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New JW Interview w/info on Memoirs of a Geisha


Mari

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The music for E.T. was full of light, but still lushly symphonic in content. Fresh from the darkly imposing soundscapes but similarly huge orchestrations he recently penned for Spielberg's War of the Worlds, Williams says his latest film project, Memoirs of a Geisha, is throwing him a few new curve balls. "I hope the music will have all the atmosphere of prewar Japan," he says. "The score is on a smaller, more intimate scale, a kind of concerto grosso for an assortment of solo instruments with string accompaniment.

You can read the complete article here.

Kathy

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The score will also include extended solos for the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument. "Writing for koto is even tougher, as one is limited by the instrument's chromatic abilities, and the tuning and the plucking techniques are complicated," Williams points out. To that end, Williams says he has been working with a koto soloist in his studio, learning how to fit his writing into a comfortable idiom for the soloist.

Williams is going to write extended koto solos? WOW! This will be a day long remembered.

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The score will also include extended solos for the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument. "Writing for koto is even tougher, as one is limited by the instrument's chromatic abilities, and the tuning and the plucking techniques are complicated," Williams points out. To that end, Williams says he has been working with a koto soloist in his studio, learning how to fit his writing into a comfortable idiom for the soloist.

Williams can make anything sound great.

ROTFLMAO

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Koto? Koto is beautiful. I studied that. Its very hard to write for. He'll probably stick to solo melodic writing on it, because otherwise its almost impossible to write what the old guys play on it. I am quite excited about this one. Maybe it will share something in common with the Sand Pebbles by Goldsmith.

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Yo-Yo Ma? sorry, but bleh... There are so many better cellists... Truls Mörk for instance (Norwegian)

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The Last Emperor (Sakamoto) also has a long koto solo. It's a great soundtrack dating from the times when Hans Zimmer was merely a Fairlight programmer. I wonder if Williams' music for Geisha will tend to go that direction.

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

Alex Cremers

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Thankfully, it isn't yet the time when fans decide what's best for their idols....

I'm shivering when i think about all the assignments Williams had to take...'John, full schedule this summer as always! 3 weeks for 'Fantastic Four', 3 weeks for 'Van Helsing 2' and we managed to squeeze in 'Tomb Raider 4' in as well....apart from that your fans have developed a 150-part opus of badly written poems about goofy StarWars characters and you have to write concert pieces with catchy tunes for EVERY ONE OF THEM!'

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Thankfully, it isn't yet the time when fans decide what's best for their idols....

I'm shivering when i think about all the assignments Williams had to take...'John, full schedule this summer as always! 3 weeks for 'Fantastic Four', 3 weeks for 'Van Helsing 2' and we managed to squeeze in 'Tomb Raider 4' in as well....apart from that your fans have developed a 150-part opus of badly written poems about goofy StarWars characters and you have to write concert pieces with catchy tunes for EVERY ONE OF THEM!'

The fans will decide which ones will make the album. If you do 12 carbon copies of Harry Potter, we got a hit, John!

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I don't know what this koto thing is, but I'm sure just one note from it as created by John Williams will make, to paraphrase Steven Spielberg, a tear that is just forming roll down my cheek.

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The Last Emperor (Sakamoto) also has a long koto solo. It's a great soundtrack

It's pretty good, but not great.

dating from the times when Hans Zimmer was merely a Fairlight programmer.

Well that's a pointless, hateful comment, isn't it?

Morlock- who's excitement level for this score has just multiplied several dozen times, though is doubtful it can save the seemingly ill-formed movie

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pings and dings.

Oh, Joe. If only you were as enthusiastic about Memoirs of a Geisha as your John Williams character you wrote in your "John's Wonderful Life" story.

:)

I didn't think anyone read that, I had forgotten it myself.

all my nastiness aside its probably his best chance for an Oscar, as Rots and WotW do not deserve one, as good as both are.

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The Last Emperor (Sakamoto) also has a long koto solo. It's a great soundtrack

It's pretty good, but not great.

According to Zimmer loving Morlock. What does he know?

I don't think it can be bettered. I love Williams but the thought of him pulling a Tibet on that film makes me shiver.

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

Alex Cremers

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As I said in a recent thread, that is one of the movies I must see again, but the CD presentationpresents moments of great beauty, but is ultimately too unbalanced. It has a less than consistant feel about it. The lack of a flowing feel IMO hinders the CD greatly. You're just one of those artsty fartsy types who loves the score because, well, that's what artsy fartsy types like. One day you'll see this, and start liking scores because you like the scores. But until then- Zimmer is da' bomb, You are often a pretentious old guy who's way too full of himself.

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The problem of the '7 Years in Tibet' album isn't 'unbalancedness' - it's repetitive, like all of these Williams albums (Angela's Ashes, which is superb, Accidental Tourist, Terminal etc.). Once you're past the first 4 tracks, there isn't much else to discover.

And that's something i never quite understood...why would Williams, apt musician he is, allow these overlong CD's which all could be shortened to 40 minutes without missing a beat?

And Morlock, i only can urge you to discover more Morricone, as he is Zimmer's self-proclaimed model. There's some inventive stuff to try, from 'La Resa dei Conti' to 'The Clan of the Sicilians' or 'Citta Violenta'. I know that a lot of people reduce him to mere american stuff like 'The Mission' but he wrote shitloads of score, ranging from 60s groove (Danger Diabolik, Scusi facciamo L'amore?) to psychedelic 70s stuff (Dario Argento stuff), straight romance (The Maestro and Margherita) and so on and on and on.

There's much more to discover in Ennio's sleeve than in every Cubase-ridden Mac of the Zimmer factory.

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I don't hold your view, pub. I think Seven Years in Tibet varies quite a bit texturally. Granted, even after about 6 or 7 years of owning it and listening to it quite a bit, I still can't tell a lot of tracks from the others, I do think each track has its own identity, with the exception of the first and last ones and possibly "Leaving Ingrid." Aside from that, each track evokes a different mood, whether it be religious enlightenment, the desolate nature of the Himalayas, the tragedy of the Chinese invasion, etc. It's great listening late at night when you want to settle down and put something quiet on.

But you're pretty much right about your other examples. I haven't heard Accidental Tourist, but Angela's Ashes and The Terminal are pretty bad about repetition. Angela's Ashes seems like the first half of the CD was copied and pasted onto the other half with the tracks renamed. Still good, though. And The Terminal...it's just light and nice. Usually when I'm listening to them intentionally, I don't mind the repetition. If they're background music, though, or if I'm driving in the car, it's not good repetition.

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I hope this score (Geisha) is as thematically rich as Terminal (and by that I mean having a main theme or two or more and using them well throughout the score... without lots of filler music)... If not more so... But more perdy. I'm expecting GREAT things... Like a hit in the Williams department... I can feel it. :)

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I hope this score (Geisha) is as thematically rich as Terminal

:)

Re: '7 Years in Tibet': As far as i'm concerned, only 'Peter's Rescue' and 'The Invasion' stand out...the rest mostly utilizes the main themes in not-too-different guises. There are numerous tracks which could be deleted for a better musical flow.

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As I said in a recent thread, that is one of the movies I must see again, but the CD presentationpresents moments of great beauty, but is ultimately too unbalanced. It has a less than consistant feel about it. The lack of a flowing feel IMO hinders the CD greatly. You're just one of those artsty fartsy types who loves the score because, well, that's what artsy fartsy types like. One day you'll see this, and start liking scores because you like the scores. But until then- Zimmer is da' bomb, You are often a pretentious old guy who's way too full of himself.

You really think that I'm going to love Zimmer one day? LOL If I'm artsy fartsy then how come I like John Williams? Again, try to make sense when talking to me, Morlock. :)

But you're right. The Last Emperor is uneven because it's divided in two different sections. I was talking about Sakamoto's part (the first part - beautiful strings melodies and harmonies). I know people (artsy fartsy people) who like the second part better though.

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

Alex Cremers

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You really think that I'm going to love Zimmer one day?  

What? I wouldn't dare suggest such nonsense. I apologize for the misundertanding. I'm sure you will never, ever love Zimmer (though I do think you might mind him a bit less over time).

LOL If I'm artsy fartsy then how come I like John Williams?  

Even the artsy fartsy can't deny the coming of the true lord. Still, for a JW fan, you do lean towards the artsy fartsy spectrum of things. But that's nitpicking. You're on the right path.

But you're right. The Last Emperor is uneven because it's divided in two different sections. I was talking about Sakamoto's part (the first part - beautiful strings melodies and harmonies). I know people (artsy fartsy people) who like the second part better though.

I was a bit rash in my above statement (the score is at the very least more notable than 'pretty good'). It's been while since the score, and a long while since the movie. But I did recall Sakamoto's part being absolutely breathtaking at points, but noticing a conciderable drop off.

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I'm getting excited here. Intimate scores can be so much better than huge-scale ones when done right, and while my experience of Williams and smaller scores is limited, I'm really looking foward to it after then dark and dissonant WotW.

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And that's something i never quite understood...why would Williams, apt musician he is, allow these overlong CD's which all could be shortened to 40 minutes without missing a beat?  

And.

You keep saying that.What your saying is probably the worst thing that could happen to a c.d. release.You can always skip the tracks you don't like.

You say WotW could have done without Probing the Basement If they made the c.d. shorter that track might still be on the c.d. in favor of lets say The Intersection Scene.Would you be more happy having a shorter album with possibly a crucial track missing?

Williams has already ruined 3 of his cues for RotS by making them shorter for the c.d.

K.M.Who's explained that before.

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Why would anyone complain about longer albums? I want as much music as possible and I'm thankful War of the Worlds has 60 minutes worth. Really, that amount is quite a lot for a score recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

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Why would anyone complain about longer albums?  I want as much music as possible and I'm thankful War of the Worlds has 60 minutes worth.

I agree - this is the 2nd time I've seen someone complain that a score was too long. I don't get it.

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Believe it or not, some people can live with less music, when it results in better albums...

Truth to be told, since i listen mostly through my iPod, i edit the albums to my preference anyway. And when i converted scores like 'Terminal' to mp.3, i simply found a lot of it redundant, adding nothing new but repeating very similar chunks of music ad verbatim.

Is there any ingenious variation on Navorski's theme? Not really, it's simply repeated 6 or 7 times with different tempi.

But i agree, if there's demand for 60 minute comedy scores, by no means, release it...

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Truth to be told, since i listen mostly through my iPod, i edit the albums to my preference anyway

There you have the key. If they start making shorter disc for comedy movies, then they will start with another genre and so on.

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Truth to be told, since i listen mostly through my iPod, i edit the albums to my preference anyway. And when i converted scores like 'Terminal' to mp.3,

You have an iPod, yet you convert your music to MP3?

Go for AAC for goodness sake!

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My prediction: Memoirs of a Geisha will be the best score of 2005.

I know you guys don't value my "predictions" that much anymore after the WOTW-incident, but still; there you have it.

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I agree - this is the 2nd time I've seen someone complain that a score was too long.  I don't get it.

It's quite simple, too much filler material, too many repetitions, too much unremarkable music on a CD make it unlikely for me to listen to that CD too often in the future. I like my CDs to be able to sustain their playing time. While I'm not vehemently against it (like Thor) -certainly many, many, many scores can sustain 70-80 minutes and much more- I think too many scores have music on them just because they could, and without thinking if they should.

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Truth to be told, since i listen mostly through my iPod, i edit the albums to my preference anyway. And when i converted scores like 'Terminal' to mp.3,

You have an iPod, yet you convert your music to MP3?

Go for AAC for goodness sake!

Well,having an ipod myself I'll never rip c.d.'s to AAC,because your forever stuck playing those files in itunes.

LAME MP3 VBR is the way to go,even if the files are a bit bigger.

K.M.Who had to re-rip all his c.d.'s that were in WMA.

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Is there any ingenious variation on Navorski's theme? Not really, it's simply repeated 6 or 7 times with different tempi.  

Yeah,but there you have it.Among those tracks I'm sure you pickked out your favourite version of the theme even if they are similar.To some people here even minor changes in a theme can make a huge difference.

K.M.Who thinks publicist talks like a "suit"

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Yeah,but there you have it.Among those tracks I'm sure you pickked out your favourite version of the theme even if they are similar.To some people here even minor changes in a theme can make a huge difference.

That's all good and well, but this discussion is still rather academic, since Williams albums ARE long most of the time, so you really can't complain that my philosophy robs you of your listening pleasure.

I freely admit that i don't have the time or interest to wade through hours of music to decide which of the 45 cues of a given score i want, that's all.

Of course i'm pissed if a favourite cue isn't there...that was especially virulent in the mid-90s, when every Goldsmith/Varése release seemed to leave out great action cues in lieu of lots of bridging material (Chain Reaction, anyone?), but i've mellowed over the years and accepted that there is so much more music out there to discover.

So finally, the question is: does someone really have the complete 'Air Force One' score in great sound?

:eek:

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Film scores should always include all the music recorded for the film. Its a historical record, and making music unavailable to patrons is controlling history.

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My prediction: Memoirs of a Geisha will be the best score of 2005.  

I know you guys don't value my "predictions" that much anymore after the WOTW-incident, but still; there you have it.

That's what I said!!! And btw, look who's coming around!!!

:eek:

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So finally, the question is: does someone really have the complete 'Air Force One' score in great sound?

:eek:

Yep ;)

There's several bootlegs going around, and my one is nearly complete (or some cues have been combined) in great sound.

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My prediction: Memoirs of a Geisha will be the best score of 2005.

Yes, well, I'll log THAT one away. :eek:

Justin

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I agree - this is the 2nd time I've seen someone complain that a score was too long.  I don't get it.

It's quite simple, too much filler material, too many repetitions, too much unremarkable music on a CD make it unlikely for me to listen to that CD too often in the future. I like my CDs to be able to sustain their playing time. While I'm not vehemently against it (like Thor) -certainly many, many, many scores can sustain 70-80 minutes and much more- I think too many scores have music on them just because they could, and without thinking if they should.

This is easy to overcome, just skip the tracks you don't like. As for complaints about War of the Worlds, every cue on the album has offered me something to marvel at. The more I listen to it, the more interesting it gets.

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