well.

- Adam

[A24 4,331]

The album doesn't kill me but I know Simon Rhodes did a good job recording it.

EDIT: Track 17, Back To America is my favorite. How could I forget!

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

Yes, you made my day

This is such a masterpiece... Of course, it helps if you also like Vaughan Williams music.

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

For me, AA is the best reassurance that typecasting John Williams as a mere space opera/action scores composer is an utter falsehood.

Straightforwardly put, I love the score.

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

Yes, you made my day    

This is such a masterpiece... Of course, it helps if you also like Vaughan Williams music.

I've experienced it in the opposite direction. I heard the score before I fell in love with Vaughan's symphonies, so I don't think familiarity with him would have helped that much.

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

Guess you're right... That's just a way of saying that this score is very english sounding. There is a melody that brings to mind Williams own favorite, Elgar's Cello Concerto. And I do love english music.

[CYPHER 1]

I agree that this is a most beautiful score. I'm sure its emotional impact would be magnified if I'd actually seen the film, but this oversight notwithstandnig it is a deeply affecting score. "Angela's Prayer" (Track 3) would have to be my favourite track on the album. It was a pleasant surprise to discover the existence of such a wonderful secondary theme (along with several others), one that never made it onto the Main theme (which I'd heard many times before I bought the CD - majorly discounted which is always nice ). Adam, your description of the final track as "unabashedly optimistic and American" is spot on. It is a remarkable contrast to the dark complexity of the preceding content and yet simultaneously stirring - undoubtedly an appropriate accompaniment to the climax of the film.

CYPHER

[King Mark 3,630]

i like that "tragic" string statement in Track1 at 1.35

this is probably Williams most "classical music " sounding soundtrack,even more so than Schindler's List.You could play the record and it's not obvious it's film music.

K.M.

[MSM 126]

i like that "tragic" string statement in Track1 at 1.35

this is probably Williams most "classical music " sounding soundtrack,even more so than Schindler's List.You could play the record and it's not obvious it's film music.

K.M.

I as well think especially this passage is thrilling!! JW composed a few more passages like this one, with mostly strings playing a very passionate theme eg:

- the part in the Seven Years in Tibet theme just before the piano/cello coda;

- some parts of Schindler's List;

- part of Celebrate discovery;

- part of Call of the Champions;

- ???

[A24 4,331]

Classical sounding you say? It's unmistakably Williams if you ask me. Maybe the lack of brass and percussion makes it sound a bit more English, sure, but classical?

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Alex Cremers

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That depends on your precise definition of classical, i guess.

[pete 907]

No one has mentioned Lanes Of Limerick yet, I'm shcoked to my core!!

I love the tracks mentioned above as well, but no Mimi AA suite is complete without this beautiful piece!

Did anyone pick up that CD with that included Lanes oF Limerick performed by the Boston Symphony Harpist??? Same record company as that released Williams Trumpet Concert..

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

this is probably Williams most "classical music " sounding soundtrack,even more so than Schindler's List.You could play the record and it's not obvious it's film music.

K.M.

I couldn't agree more.

[ocelot 508]

One of JW's masterpieces and I thought it deserved about 5 oscars. I love this score. It is heartbreaking and just sublime. I can't get enough of it. From the main title to Watching the Eclipse, to the other themes to Back to America, incredible.

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

No one has mentioned Lanes Of Limerick yet,  I'm shcoked to my core!!

I love the tracks mentioned above as well, but no Mimi AA suite is complete without this beautiful piece!

Did anyone pick up that CD with that included Lanes oF Limerick performed by the Boston Symphony Harpist???  Same record company as that released Williams Trumpet Concert..

I agree. I'll be oredering this cd soon. I'll let you know how it is when I get it. Sadly it includees the very same recording of kaska's Harp Concerto, featured on the mentioned Williams disc.

[Rogue_Leader 2]

I have REALLY gotta get the NON-narrarated version of this ASAP.

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

I have REALLY gotta get the NON-narrarated version of this ASAP.

I never listen to that one. I prefer the one with the beautiful narration.

[Rogue_Leader 2]

I have REALLY gotta get the NON-narrarated version of this ASAP.

I never listen to that one. I prefer the one with the beautiful narration.

You LIKE the narration??

Well ......... thats a first!

[King Mark 3,630]

I have REALLY gotta get the NON-narrarated version of this ASAP.

I never listen to that one. I prefer the one with the beautiful narration.

of all people...

K.M.

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

I really don't get what's your problem... You get all this home made boots, dvd ripped scores, with a lot of sfx on them, much more distracting, and aren't able to stand a few quotes from this marvelous book. I'm really glad Williams decided to include the narration, and am only sad he hasn't done the same with Unfinished Journey.

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

Once they decided to release any music composed for movies isolated on various media (LP, CD, MD...), simply outside of the movies, I think we, the buyers, have the right to hear it in the original form. As much as I would like the narrated version of Angelka's Ashesas well because I ENJOYED THE MOVIE, I cannot imagine being unable to get the non-narrated version, 'cos what if I hadn't seen the film and/or am not interested in any dialogues? What if I don't understand the language in which the dialogues are spoken?

I know such soundtracks with no option of choosing between the narrated and non-narrated versions do float around markets (HANNIBAL), but I find it a fault. As much as I find Hopkins' voice appealing, I don't want him on the soundtrack album. If there's a will (or backstage pressure) to present the score with dialogues mixed over the music, then I would suggest going the way of Angela's Ashes soundtracks (2 releases), or putting the narrated parts into bonus tracks on the CD or on a bonus CD.

What I do when I am buying scores is I'm buying THE MUSIC. If I want to enjoy the story within the score, have companies make alternate versions possible on CDs. Or, and it's the easiest way to do, go see the movie, Roman.

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

1. The Angela's Ashes Sony release has no dialogue. It has narration, a totally diferent thing.

2. This narration is far from distracting. It covers a few short seconds in the begin of the tracks or something like that.

3. I'm pretty sure Williams put alot of though in wich quotes to use, and were they should go. Note, that this was Williams option, to my knowledge there wasn't any pressure from Sony.

Of course, everyone is free to choose what he/she wants to hear. I understand you may prefer the non-narrated version, and you're lucky you can get one with Angela's Ashes. But also have in mind that a lot of music has been written, over the ages, to have narration. Naturally the language barrier is a problem. But things are this way... You have Peter and the Wolf, wich comes with narration. I have several relerases, with diferent laguages, and I end up listening only to the ones I understand. But have you ever listyened to it sans narration? It's terrible! I rather had to listen to it in German, a language I don't understand at all.

Other works may do well with or without narration, like Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestrta (aka Varaitions on a theme by Purcell).

As said, film music is written for film, you should be happy that you live in a era were they release so much of this, and can I add, so much junk too, in cd. If you still have a problem because ocasionally a release comes with a few excerpts of narration or so, you should have been around here some twenty years ago, when you would have but a few albuns to buy each year.

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

Miguel, I don't have any problem with that. The option I have these days is to buy it or leave it. If AA were only available with the narration, I would have likely passed it by, or maybe I would have bought a copy but would feel somewhat manipulated. Perhaps Williams decided to include the narration for he might have thought little of the score he wrote, but I am glad Decca released it as a narration-free thing. It's just that we don't concur on this particular matter, that's it.

Peter and the Wolf, if I'm not mistaken, was written to have the narration, so it's a different thing. The music is well supported by the narration, and in fact it would have made very little sense without the narration. This is where I see the difference between Angela and Wolf.

But putting all the bickering aside. I agree that I am lucky to live in the era where so much gets released on CDs. Maybe the era pampered me to insist on having things that would have been hardly available some twenty-thirty years ago. And I don't envy those who started collecting music back in the ages when it was so hard. But today I CAN make a choice. And Decca made it possible for me to make a choice. Thus, I concluded that things are prettier that way, the way that gives you an OPTION. The rest is up to us. Take it or leave it.

Thanks for your opinion, Miguel.

Roman.-)

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

Williams does like the score, otherwise we wouldn't have written a suite of that one, wich, by the way, does includes narration. I belive that the main reason he wanted the narration is because he loves the book so much.

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

I get to hear about the Suite again. Where did you hear it, may I know?

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

I get to hear about the Suite again. Where did you hear it, may I know?

The suite has not been released. You can find it as part of a Evening at Pops concert, with Yo-Yo Ma palying the solo cello parts, and frank McCourt doing the narration.

Williams did recorded a few movements that required solo Cello, with Ma by the time they did their Cello Concerto cd. So we can expect a release of that in the future.

[King Mark 3,630]

I really don't get what's your problem...

no problem,I was just kidding.

You get all this home made boots, dvd ripped scores, with a lot of sfx on them, much more distracting

which I gladly toss into the garbage once i get a decent recording

K.M.

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

Consider considering me the garbage, will you?

[Miguel Andrade 1,263]

which I gladly toss into the garbage once i get a decent recording  

K.M.

Wich in some case might be never

[Incanus 5,714]

To me Angela's Ashes is one of the most hauntingly melancholic and beatiful scores Williams has ever written. The movie was okay but the score is a classic. It has the same heart that Jane Eyre does and it really seems Williams connected very well with this film. The theme on track 3 is actually a theme for Angela, the mother, and I think has to do with the religious aspect of the family and I concur, it is a beatiful melody and I wish there would have been more variations of it on the album. The melodic fragment on the track 5 is a variation on the main theme and it is one of the highlight sections of the score as well as the warm melody on track 15 Angels Never Cough. It is simply heart warming. This is one of the best scores for drama I have heard. I love it (How could one not?).

-Incanus- who is very glad that Decca released the score in Europe without the narration from the film in the beginning of the tracks.