Jump to content

Your favorite Flute moments in film scores.


Recommended Posts

Slightly inspired by the description of the newest JW's work for "The Terminal" I come up with this topic. I hope it hadn't been posted before as a topic.

Would you find any noteworthy flute performances (solos) in film scores? I'm primarily interested in the "poignant" readings of themes or motifs or whatever it's called, something that appears for more than a few bars to play important part in a film score, but anything would help.

For the future, I would consider making a compilation of such flute-featured pieces, my first ever comp, suppose you help me pile up a solid number of worthy pieces. It can be any composer's work, even LOTR. I'm not sure whether James Horner's frequent use of shakuhachi (sp???) is practically his substitution for standard flute, but I like what he had it perform on Legends of the Fall. Had it been flute or clarinet, I'd like it even better, though nothing can ever beat English horns as for woodwinds for me.

Thanx!

Roman.-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 37
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I hate it in Legends of The Fall. MUCH too loud and overbearing. Horner needs to exercise some subtelty with his ethnic insturments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, I agree that it could be a few degrees more silent than it actually is. In this particular score it sounds as if the soloist wanted to drown out the orchestra. So, a little more subtlety, yes, but I love the poignancy with wich he reads the Ludlows theme particularly. In all scores, particularly in Willow, the shakuhachi is so loud that it even squeaks at parts (as though speakers wouldn't be able to catch up performing).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, too all inclusive a comment. I hate it when Horner uses it too loud in that score. He always liked to show off his ethnic inturments. Legends of The Fall is an amazing score otherwise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are plenty of flute solos towards the end of "Hook". My favourite one is in "The Face of Pan".

And in "Far and Away" there is another flute solo, which I enjoy a lot, although I did not like it very much when I listened to it for the first time.

The recorder solo in "Jane Eyre" is also one of my favourites. I find it a most excellent instrumentation in that score.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favourite flute solos:

from Sleepers,

from Angela's Ashes,

the wedding scene in The Patriot (not on CD),

thoose two high notes in AOTC, when Evan jumps through window,

and now from POA, Secrets of the Castle. superb!

and missing flute (just 3 notes) at the end of Double Trouble - this flute is in the trailer, but not on CD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are plenty of flute solos towards the end of "Hook". My favourite one is in "The Face of Pan".  

And in "Far and Away" there is another flute solo, which I enjoy a lot, although I did not like it very much when I listened to it for the first time.  

Those were the two I thought of immediately. Regarding Far and Away, there are several nice flute solos throughout the score. "County Galway, June 1892," "Shannon is Shot," and the End Credits especially come to mind as having lovely flute renditions of themes.

Ray Barnsbury

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Without a doubt:

Opening(intro) of Theme From Jurassic Park(after the horns)

Opening(intro) of Anakin's Theme

Actually 2 of my all time most beautiful Williams musical phrases,brilliant.

K.M.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best "flute" moment in a Williams-scored film for me is in Close Encounters. The start of the final scene, right before the UFOs come down and hover above the airstrip they twinkle in the night sky like shooting stars. Several of them come together as one and then seperate, shooting apart into the night sky. As that happens 3 flutes form a minor triad. Ooooh it sends chills up my spine every time. Magic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That "Flute", but even practically anything that sounds like a flute to me. I even confuse whistles and piccolos for flutes, so feel free to post any woodwind instrument solo that laid hold of your heart. I'm chewing it all up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An unreleased cue (on CDs at least) from Tomorrow Never Dies features a quite nice flute performance I'm very fond of: it's the cue that I labeled "Bond Returns". After Hamburg Breakout and before 3send, Bond's in the car and returns to the hotel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, if we're talking woodwinds in general, I love the bassoon parts in "Fluffy's Harp", "Visit to the Zoo and Letters from Hogwarts" and "Prologue: Book II and Escape from the Dursleys".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In that case, the begining of The Fury Theme (I'm rather ignorant when it comes to insturments).

The very beginning is a bassoon. Then the clarinet plays the main theme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"County Galway' date=' June 1892"[/quote']

This is not a flute but a penny whistle. Speaking of penny whistles, did everyone know the solos in County Galway are played by the same soloist as the Titanic penny whistle solos (Mr. Hinnigan)?

My fav flute moments:

1) Secrets of the Castle

2) Dennis Steals the Embryos

3) Princess Leia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the way Williams uses the flute in My Friend, the Brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park - it is obscured in the movie by all the sneezing, which is a waste of such a beautiful melody

A

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is not a flute but a penny whistle

Granted, though people have been mentioning all kinds of woodwinds here, not just flutes. Interesting that the same player performed on Titanic too. And believe me, that's not all Horner's taken from Far and Away.

Ray Barnsbury

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is not a flute but a penny whistle

Granted, though people have been mentioning all kinds of woodwinds here, not just flutes.

Yes, any woodwinds here. And I even thought of altering the topic's title but I couldn't figure out how does Joe do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I even thought of altering the topic's title but I couldn't figure out how does Joe do.

Just click "edit" on the first post.

Neil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In that case, the begining of The Fury Theme (I'm rather ignorant when it comes to insturments).

The very beginning is a bassoon. Then the clarinet plays the main theme.

You prove my point. But I knew it wasn't a flute, just a woodwind solo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the album version of "Something for Rosa" from Earthquake. It also qualifies as being one of Williams' best compositions for the guiro. Too bad the movie version lasts only a nanosecond.

8O

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about the flutes in The Mine Car Chase from ToD,that's pretty impressive.

K.M.

I think they're piccolos. Well whatever, I agree KM. That has to be some of the most virtuosic writing in a Williams score!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Face of Pan from Hook

Victory Celebration from ROTJ

Far and Away

Flute solo in E.T.'s flying theme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the way Williams uses the flute in My Friend, the Brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park - it is obscured in the movie by all the sneezing,  which is a waste of such a beautiful melody

The concert version of this piece has one of my favorite flute solo passages ever. Also quite nice are the flute solos in Cinque's Theme (Amistad) and The Return (Jane Eyre).

Almost forgot, there's also a great flute solo in The Witches of Eastwick. It's in the scene where Jack Nicholson seduces Michelle Pfeiffer in the swimming pool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the flute solo in "Leia's Theme" (concert version), and the solo from "My Friend, The Brachiosaurus".

There are plenty of amazing flute moments throughout the Harry Potter scores (Williams, of course, not Doyle), and I love the "Hedwig's Theme" counterpoint in "Harry's Wondrous World". Beautiful solos also in "Sleepers", "Stanley and Iris", and of course "The Seduction of Sukie" from "The Witches of Eastwick", plus "Hook", "Far and Away" and countless others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Easy one for me: "The Seduction of Sukie" from THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, closely followed by "The Face of Pan" from HOOK. I also like "The Cat" from THE TOWERING INFERNO - that cue has an interesting, quirky solo flute part, which suddenly becomes lyrical in the second half, under some interesting piano arpeggios.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man I just listened to The Cowboys Overture again (loud volume), to see if there were any flute solos of significant length. Not that there were any really, but... the music... I just literally cried. It sent chills up my spine.

3:06-6:12 has got to be some of the most powerful and glorious music Williams has written.

The countryside oboe then pic solos... leading into the heart-wrenching strings with their imitation and pained upper registers... then the awesome imitation in the woodwinds... then horn and celli melody with harp and violin arpeggios!!... the tenderness and beauty of the chords in the short bridge at 4:57... the build up with horns and violins in fortissimo, and cymbal roll!... then the icing on the cake... the violin bridge followed by the melody with horn imitation and those receding major chords....

This is not Cowboy/western music any more. This is just transcendent music of the heart, of John Williams' heart. (Sorry, had nowhere else really to write this.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.