The Red Canvas
James Peterson
" !!!Knockout!!! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I want to start by saying that the last couple of years haven't exactly been the finest in the years of film music composition. Truth is, it has never been worse. More mediocre crap than ever has been hitting the shelf, actual strong film music doesn't even receive a CD release anymore, and too many composers think ambient, electronic music without one single theme is the new way to spell out movie music. And it made me quiver in realizing that this might be just the beginning. But I still know that every year there are exceptions, scores that show me that film music remains an art, a passion, a joy. Welcome to this year's most invigorating exception, welcome to movie music that has heart and soul.
Composer James Peterson will be a total unknown for most of you here, and I was truthfully one of them. Yet after hearing MovieScore Media's first release of him, I'll remember the name until the day I die. Because James Peterson has given me what classic film music stands for: not one theme but MULTIPLE themes, an exquisite orchestral complexity and development, a long dramatic line of excellence, passionate performances and an outstanding listening experience in one of the albums of the year.
It all begins with "Out of the Darkness", or how one track can silence you through its depth, its quality, its thunderous delight. The suspenseful rise, the Golden Age sounding fanfares and the simply astonishing use of trumpet playing (Goldenthal quality), this track alone made me realize by the first listen that I was going to experience a score unlike no other this year.
And I was right, because from then on, the score just continued to amaze me, one track after another. In "Awaiting the News" we encounter a deep and rich dramatic theme, hinting itself to Platoon (or Samuel Barber's adagio, you pick) because of its final few notes. This theme will receive prime time in "The Attic", "Maria Cries", a fanfare version of it in "Calling all Gladiators", in "Bills and Tears" and in the absolutely classical inspired "A Not So / Conjugal Visit".
In "Death and Resurrection I" Peterson shows you how trumpets and dramatic strings combine together action and drama. This second dramatic theme gets a wonderful moment in "A Great Fighter", while you must cherish how it alternates itself completely when jazz brings it forward with noble warmth in "Jazz Cafe". Hell, you should take notice that "Johnny Likes Extortion" (aka a 26 second track) isn't even covering one filler moment. And then you know you've got a winner on your hands.
But despite having the honour of both liking the 2 dramatic themes a lot, I was still in awe when I discovered how bloody superb the action music is. Truthfully, I have rarely heard so much complexity in music like here. "Grease Monkey Brawl" is a delight from start to finish, once again with the trumpets leading the way. And the Poledouris (Starship Troopers) like "Jungle Rumble" will only make you a believer even more.
But what if you could hear such action music and now for an extended period of time? Well, then you get "Ballet for Brawlers", or for me the best track of the year. Hands down the most brilliant track I've heard in a long time, this track mixes 2 returning action themes with the 2 dramatic themes, and creates thereby musical movie magic. There's a Lost World like theme (hinted previously as well), the trumpet playing is now everywhere and the constant build up is something I've only heard coming of the greats of movie music. And the best thing is, this is not a concert piece but one actual giant piece in the film. Truthfully, this is brilliance wrapped in 11 minutes of movie music magic.
Yet how blown away I was by this selection, MovieScore Media had more in line for us. Moving Images Suite is a concert work that James wrote for symphony orchestra. It was recorded with the Prague philharmonic Orchestra, funded by James himself. It was his way to show that he was able to write for orchestra, showing everybody his various film music styles.
We have a playful theme (Williams again) in "The Sorcerer" that I would have loved to hear a lot longer, there's the delightful warm, noble theme in "Americana" that ends spectacularly, there's the delightful Star Wars (Jawa's) quirkiness in "A Quirky Machine", there's the returning noble theme now used as action theme in the rousing "Moonlit Desert Chase", we have a dramatic highlight in "Pastorale" (people will happily link it to the Batteries not Included theme), there's the atonal yet thrilling "Transylvania 1955" and we have the delight of a resolving finish with the theme in "Epilogue". All these tracks deliver a development in theme and writing that you just don't hear anymore in music today, because I swear I could link these babies to stuff a James Horner, a John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith have written in the past.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but some composers aren't worthy of an A list assignment (like some wanking composers are getting nowadays), while beginning composers show so much promise in one work alone. The Red Canvas (+ bonus tracks) is basically movie music like it was written in the 80's, yes that classic era. This is sublime, this is heavenly complex, this is movie music that gives me the enjoyment back through its performances. So promise me this. You can buy whatever CD you want, hell even the 2012 score if you fancy duds, but promise me solely you're buying The Red Canvas before it's sold out. Because it is absolutely, 100% worth it. James, you as a trumpet player have the honour to blow me away every time as of now.
Yours Truthfully, a regenerated film music fan
The Red Canvas: *****
Moving Images Suite: ****12
Tracklisting
1. Out of the Darkness (1.56) Excellent track
2. Awaiting the News (2.21)
3. Death and Resurrection I (3.41)
4. A Great Fighter (2.00) Excellent track
5. Jazz Cafe (1.42)
6. Johnny Likes Extortion (0.26)
7. The Attic (1.29)
8. Grease Monkey Prelude (1.43)
9. Grease Monkey Brawl (3.00) Excellent track
10. Maria Cries (1.36)
11. Calling All Gladiators (1.07)
12. The Meeting (1.32)
13. Death and Resurrection II (3.28) Excellent track
14. Bills and Tears (1.27)
15. Jungle Rumble (1.36) Excellent track
16. Prayer (1.08)
17. A Not So / Conjugal Visit (2.50) Excellent track
18. Ballet for Brawlers (11.29) Excellent track
Bonus Tracks from Movie Images
19. Movie Images Fanfare (0.31)
20. The Sorcerer (1.55)
21. Americana (3.35) Excellent track
22. A Quirky Machine (2.45)
23. Moonlit Desert Chase (2.31) Excellent track
24. Pastorale (4.35) Excellent track
25. Transylvania 1955 (2.55)
26. Epilogue (1.54) Excellent track
Total Length: 65.26
I want to start by saying that the last couple of years haven't exactly been the finest in the years of film music composition. Truth is, it has never been worse. More mediocre crap than ever has been hitting the shelf, actual strong film music doesn't even receive a CD release anymore, and too many composers think ambient, electronic music without one single theme is the new way to spell out movie music. And it made me quiver in realizing that this might be just the beginning. But I still know that every year there are exceptions, scores that show me that film music remains an art, a passion, a joy. Welcome to this year's most invigorating exception, welcome to movie music that has heart and soul.
Composer James Peterson will be a total unknown for most of you here, and I was truthfully one of them. Yet after hearing MovieScore Media's first release of him, I'll remember the name until the day I die. Because James Peterson has given me what classic film music stands for: not one theme but MULTIPLE themes, an exquisite orchestral complexity and development, a long dramatic line of excellence, passionate performances and an outstanding listening experience in one of the albums of the year.
It all begins with "Out of the Darkness", or how one track can silence you through its depth, its quality, its thunderous delight. The suspenseful rise, the Golden Age sounding fanfares and the simply astonishing use of trumpet playing (Goldenthal quality), this track alone made me realize by the first listen that I was going to experience a score unlike no other this year.
And I was right, because from then on, the score just continued to amaze me, one track after another. In "Awaiting the News" we encounter a deep and rich dramatic theme, hinting itself to Platoon (or Samuel Barber's adagio, you pick) because of its final few notes. This theme will receive prime time in "The Attic", "Maria Cries", a fanfare version of it in "Calling all Gladiators", in "Bills and Tears" and in the absolutely classical inspired "A Not So / Conjugal Visit".
In "Death and Resurrection I" Peterson shows you how trumpets and dramatic strings combine together action and drama. This second dramatic theme gets a wonderful moment in "A Great Fighter", while you must cherish how it alternates itself completely when jazz brings it forward with noble warmth in "Jazz Cafe". Hell, you should take notice that "Johnny Likes Extortion" (aka a 26 second track) isn't even covering one filler moment. And then you know you've got a winner on your hands.
But despite having the honour of both liking the 2 dramatic themes a lot, I was still in awe when I discovered how bloody superb the action music is. Truthfully, I have rarely heard so much complexity in music like here. "Grease Monkey Brawl" is a delight from start to finish, once again with the trumpets leading the way. And the Poledouris (Starship Troopers) like "Jungle Rumble" will only make you a believer even more.
But what if you could hear such action music and now for an extended period of time? Well, then you get "Ballet for Brawlers", or for me the best track of the year. Hands down the most brilliant track I've heard in a long time, this track mixes 2 returning action themes with the 2 dramatic themes, and creates thereby musical movie magic. There's a Lost World like theme (hinted previously as well), the trumpet playing is now everywhere and the constant build up is something I've only heard coming of the greats of movie music. And the best thing is, this is not a concert piece but one actual giant piece in the film. Truthfully, this is brilliance wrapped in 11 minutes of movie music magic.
Yet how blown away I was by this selection, MovieScore Media had more in line for us. Moving Images Suite is a concert work that James wrote for symphony orchestra. It was recorded with the Prague philharmonic Orchestra, funded by James himself. It was his way to show that he was able to write for orchestra, showing everybody his various film music styles.
We have a playful theme (Williams again) in "The Sorcerer" that I would have loved to hear a lot longer, there's the delightful warm, noble theme in "Americana" that ends spectacularly, there's the delightful Star Wars (Jawa's) quirkiness in "A Quirky Machine", there's the returning noble theme now used as action theme in the rousing "Moonlit Desert Chase", we have a dramatic highlight in "Pastorale" (people will happily link it to the Batteries not Included theme), there's the atonal yet thrilling "Transylvania 1955" and we have the delight of a resolving finish with the theme in "Epilogue". All these tracks deliver a development in theme and writing that you just don't hear anymore in music today, because I swear I could link these babies to stuff a James Horner, a John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith have written in the past.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but some composers aren't worthy of an A list assignment (like some wanking composers are getting nowadays), while beginning composers show so much promise in one work alone. The Red Canvas (+ bonus tracks) is basically movie music like it was written in the 80's, yes that classic era. This is sublime, this is heavenly complex, this is movie music that gives me the enjoyment back through its performances. So promise me this. You can buy whatever CD you want, hell even the 2012 score if you fancy duds, but promise me solely you're buying The Red Canvas before it's sold out. Because it is absolutely, 100% worth it. James, you as a trumpet player have the honour to blow me away every time as of now.
Yours Truthfully, a regenerated film music fan
The Red Canvas: *****
Moving Images Suite: ****12
Tracklisting
1. Out of the Darkness (1.56) Excellent track
2. Awaiting the News (2.21)
3. Death and Resurrection I (3.41)
4. A Great Fighter (2.00) Excellent track
5. Jazz Cafe (1.42)
6. Johnny Likes Extortion (0.26)
7. The Attic (1.29)
8. Grease Monkey Prelude (1.43)
9. Grease Monkey Brawl (3.00) Excellent track
10. Maria Cries (1.36)
11. Calling All Gladiators (1.07)
12. The Meeting (1.32)
13. Death and Resurrection II (3.28) Excellent track
14. Bills and Tears (1.27)
15. Jungle Rumble (1.36) Excellent track
16. Prayer (1.08)
17. A Not So / Conjugal Visit (2.50) Excellent track
18. Ballet for Brawlers (11.29) Excellent track
Bonus Tracks from Movie Images
19. Movie Images Fanfare (0.31)
20. The Sorcerer (1.55)
21. Americana (3.35) Excellent track
22. A Quirky Machine (2.45)
23. Moonlit Desert Chase (2.31) Excellent track
24. Pastorale (4.35) Excellent track
25. Transylvania 1955 (2.55)
26. Epilogue (1.54) Excellent track
Total Length: 65.26