stewdog1 50 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 http://www.alexandersoundtrack.com/A 3 minute clip from the upcoming movie. Sounds like it could be the opening title.Sounds a bit like 1492 and Voices. There is definetly potential here.All Vangelis haters, go ahead and post your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 I don't hate Vangelis but, IMO, this music is insultingly simple in harmony, melody and orchestration. Instead of making music bordering on schmaltz I wish he would experiment more the way he used to. What do you think, stewdog? Hey, who knows, maybe it will work well together with the images.----------------Alex Cremers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miz 139 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 It does sound a little uninspiring, doesn't it? The kind of cue you get in the trailer - a bit watered down. Let's hope this clip isn't representative of the entire score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewdog1 50 Posted July 27, 2004 Author Share Posted July 27, 2004 Alex,Yes, he's not as experimental as he used to be. Maybe he's just using a style that he currently likes. He'll probably change his style at some point. I don't know.As for this music. I'm going to have to listen to it more, and in a better format. Without the context of the film or the rest of the music, it's hard for me to make a call on it. Although I do like what I hear so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesk 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Is crap... sounds like Horner for Dummies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daruma 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Sounds a bit like 1492 and Voices. There is definetly potential here.Certainly does sound like Voices. Almost like he's lifted the first track straight off his Voices Album and twisted it a bit. I'm a lover of Vangelis music, but the preview clip is a bad sign (imo) for what i'd hoped this score was going to be like. I have no idea what part of the film it's related to. But the story of Alexander is one of megalomania, destruction, and dark powers of self delusion. Not heroism and glory (everything this movie should NOT be). If it turns out to be such a movie, then i'll disown it as being hardly faithfull to the memory of all those cultures he eradicated and the people he murdered because of his megalomania. I agree with Alexcremer's term "shmaltz" for the clip. This movie and it's score should have nothing containing such ingredients if it's going to be faithfull to the story of Alexander. The preview track sounds faaaaar too upbeat and heroic (something this movie should NOT be under any circumstances) . I do hope the rest of the score (and the movie) is much darker and tragic than what i've heard so far. C'mon Vangelis and Oliver. Dont opt for hollywood heroism and good looks. Show the real Alexander. The murderer who eventually admitted that's all he was, as well as a megalomaniac. Dont make him a Cruise "Maverick". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelot 508 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 This is insulting. I'm sorry if I sound mean to all of you who like Vangelis, but this is something I might have written when I was 10 and learning how to compose. It's beyond sub-mediocre and it does nothing to highlight anything about Alexander, the time he lived in, the location he was in or any sort of epic. It's a shame that studios and film makers would actually eat this sort of thing up. Music like this in huge films is the reason no one has to be a real composer any more to score a film. What was there? like 3 or 4 tiradic chords at most in a 3 minute piece, no orchestration, no high and low points, and completely monotonous to boot. It is sad that composers are allowed to get away with this sort of embarrasment. I was looking forward to seeing this film too. Not that it will matter to anyone else whether I go or not, but God, it just makes me angry to hear complete and utter rubbish like this. It's worse than the backing track to a B side of an Enya song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daruma 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Strong opinion. But i can empathize with the dissapointment, Ocelot. I have to agree that the clip does'nt evoke that era of history at all. I was'nt there then. But, it's not the sound i would choose if writing a film. Vangelis can write some good film music. Some of his 1492 score is very suited to the scenes (unfortunately,few of those great cues made it to the commerically released soundtrack). But there were also one or two scenes where the music was completely and utterly wrong and out of place. The most striking is the scene where Colombus' ships leave Spain, and there is a wide shot of the ships in the sunset. The music in that scene has the famous theme, and it's utterly out of place and far too modern a sound for the scene. I will hold back total judgement on this Alexander score until i've seen the film. Afterall, we've only heard 3 minutes of something that may be a credits theme or something, that is'nt particular important. But if that's an actual cue from scenes, then it just sounds plain wrong and far too "Olympic" in style, for the story of Alexander. But,we shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock 11 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Rather flimsey indeed. So weak, sounds like Has Zimmer trying to be Vangelis to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Coscina 3 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 I'm a fan of Vangelis' older works but hearing this makes me long for a John Williams score. I mean, Vangelis is using sampled orchestral instruments much the same as Zimmer does. You know what would be interesting to do is temp Yared's Troy music, especially "Approach of the Greeks" with parts of Alexander...I bet it would put Vangelis' score to shame.I agree with Ocelot, Charlesk and Morlock. This is really rudimentry composing, even more simplistic than Zimmer's recent fare. Williams would have done a far better job on this project and I'm still surprised that Stone did not ask him to score this...unless he did and WIlliams had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts....Oh well, another possibly great film score down the toilet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesk 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Actually I just made the same suggestion to a person in chat: to restore Yared's rejected Troy and use it in Alexander. Of course is not possible. What intrigues me is that Oliver Stone should know better about good sounding sountracks... and Williams turning down an epic by Oliver Stone??? I think if he would have asked, Williams would have squeezed it somewhere in his schedule, unless he had had a bad experience with this director, which I'm not aware of.For musicians, this Vangelis track is a big dissappointing because is basic harmony 101, no orchestration, just what it would have come out by improvising at the synths. Vangelis has done much better in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelot 508 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 It has to be the best cue since this is what they are supposedly teasing us with...... And if that is the case... Dear God! And yes, I was a little harsh up there, but come on, this guy's is supposed to be a composer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Listen to the creative cymbal work in this trailer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tharpdevenport 4 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Wael's back - and he's pissed! Though I agree with 90% of what you said Wael, I do like Anya. She's the only song writer I know of that I have been able to stomach more than 2 songs by."Only Time" is beautiful and so the B backing melody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Coscina 3 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Yeah, isn't it just a I-V-I progression? Boooooooooooooooring!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Another interesting thing is that there's almost no difference between Vangelis on synths and this real orchestra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewdog1 50 Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 So what does that tell you, Alex? The orchestra is synthy? Or that V is a master at his sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock 11 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 ...or that he's been needlesly avoiding an orchestra for so long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelot 508 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 It just says that he isn't versatile. That he has one thing he does, simple chords with synth. That's it, and he's composing an Epic for Gods sake. Hello, give it to me already!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Nice stare Wael, nothing compared to this though: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tharpdevenport 4 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 I'll let you have it Wael! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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