Disclaimer: I meant to post this last Thursday. I still haven't seen the movie and probably won't for another week.
Perhaps James Horner's great gift as a composer is being able to synthesize so many disparate musical influences and bring them together in a way that seems perfectly natural. He's been doing this for years; since the beginning of his film career, really. But I don't think he's ever brought a western orchestra together with all of his world music influences like this before. Avatar has clearly afforded him one of the largest canvases ever to put music to. Are there echoes of past scores? Naturally. A lot of people (crazed fanboys mostly) have hinged their entire argument for disliking Horner's music on the fact that he recycles his own music or steals from others then recycles it. You'll get no argument from me about the amount of music he reuses. I think, however, that one has to examine a little more closely the music before dismissing it altogether.
First the score is, as you would expect, exceptionally performed and slickly produced so there are no issues there. The things that appear from other scores are more like Horner's musical thumbprints. There is a chord progression that has appeared in several scores before. More often than not this progression appears as the "B-half" of a chord melody. Most prominently this progression has appeared in Glory and Apollo 13. For example, if we were in F, this progression would be: I6-4, iii 6-4, VII 6-4, ii 6-4, V (F/C, A-/E, Eb/Bb, G-/D, C).
Then there's the danger motif.
Sometimes I think Horner uses his "danger motif" (two ascending half-steps and a descending half-step. e.g. C-C#-D-C#) just to tweak people. I think that if I'd gotten to the point he has in his career, I'd do it just to annoy folks. I mean, really, it's a four-note motive that you can't really copyright. So it's kind of like his calling card. (Hell, the best use of it is 'Achilles Leads the Myrmidons' in Troy where he steadily builds upon it for a solid eight minutes.) It's appearances on the album are someone fleeting but you do hear it for the first time at less than a minute in.
As I stated earlier, I think Horner's gift as a composer is drawing together musical influences from all over the globe and incorporating them in a seemless and organic way. Almost everything he's ever used is here: qena, whistles of all kinds, shakuhachi, chorus, boy choir, vocal soloists both "classically" and "ethnically" mannered, electronics, instrumental solos from the orchestra and enough percussion to give Hans Zimmer a headache and I could swear at one point I actually heard flamenco dancing a la The Mask of Zorro. (Actually the percussion writing reminds me a lot of Jerry Goldsmith's for Congo on steroids). At first the main theme doesn't seem particularly strong or memorable. Then it gradually weaves its way through the entire score. The one complaint about the tune is that its shape is just a little too similar to his theme from Titanic. It's difficult to separate the two when the first two intervals/chords of each are the same but from there it takes off its own way.
One thing that stands out is Horner's mastery of orchestral color, balance and blend. He manages to come up with more striking colors and has a better sense of color than just about every composer working in Hollywood not named John Williams.
Overall, the album is a little long and there's the obligatory pop song (Horner's continuing attempt to recapture the success of "My Heart Will Go On"). It's not exactly a bad song but it isn't great either. For all the non-traditional elements of this score it's still firmly grounded in the traditional big Hollywood film score. And it's not a stretch to say that we haven't had a score like this in some time.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Star Wars: In Concert
Last Wednesday night the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra was here performing the music of Star Wars (website here). The following was the program order:
Main Theme
Duel of the Fates
Anakin's Theme
The Little People (concert version)
The Flag Parade
Across the Stars
Battle of the Heroes
The Imperial March
-intermission-
Entr'acte (consisting of a highly edited version of 'The Clash of Lightsabers' from The Empire Strikes Back)
The Asteroid Field (this seemed like a hybrid of both the film and concert versions)
Princess Leia's Theme
Binary Sunset/Cantina Band
Yoda's Theme
Here They Come! (The concert version of "TIE Fighter Attack")
Luke and Leia
The Forest Battle (concert version)
Light of the Force
The Throne Room and End Title (concert version)
The presentation was an entertaining multimedia experience. The HD screen on which clips of the movies were shown was absolutely huge and fantastic. The laser programming was highly polished and, not unlike the video clips, highly choreographed to the music itself. At the end of 'Battle of the Heroes' there was fire. Lots of it. I had to check to make sure my eyebrows were still intact (yes, we were that close). The narrator for the program was Anthony Daniels and when you watch his facial gestures while acting you begin to understand why his value is in his voice.
The performance by the orchestra was absolutely first rate. It was terrific. For the first time in my life I heard this music performed live by professionals playing the music professionally. There's something about the sound of the brass section in British orchestras that is practically unrivaled by anyone. Their sound is so huge, warm and round that it's difficult to beat. Most of the tempi corresponded roughly to their film versions. The only exception was "Here They Come!" in which the tempo is much slower and actually closer to that which Williams took when he recorded themes from the Star War Trilogy with the Skywalker Symphony on Sony back in the early 1990s. Conspicuously missing is the 'Parade of the Ewoks'. I suppose they thought they could represent both the forest battle and the Ewok theme by using the concert version of 'The Forest Battle'. One of the interesting things for me was that I could see the conductor's monitor from my seat and I could watch the series of streamers and hits on his screen as he was conducting the music.
My complaints about the presentation are few. The one thing I disliked was the cutting in of so much dialogue from the films. George Lucas has claimed that he's always thought of the Star Wars films largely as silent films. If that were the case the images alone would have sufficed. Also, one day I would like to see a presentation of the music that is more like what Howard Shore created for his Lord of the Ring Symphony (which, admittedly, isn't a symphony but is still damn cool) that reflects more the ebb and flow of the story using the actual score rather than trying to communicate the story through just the themes.
Still. Those are minor quibbles. The performance was terrific and I'm glad I got to experience it.
Main Theme
Duel of the Fates
Anakin's Theme
The Little People (concert version)
The Flag Parade
Across the Stars
Battle of the Heroes
The Imperial March
-intermission-
Entr'acte (consisting of a highly edited version of 'The Clash of Lightsabers' from The Empire Strikes Back)
The Asteroid Field (this seemed like a hybrid of both the film and concert versions)
Princess Leia's Theme
Binary Sunset/Cantina Band
Yoda's Theme
Here They Come! (The concert version of "TIE Fighter Attack")
Luke and Leia
The Forest Battle (concert version)
Light of the Force
The Throne Room and End Title (concert version)
The presentation was an entertaining multimedia experience. The HD screen on which clips of the movies were shown was absolutely huge and fantastic. The laser programming was highly polished and, not unlike the video clips, highly choreographed to the music itself. At the end of 'Battle of the Heroes' there was fire. Lots of it. I had to check to make sure my eyebrows were still intact (yes, we were that close). The narrator for the program was Anthony Daniels and when you watch his facial gestures while acting you begin to understand why his value is in his voice.
The performance by the orchestra was absolutely first rate. It was terrific. For the first time in my life I heard this music performed live by professionals playing the music professionally. There's something about the sound of the brass section in British orchestras that is practically unrivaled by anyone. Their sound is so huge, warm and round that it's difficult to beat. Most of the tempi corresponded roughly to their film versions. The only exception was "Here They Come!" in which the tempo is much slower and actually closer to that which Williams took when he recorded themes from the Star War Trilogy with the Skywalker Symphony on Sony back in the early 1990s. Conspicuously missing is the 'Parade of the Ewoks'. I suppose they thought they could represent both the forest battle and the Ewok theme by using the concert version of 'The Forest Battle'. One of the interesting things for me was that I could see the conductor's monitor from my seat and I could watch the series of streamers and hits on his screen as he was conducting the music.
My complaints about the presentation are few. The one thing I disliked was the cutting in of so much dialogue from the films. George Lucas has claimed that he's always thought of the Star Wars films largely as silent films. If that were the case the images alone would have sufficed. Also, one day I would like to see a presentation of the music that is more like what Howard Shore created for his Lord of the Ring Symphony (which, admittedly, isn't a symphony but is still damn cool) that reflects more the ebb and flow of the story using the actual score rather than trying to communicate the story through just the themes.
Still. Those are minor quibbles. The performance was terrific and I'm glad I got to experience it.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Shameless Promotion
I've got a guest column over on Michael's blog at The Temp Track. He does his nifty Film Score Friday Top 5 lists and he asked me to contribute. So I did. Check it out and leave some feedback.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Minimalism and Beyond
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Second International Conference on Minimalist Music, brilliantly coordinated by David McIntire and Kyle Gann (both of whom are linked to their blogs on the sidebar). Luckily it was here in Kansas City so I didn't have to travel. Five days of (largely) fascinating paper sessions and brilliant concerts of beautiful music (much of it from composers whose music I'd never heard). For me the real highlights were hearing Sarah Cahill perform a concert of works I'd never heard (except for John Adams' China Gates) and hearing Charlemagne Palestine perform his organ work Schlingen-Blängen which, sadly, lasted less than two hours. I could easily have listened for another two hours. It was that amazing.
One of the paper sessions proved particularly relevant as the presenter gave a paper on minimalism in The Truman Show. It was actually a great thing for me because it helped me to think about how I wanted to approach film music research. I downloaded the author's dissertation and am slowly working my way through it and - in particular - the bibliography. Yes. I am a serious nerd.
Overall it was really great to be in an environment of collegiality and scholarship with a common interest and was another kick in the pants to get my ass back in school.
Otherwise, not much is new. The munchkin is now four months old; smiley and bubbly (most of the time) and fantastic. We haven't been to the movies since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (which I found to be far better than its predecessor, Nicholas Hooper's score included). Recently, though, we did watch Bill Maher's Religulous and I have to say I was actually pretty impressed with the restraint he showed. As anyone who has watched his show can attest to, he has a general animus toward religion. However, for the documentary, he seemed genuinely interested in why people feel the way they do about religion and managed to do it with a little less mockery.
That's it. It's not exciting, but that's what it is.
One of the paper sessions proved particularly relevant as the presenter gave a paper on minimalism in The Truman Show. It was actually a great thing for me because it helped me to think about how I wanted to approach film music research. I downloaded the author's dissertation and am slowly working my way through it and - in particular - the bibliography. Yes. I am a serious nerd.
Overall it was really great to be in an environment of collegiality and scholarship with a common interest and was another kick in the pants to get my ass back in school.
Otherwise, not much is new. The munchkin is now four months old; smiley and bubbly (most of the time) and fantastic. We haven't been to the movies since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (which I found to be far better than its predecessor, Nicholas Hooper's score included). Recently, though, we did watch Bill Maher's Religulous and I have to say I was actually pretty impressed with the restraint he showed. As anyone who has watched his show can attest to, he has a general animus toward religion. However, for the documentary, he seemed genuinely interested in why people feel the way they do about religion and managed to do it with a little less mockery.
That's it. It's not exciting, but that's what it is.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Loop
I have no idea why but recently I've had Alan Silvestri's theme from Eraser stuck in my head. It probably has something to do with the fact that his G.I. Joe score comes out next week. Anyway, who wants a little overblown Silvestri?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Jerry Goldsmith Remembrance Day
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the man who is arguably the greatest composer of music for films.
Since Goldsmith's passing there have been loads of his scores that have finally seen a commercial release. Only yesterday I received in the mail The Boys From Brazil, Lonely are the Brave (Jerry's first important film score for the development of his career) and In Harm's Way.
So I have a pile of Jerry Goldsmith CDs sitting on my desk consisting of the following:
Lonely are the Brave
Rio Conchos
In Harm's Way
The Omen
The Boys From Brazil
Lionheart
Total Recall
Basic Instinct
Rudy
The Ghost and the Darkness
The 13th Warrior
How will you spend your Jerry Goldsmith Remembrance Day?
Since Goldsmith's passing there have been loads of his scores that have finally seen a commercial release. Only yesterday I received in the mail The Boys From Brazil, Lonely are the Brave (Jerry's first important film score for the development of his career) and In Harm's Way.
So I have a pile of Jerry Goldsmith CDs sitting on my desk consisting of the following:
Lonely are the Brave
Rio Conchos
In Harm's Way
The Omen
The Boys From Brazil
Lionheart
Total Recall
Basic Instinct
Rudy
The Ghost and the Darkness
The 13th Warrior
How will you spend your Jerry Goldsmith Remembrance Day?
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Jablonsky Variations
To me there's something slightly "off" about Steve Jablonsky's score for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. For awhile I couldn't put my finger on it but I think I've figured it out. More on that later though.
Jablonsky's score functions well in the film which is its primary - and arguably its only - job. It punctuates the film in all the ways we've come to expect from years of Zimmer training and, like the film, occasionally takes itself a little too seriously. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
The old themes that reappear are clearly developed rather than merely cut-and-pasted onto the film. Nowhere is this more evident than in the theme for Optimus Prime. Not only is it much more elegiac (appropriately) this time around it is also elaborated upon and altered slightly to represent the history of the Primes. Lisbeth Scott once again is called upon to deliver her "vaguely ethnic wailing" for a Remote Control score. However it occasionally treads dangerously close to lines of questionable taste. I do miss the theme for the All Spark from the first film. I thought that it had transferred to Bumblebee during the downtown battle at the end of the first film but I guess not.*
As far as new themes are concerned I find the theme for The Fallen to be, well, a bit simplistic. I realise it doesn't have to be overly complex; all he has to do is be the really bad guy (though to be honest I never felt like the danger was that great with this character). I guess my issue with it is that it sounds like music leftover from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
At first I wasn't wild about the album but it has since grown on me. There don't seem to be any real standout cues the way "Arrival to Earth" and "Scorponok" are on the first album/film. I don't think I'll ever find it the rollicking good time the first is, but it's still a lot of fun (which, I suppose, is unfair because the first album/film is an embarrassment of musical riches for film music lovers). It's a little uneven but there are several really nice moments on the album (I've recently come to particularly enjoy "Einstein's Wrong" and "Tomb of the Primes"). I do wish the album had been sequenced better. Most of the action cues seem to be situated on the back end of the disc and it doesn't make for quality ebb-and-flow. I think a simple matter of reordering could have made the disc better.
As far as the "off" element of the score, I think the problem is actually Hans Zimmer himself. In both the CD insert and the end of the credits in the film there's a big "thank you" to Hans. Although he is uncredited, Hans Zimmer apparently produced a large chunk of the score for the film, which is not difficult to surmise simply by listening to it. I think I know why. The score for the first Transformers is fantastic. The problem is it was for a Michael Bay film; it constantly lost out to over-the-top, amped-up sound effects. I think that Steve Jablonsky asked Zimmer to produce the score so that he wouldn't "overcompose". To be fair I think it's a perfectly legitimate concern. If you're scoring a Michael Bay film, half of your music probably won't be heard over the thunderous sound design so you may as well reign it in a bit. Perhaps Jablonsky didn't know exactly how to do that so he asked Hans for help**. I also think that Zimmer was able to bring some "darker" aspects to Jablonsky's score. These things being said, I miss all those tiny little details from the first score.
Overall I enjoyed the score and think it functioned well in the film. I just miss the abundance of thematic writing that characterizes the first score.
*In retrospect it seems plausible that this might have been Jablonsky's original intention. This would make sense since Bumblebee is the only one of the Autobots or the Decepticons that has direct contact with the All Spark (until Sam uses it to kill Megatron). Perhaps I'm giving the composer too much credit for possibly putting that much thought into it. I might be wrong but it seems that from listening to "Bumblebee" on the album (which is denoted as "different version in film") that it was more-or-less intended for use during the downtown battle when Mikaela drives the attached-to-a-tow-truck Bumblee through the streets so he can help his fellow Autobots. However, after consulting the film and listening also to the album that shall not be named this intention was never carried through. Perhaps, if this was the intent, its intelligence was lost on the director.
**Please note: I'm not denying the craftsmanship of Steve Jablonsky here, just saying that perhaps he didn't know how to write less and keep it functional and good. Hans, as we all know, has become a master of drawing on the smallest amount of material.
Jablonsky's score functions well in the film which is its primary - and arguably its only - job. It punctuates the film in all the ways we've come to expect from years of Zimmer training and, like the film, occasionally takes itself a little too seriously. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
The old themes that reappear are clearly developed rather than merely cut-and-pasted onto the film. Nowhere is this more evident than in the theme for Optimus Prime. Not only is it much more elegiac (appropriately) this time around it is also elaborated upon and altered slightly to represent the history of the Primes. Lisbeth Scott once again is called upon to deliver her "vaguely ethnic wailing" for a Remote Control score. However it occasionally treads dangerously close to lines of questionable taste. I do miss the theme for the All Spark from the first film. I thought that it had transferred to Bumblebee during the downtown battle at the end of the first film but I guess not.*
As far as new themes are concerned I find the theme for The Fallen to be, well, a bit simplistic. I realise it doesn't have to be overly complex; all he has to do is be the really bad guy (though to be honest I never felt like the danger was that great with this character). I guess my issue with it is that it sounds like music leftover from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
At first I wasn't wild about the album but it has since grown on me. There don't seem to be any real standout cues the way "Arrival to Earth" and "Scorponok" are on the first album/film. I don't think I'll ever find it the rollicking good time the first is, but it's still a lot of fun (which, I suppose, is unfair because the first album/film is an embarrassment of musical riches for film music lovers). It's a little uneven but there are several really nice moments on the album (I've recently come to particularly enjoy "Einstein's Wrong" and "Tomb of the Primes"). I do wish the album had been sequenced better. Most of the action cues seem to be situated on the back end of the disc and it doesn't make for quality ebb-and-flow. I think a simple matter of reordering could have made the disc better.
As far as the "off" element of the score, I think the problem is actually Hans Zimmer himself. In both the CD insert and the end of the credits in the film there's a big "thank you" to Hans. Although he is uncredited, Hans Zimmer apparently produced a large chunk of the score for the film, which is not difficult to surmise simply by listening to it. I think I know why. The score for the first Transformers is fantastic. The problem is it was for a Michael Bay film; it constantly lost out to over-the-top, amped-up sound effects. I think that Steve Jablonsky asked Zimmer to produce the score so that he wouldn't "overcompose". To be fair I think it's a perfectly legitimate concern. If you're scoring a Michael Bay film, half of your music probably won't be heard over the thunderous sound design so you may as well reign it in a bit. Perhaps Jablonsky didn't know exactly how to do that so he asked Hans for help**. I also think that Zimmer was able to bring some "darker" aspects to Jablonsky's score. These things being said, I miss all those tiny little details from the first score.
Overall I enjoyed the score and think it functioned well in the film. I just miss the abundance of thematic writing that characterizes the first score.
*In retrospect it seems plausible that this might have been Jablonsky's original intention. This would make sense since Bumblebee is the only one of the Autobots or the Decepticons that has direct contact with the All Spark (until Sam uses it to kill Megatron). Perhaps I'm giving the composer too much credit for possibly putting that much thought into it. I might be wrong but it seems that from listening to "Bumblebee" on the album (which is denoted as "different version in film") that it was more-or-less intended for use during the downtown battle when Mikaela drives the attached-to-a-tow-truck Bumblee through the streets so he can help his fellow Autobots. However, after consulting the film and listening also to the album that shall not be named this intention was never carried through. Perhaps, if this was the intent, its intelligence was lost on the director.
**Please note: I'm not denying the craftsmanship of Steve Jablonsky here, just saying that perhaps he didn't know how to write less and keep it functional and good. Hans, as we all know, has become a master of drawing on the smallest amount of material.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Abandonment
No. Actually I haven't abandoned the blog. There's a post coming.
I swear.
Meanwhile, if you have an entire day of nothing planned to do, might I suggest this or this if you're having a Paranoid Android moment. Combine with a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster or two and you've got the makings of an entertaining day at the end of which you might feel the desire to end it all.
That is all.
I swear.
Meanwhile, if you have an entire day of nothing planned to do, might I suggest this or this if you're having a Paranoid Android moment. Combine with a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster or two and you've got the makings of an entertaining day at the end of which you might feel the desire to end it all.
That is all.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Science Experiments
That's what children are, right? I mean, you can look up anything you could possibly want to know in a book or online but the fact of the matter is that every baby is different.
I don't want to talk about that right now. What I want to talk about is the dirty little secret that nobody wants you to know about babies. They way your relationship changes after the birth of your child(ren).
That's right. I'm talking about poop.
When you're at the hospital they tell you what you should expect as far as what a "good poop" is. For example: my wife is breastfeeding so the poop should be a little watery, light green in color and slightly seedy (I have yet to figure out where the seeds come from). I've found myself changing my daughter's diaper and saying - out loud with no other adult present - "Hey, that's a really great poopy!" And the kid just looks up at me like Eddie Izzard's cat thinking, "Interesting words."
Anyway I've reached the point where I feel like I should have a lab coat, a pair of goggles and a clipboard when changing a diaper. "So, let's just start with what we have. What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel? " Or perhaps turning to an assistant (might I suggest Liz Vassey from C.S.I. if your wife isn't available) and saying, "Get this back to the lab for analysis right away. We need to know exactly what we're dealing with here."
Actually it's been more like, "Ooh, congratulations, sweetie. That's got good consistency and perfect coloring throughout. Let's take a picture of it and mark it on the graph."
I don't want to talk about that right now. What I want to talk about is the dirty little secret that nobody wants you to know about babies. They way your relationship changes after the birth of your child(ren).
That's right. I'm talking about poop.
When you're at the hospital they tell you what you should expect as far as what a "good poop" is. For example: my wife is breastfeeding so the poop should be a little watery, light green in color and slightly seedy (I have yet to figure out where the seeds come from). I've found myself changing my daughter's diaper and saying - out loud with no other adult present - "Hey, that's a really great poopy!" And the kid just looks up at me like Eddie Izzard's cat thinking, "Interesting words."
Anyway I've reached the point where I feel like I should have a lab coat, a pair of goggles and a clipboard when changing a diaper. "So, let's just start with what we have. What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel? " Or perhaps turning to an assistant (might I suggest Liz Vassey from C.S.I. if your wife isn't available) and saying, "Get this back to the lab for analysis right away. We need to know exactly what we're dealing with here."
Actually it's been more like, "Ooh, congratulations, sweetie. That's got good consistency and perfect coloring throughout. Let's take a picture of it and mark it on the graph."
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
From the Archive: The Lord of the Rings Symphony
This post was originally intended for publication shortly after my wife and I attended the St. Louis Symphony's performance of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony in September of last year. I figured that since the Kansas City Symphony will be presenting it in May, I'd take the liberty of finally posting this.
Last Friday (September 19), die Frau and I had the opportunity to attend the St. Louis Symphony's performance of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony.
For those interested in making your own playlist on your iPod, the track titles correspond pretty much exactly to the original commercial releases, not the complete recordings.
The Fellowship of the Ring:
Movement One
The Prophecy-Concerning Hobbits-The Shadow of the Past-A Short Cut to Mushrooms-The Old Forest-A Knife in the Dark
Movement Two
Many Meetings-The Rings Goes South-A Journey in the Dark-The Bridge of Khazad-dûm-Lothlórien-Gandalf's Lament-Farewell to Lórien-The Great River-The Breaking of the Fellowship
The Two Towers:
Movement Three
Foundations of Stone-The Taming of Sméagol-The Riders of Rohan-The Black Gate is Closed-Evenstar-The White Rider-Treebeard-The Forbidden Pool
Movement Four
The Hornburg-Forth Eorlingas-Isengard Unleashed-Gollum's Song
The Return of the King:
Movement Five
Hope and Memory-The White Tree-The Steward of Gondor-Cirith Ungol-Andúril
Movement Six
The End of All Things-The Return of the King-The Grey Havens-Into the West
The one thing that caught me a little off guard was how some of the passages were edited. For example, The Two Towers' "Foundations of Stone" ("Glamdring" on the Complete Recordings) ends abruptly and segues immediately to "The Taming of Sméagol" before the chorus enters with its goodness. For the life of me I can't figure out why Shore cut it this way, but he did so that's how it is. Personally I think it would've played much better had he allowed the passage to conclude in its film form.
There were minor quibbles about the performance. From my own experience with this sort of thing I think the percussion parts are largely notated at least one dynamic too loud throughout. When the percussion section were playing full-out they were overpowering the entire orchestra and that's never a good idea (unless that's the idea).
The young lady who performed the vocal solos had a very nice tone though she didn't seem to be giving full breath support and pitch occasionally (a little too frequently actually) sagged. That being said, one has to remember that Shore's music for these films, while very lyrical, isn't always vocally friendly (you trying singing some of those lines without taking a breath!). She also did a nice job modifying her voice for each solo. Just as each of Tolkien's races has its own language and manner of speech, Shore effectively mirrors him giving each race its own music. So, too, does each of the vocal solos have to be conveyed in the spirit of each race's music and I feel like the soloists did a good job of doing that.
In the film/album version of "Gandalf's Lament" there's a part where there's a solo vocal performed by Elizabeth Fraser (former frontgal for Cocteau Twins). There's also a violin solo played senza vibrato along with it. The problem is that the violinist was always a half-count behind to vocalist (who was in time). While this created a disturbing sense of instability and added greatly to the affect of the passage, I don't think that's what Howard Shore had in mind (though it does give me a few ideas).
What impressed me most was how good the chorus sounded. Singing in an invented language is difficult enough; singing well in an invented language is beyond difficult.
I must confess that I was actually pretty impressed with the way the orchestra played. "But, Herr, you're always going on about how the SLSO always plays well." This is true, but one has to remember that professional orchestral musicians play a lot of film music on pops concerts, they don't always respect film music. They played like they respected the music; and even if they didn't like it, the important thing is that they sold it like they did.
Last Friday (September 19), die Frau and I had the opportunity to attend the St. Louis Symphony's performance of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony.
For those interested in making your own playlist on your iPod, the track titles correspond pretty much exactly to the original commercial releases, not the complete recordings.
The Fellowship of the Ring:
Movement One
The Prophecy-Concerning Hobbits-The Shadow of the Past-A Short Cut to Mushrooms-The Old Forest-A Knife in the Dark
Movement Two
Many Meetings-The Rings Goes South-A Journey in the Dark-The Bridge of Khazad-dûm-Lothlórien-Gandalf's Lament-Farewell to Lórien-The Great River-The Breaking of the Fellowship
The Two Towers:
Movement Three
Foundations of Stone-The Taming of Sméagol-The Riders of Rohan-The Black Gate is Closed-Evenstar-The White Rider-Treebeard-The Forbidden Pool
Movement Four
The Hornburg-Forth Eorlingas-Isengard Unleashed-Gollum's Song
The Return of the King:
Movement Five
Hope and Memory-The White Tree-The Steward of Gondor-Cirith Ungol-Andúril
Movement Six
The End of All Things-The Return of the King-The Grey Havens-Into the West
The one thing that caught me a little off guard was how some of the passages were edited. For example, The Two Towers' "Foundations of Stone" ("Glamdring" on the Complete Recordings) ends abruptly and segues immediately to "The Taming of Sméagol" before the chorus enters with its goodness. For the life of me I can't figure out why Shore cut it this way, but he did so that's how it is. Personally I think it would've played much better had he allowed the passage to conclude in its film form.
There were minor quibbles about the performance. From my own experience with this sort of thing I think the percussion parts are largely notated at least one dynamic too loud throughout. When the percussion section were playing full-out they were overpowering the entire orchestra and that's never a good idea (unless that's the idea).
The young lady who performed the vocal solos had a very nice tone though she didn't seem to be giving full breath support and pitch occasionally (a little too frequently actually) sagged. That being said, one has to remember that Shore's music for these films, while very lyrical, isn't always vocally friendly (you trying singing some of those lines without taking a breath!). She also did a nice job modifying her voice for each solo. Just as each of Tolkien's races has its own language and manner of speech, Shore effectively mirrors him giving each race its own music. So, too, does each of the vocal solos have to be conveyed in the spirit of each race's music and I feel like the soloists did a good job of doing that.
In the film/album version of "Gandalf's Lament" there's a part where there's a solo vocal performed by Elizabeth Fraser (former frontgal for Cocteau Twins). There's also a violin solo played senza vibrato along with it. The problem is that the violinist was always a half-count behind to vocalist (who was in time). While this created a disturbing sense of instability and added greatly to the affect of the passage, I don't think that's what Howard Shore had in mind (though it does give me a few ideas).
What impressed me most was how good the chorus sounded. Singing in an invented language is difficult enough; singing well in an invented language is beyond difficult.
I must confess that I was actually pretty impressed with the way the orchestra played. "But, Herr, you're always going on about how the SLSO always plays well." This is true, but one has to remember that professional orchestral musicians play a lot of film music on pops concerts, they don't always respect film music. They played like they respected the music; and even if they didn't like it, the important thing is that they sold it like they did.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Hearing Gotham
As I mentioned earlier, I've become more interested in putting my interest/knowledge/love of film music to use (beyond composing). So I've begun some preliminary work on a project or two that 1) gives me something to do and 2) forces me to listen more attentively to my favorite music.I've decided that these projects are going to deal with Jerry Goldsmith because 1) he's my favorite, 2) he's one of the best ever and 3) astonishingly, there seems to be very little in the way of actual research out there regarding his music (most film music researchers tend to focus on "old" film music). Meantime I've been trying to figure out how to approach this whole concept of 'Writing About Music'. Further complicating the issue is that writing about film music is its own entirely different animal. Film music has its own sets of traditions, expectations and gestures that can be reinforced, broken or rewritten at any time. Oh yes: there's also that whole "It's connected to the film" thing which one has to have some kind of understanding of how it works in theory. I guess I'll be brushing up on that, too.
One of the things I've been reading in order to gain a greater understanding of writing about film music is Danny Elfman's Batman: A Film Score Guide, pictured above. (I also have a host of film music books that I'll be diving back into once I get them back from a friend of mine). There are other volumes in this series but I figured starting with a score I know well (and dearly love) was best. Ms. Halfyard's reading of the film provides a healthy (and useful) analysis of both film and score and how they interact. The analysis is largely specialised and the discussion is long on both musical examples and terminology. Ms. Halfyard's discussion of the score, its context, the film and certain aspects of the comic mythology of Batman over his many incarnations (and especially the view of the '60s television show as an aberration) is quite interesting. She brings to light interesting facets of the score's composition that I'm quite certain Danny Elfman had no real idea he was doing (that being said, there's quite a lot of unity in the score). She also discusses the controversy surrounding Elfman's composition technique and through the cunning use of logic quite brilliantly puts it to rest. (Some, though, will never be convinced even if they sat in his studio and watched him compose an entire film's score).
One thing reading this text has done is cause me to reexamine my Batman scores in all of their incarnations. When I was a kid I thought that Danny Elfman's Batman scores were far superior to those of Elliot Goldenthal. When I found out that Hans Zimmer was going to be involved in Batman Begins I was horrified. Sure, James Newton Howard was there, too, but we all knew which musical personality was really going to dominate. Over the years, though, I've learned to appreciate them all as their own completely separate takes on the Batman mythology. There is much stylistic diversity in all of these, but, interestingly, each of the films got a score appropriate to it. Through a friend I also recently acquired the La-La-Land release of the two-disc set of music from Batman: The Animated Series. It's good stuff that carries on the same tone that Elfman set. I haven't listened to all of it but will soon.
Michael over at The Temp Track suggested I write a paper comparing and contrasting the Elfman and Goldenthal approaches to Gotham City and the Dark Knight. While it's an excellent idea, I have other plans. Quantum phase shift anyone?
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Temp Track
Just thought you all should know that I've added my friend Michael to the blogroll.
Michael is studying musicology at the University of Colorado. He keeps an interesting blog regarding music for film, t.v., and games as an extension of his area of emphasis.
Michael is studying musicology at the University of Colorado. He keeps an interesting blog regarding music for film, t.v., and games as an extension of his area of emphasis.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
He Would've Been 80 Today
Jerry Goldsmith, that is.
Nearly 5 years after his death it's still sometimes difficult to accept that there won't ever be another new Jerry Goldsmith score. I used to get so excited at the prospect of a new score by him. The day he died I got a call from the Pikey. I hadn't turned on the news yet and I had no idea. I kind of went around in a stupor for the rest of the day.
In the last ten years of his life (1994-2004) his music became increasingly focused, pared down, linear and, in many cases, more muscular (I often wonder if Goldsmith was an admirer of Miles Davis because of these aspects). The last ten years gave us notable scores (if not films) as The Shadow, Rudy, First Knight (a favorite of Goldsmith's, as I understand it), The Ghost and the Darkness, Air Force One (like most of W.P.'s films it's trash, but it's fun), L.A. Confidential, The Edge, Mulan, The Mummy (supposedly Jerry hated this movie, which doesn't explain why the score rocks so hard other than the fact that he was a consummate professional), The 13th Warrior, Hollow Man, The Sum of all Fears and Star Trek: First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis. And that's leaving out at least a dozen films not worth mentioning.
I've been thinking a lot about his music for a long time now. In my opinion he was the innovator at the leading edge of film music for 30 or so years. He was the first to use electronics extensively as more than a novelty or "weird" sound. They were a part of his orchestra if the film required it. He was also one of the first in film to use the studio as a musical instrument.
More than anything there are two things I miss. The first is a sense of musical "space" that Jerry had. He could create more music out of fewer materials than pretty much any other composer. And unlike many other composers, he knew the value of silence. He didn't just spray music on a sequence like fire retardant foam. Some of my favorite suspense sequences are those where, for example, you get a dense string chord (or short series of chords) followed by a silence. To me this has a much eerier effect than pouring on some sort of run-of-the-mill electronic effect.
The second is his sense of rhythm. Nobody else could build entire cues out of mixed/asymmetric meters the way he did and keep it fresh and interesting. And he did it in such a way where he didn't necessarily feel the need to hit every single agogic accent within the rhythmic cell (ex: 7/8 bar wherein the composer strikes every instrument in the orchestra at the same time with a hammer on eighths 1, 3, 5 and 7).
Since I've spent all of my life as a composer straddling the twin worlds of film and concert music I've had to contend with those who patently dismiss film music as "derivative dreck" (unless, of course, it was composed by a composer who writes the majority of their music for the concert hall. Somehow, then, their music is "better"). Increasingly this view is dying but only because those who hold it are, too. (I enjoy pointing out to those folks that the vast majority of contemporary concert music could also be classified as "derivative dreck").
I learned a lot about composing from listening to his music. Probably more, in fact, than listening to just about any other composer save a handful.
I guess what has surprised me in the time since his passing is that no one has stepped forward to fill the void left behind. Maybe there is no void. Maybe Jerry Goldsmith was a singular entity.
Nearly 5 years after his death it's still sometimes difficult to accept that there won't ever be another new Jerry Goldsmith score. I used to get so excited at the prospect of a new score by him. The day he died I got a call from the Pikey. I hadn't turned on the news yet and I had no idea. I kind of went around in a stupor for the rest of the day.
In the last ten years of his life (1994-2004) his music became increasingly focused, pared down, linear and, in many cases, more muscular (I often wonder if Goldsmith was an admirer of Miles Davis because of these aspects). The last ten years gave us notable scores (if not films) as The Shadow, Rudy, First Knight (a favorite of Goldsmith's, as I understand it), The Ghost and the Darkness, Air Force One (like most of W.P.'s films it's trash, but it's fun), L.A. Confidential, The Edge, Mulan, The Mummy (supposedly Jerry hated this movie, which doesn't explain why the score rocks so hard other than the fact that he was a consummate professional), The 13th Warrior, Hollow Man, The Sum of all Fears and Star Trek: First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis. And that's leaving out at least a dozen films not worth mentioning.
I've been thinking a lot about his music for a long time now. In my opinion he was the innovator at the leading edge of film music for 30 or so years. He was the first to use electronics extensively as more than a novelty or "weird" sound. They were a part of his orchestra if the film required it. He was also one of the first in film to use the studio as a musical instrument.
More than anything there are two things I miss. The first is a sense of musical "space" that Jerry had. He could create more music out of fewer materials than pretty much any other composer. And unlike many other composers, he knew the value of silence. He didn't just spray music on a sequence like fire retardant foam. Some of my favorite suspense sequences are those where, for example, you get a dense string chord (or short series of chords) followed by a silence. To me this has a much eerier effect than pouring on some sort of run-of-the-mill electronic effect.
The second is his sense of rhythm. Nobody else could build entire cues out of mixed/asymmetric meters the way he did and keep it fresh and interesting. And he did it in such a way where he didn't necessarily feel the need to hit every single agogic accent within the rhythmic cell (ex: 7/8 bar wherein the composer strikes every instrument in the orchestra at the same time with a hammer on eighths 1, 3, 5 and 7).
Since I've spent all of my life as a composer straddling the twin worlds of film and concert music I've had to contend with those who patently dismiss film music as "derivative dreck" (unless, of course, it was composed by a composer who writes the majority of their music for the concert hall. Somehow, then, their music is "better"). Increasingly this view is dying but only because those who hold it are, too. (I enjoy pointing out to those folks that the vast majority of contemporary concert music could also be classified as "derivative dreck").
I learned a lot about composing from listening to his music. Probably more, in fact, than listening to just about any other composer save a handful.
I guess what has surprised me in the time since his passing is that no one has stepped forward to fill the void left behind. Maybe there is no void. Maybe Jerry Goldsmith was a singular entity.
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