[Closed] Now Playing XLVI

NP: TMNT - Brian Tyler

Second listen, not as bad as the first time. I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of this overboosted bass heavy arrangement. Too overwhelming after a while. And I'm still tired of the Thor-esque main theme.

No. It's got some truly great parts, but two things hinder my enjoyment - (i) it's unusually unfocussed for Horner, whose music is usually so tight and so carefully-plotted from start to finish; (ii) the Schumann lift bothers me more than any of his other myriad classical lifts (most of which don't bother me at all) because it's just so un-Horner sounding; even when he's blatantly lifting from the classics he almost always makes it fit seamlessly into his own soundscape, but this just sounds stilted because it sounds nothing like him. (Contrast with the Bulgarian folk song or whatever it is that serves as the other main theme - I'd never have guessed that wasn't a Horner original if I hadn't heard the proof.)

Played earlier today: Colin Frake On Fire Mountain - Two Steps From Hell

Holy shit, it's incredible. One of the 3 best albums of the year so far. And it's a proper score, created to accompany a fantasy novel written by Nick Phoenix, in the same vein as McNeely's Shadows of the Empire is a soundtrack to a Star Wars expanded universe novel of the same name. Unlike most TSFH albums, this one has proper structure and thematic continuity. No turning it off after 30 minutes 'cause you got blasted by a never-ending barrage of "epic"....there's actually more emotional / drama material than action / epic in this thing, and the themes are maintained and re-used throughout the album. It also has some of the most gorgeous music these guys have ever put out, and that's saying something. Within the very first minute of the opening and titular track, it's already flooring you with passion and musicality the likes of which we rarely see in Hollywood scores these days. And when you're halfway through the album and hear Thomas Bergeson playing a hauntingly creepy melody on a pitched down antique German violin prepared specially for the album, you know you're hearing a score that was created by score lovers, for score lovers. It's incredible. From beginning to end, scarcely a dull moment in the entire very reasonable 45 minute runtime. Surprise of the year for me.

Geez... I remember playing that album a few months back but I can't remember much about it. However, I think I remember not making it all the way through in one go. Actually, I think it was the more action oriented tracks that turned me off. I'll give it another spin in the coming days to re-familiarize myself with it.

-Erik-

I'm listening to it now. It certainly starts off auspiciously.

NP: Alexander (2004) - Vangelis

Gosh, this is ten years old already! It's Vangelis in top form. A fantastic blend of synthetic and orchestral elements.
The film bombed at the box office back then and was disliked by critics. I remember a German review called the score "a cheesy electro sauce". I did not find the film all that bad. Too long indeed. Stone delivers a three hour lecture on Macedonian history, augmented with great pictures and a great score.
Had Vangelis contributed music to the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics it might have sounded something like this.

Volker

LOL, true.

A good album, very enjoyable. I don't have much good to say about the film.

NP: Ben-Hur / King Of Kings: The Twelve Choruses - Miklos Rozsa

It's the new Intrada recording in the Winchester cathedral.
Thanks to the Captain for pointing out it wasn't the same as the 1995 Prometheus issue: it's MUCH better than that one. The choir in that recording (from the eighties, I think) is really not up to par, notably off in several key sequences, and the recording and mixing are quite poor in places. Which are the main reasons that, as much as I love the concept, I never revisited that recording.

But this is another kettle of fish.
The production values are top notch and the choir excellent.

Now I have always found Rozsa approached his biblical/evangelical epics in a way that specifically highlight the awe and majesty of the glory of God (a sentiment, I should hasten to add, that is utterly divorced from any religious or atheist point of view. It's an emotional reaction, the strength of which may well touch upon the spiritual, if not the religious.).
Interestingly this recording with a (relatively) small choir that is extremely disciplined, takes a much more introspective, thoughtful look at the material. It is a smaller, much more personal interpretation, and as such of great interest to me, especially when compared to the "Sturm und Drang" original recording and numerous rerecordings (which I love!).

It's a beautiful, fresh take on material I know VERY well, and worth many, many listens.

...although I still dislike the only new piece Rozsa composed for the choruses (The Kings Of Betlehem, track 4).
It's not that it's bad, per se, but being surrounded by such high calibre, sophisticated material it comes off a bit childish.
The bonus track The Twenty-Third Psalm I can take or leave. It is a bit too avant-garde for my liking and to my ears ill fits the suite beforehand.

NP: To Kill A Mockingbird - Elmer Bernstein

I'm sooooo in love with this score. It's a timeless classic and is probably my favourite Bernstein score of all time. And what makes it even better is the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's re-recording of the score with Bernstein conducting that was released on Varese in 1997. Gorgeous music performed with so much passion. Great recording by engineer Jonathan Allen. A flawless album, IMO.

-Erik-

NP: Charlie Chaplin: The Essential Film Music Collection (2006) Disc 1
Arranged and conducted by Carl Davis.

This is a fantastic presentation of Chaplin's music. For the original score by Davis on the scond disc I care not so much.

Volker

NP: MALIFICENT - James Newton Howard

First listen (Good God, I'm behind)...

Like what I hear A LOT!

Ooo!
This sounds right up my alley!

(Only potential concern: Thor likes it. )

working on completeing the review of the Hitchcock music release.
Tom