• Categories

Vanilla 1.1.4 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

 
    • CommentAuthorDavid OC
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2017
    I'm seeing Hans Zimmer in Melbourne this Thursday night!
    Very much looking forward to it!
  1. David OC wrote
    I'm seeing Hans Zimmer in Melbourne this Thursday night!
    Very much looking forward to it!


    cool, we just booked our tickets for the June concert
    It will be an experience for sure punk
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
    •  
      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2017
    Apparently is really LOUD though?
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
  2. Very. But cool!
  3. Special concert ear plugs should do the trick. Not everybody likes them I know, but I recommend them.

    Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
    •  
      CommentAuthorCaliburn
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2017
    I keep saying to bring ear plugs until I die!
    •  
      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2017 edited
    Honestly, it is TOO weird for me.
    I can kind of understand bringing ear plugs to a concert that has some kind of additional visceral element: hard rock or trance, these produce a vibe (literally!) that you feel in your bones and can enhance the experience.

    But the very idea of having to bring ear plugs to something that is an AUDITIVE event is like having to bring a blind fold to a theatre play, or a gag to a debate. It makes NO sense!

    The sole reason to be required to do this, is that the amplification is simply too fucking high.
    For no reason.
    As you're playing a concert hall rather than a Siberian tundra, there is -amazingly- actually no physical need for the sound to cross 80 kilometers across. So it's just bullshit. It really is.
    I do not laugh at people bringing ear plugs.
    I lament the ridiculous requirement to have to do so.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2017
    That's true, Martijn. As someone who suffers from chronic tinnitus in the left ear, it's certainly a requirement for this type of concert. I also bring them to the press screenings I attend, because the projectionist always jams up the volume way too loudly.

    I think it was ex-Varese producer Tom Null who once said that people play film music too sofly on their home stereos, but there's a difference between that and ear-damaging volumes.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2017 edited
    Attended a screening of the 1916 (!) British propaganda/documentary film Battle Of The Somme yesterday.
    It is a famous very early film showing a fairly disjointed series of set pieces and impressions of the WW1 battlefield (and it is a matter of historic conjecture how much of it was staged), more or less relaying "a day in the life" feel during the Great War.
    Much of the footage that we have from WW1 actually came from this very film, as many of the images were hauntingly familiar...though I'd never seen them 'in sequence' before.

    Laura Rossi was commissioned to score the film in 2007 for the 90-year remembrance of the Armistice in 1918, and now, for the centenary, the plan is to show the film, accompanied by a live orchestra, a hundred times.

    The score itself is beautifully elegant, without once becoming maudling or sentimental.
    It hits the right jaunty notes when you see the smiling, grinning Tommies marching by (who, I realised in an extremely uncanny moment of clarity, are all dead now, one way or another). It offers an ominous, almost otherwordly eery soudscape when the camera pans the utterly devastated landscape, interspersed with timpani to underscore the big guns. A slow, elegiac strings-led motif for the wounded and the dead. A robust, major key theme to underscore the bravery (and propaganda smile ) values.

    It really is a fine, fine work.

    And one that I will purchase and be happy to enjoy on CD, as the actual performance was abysmal.
    Sadly this was one of the poorest performances I have ever had the misfortune to attend. In fact, it was so bad that I actually missed the first ten minutes of the film footage, being distracted beyond redemption by the orchestra being massively out of tune and out of time. The director, while dutifully waving his arms and using a click-track, seemed to have little to no control over what happened on stage.

    Most of the soloists were fine (and the "guns" percussionist hit his marks on the microsecond) , but whenever the -fairly large!- orchestra attempted to play any kind of line together the result was an utter, embarassing cacophony, with no one actually succeeding at starting off at the same time, and much of the brass and flutes and at least one violin being screechingly out of tune. It almost seemed as if this was the very first rehearsal between orchestra members who'd never met before to try out a musical score they'd never seen or heard before in their life.
    It was an absolute shambles.

    The rather luke-warm and brief applause at the end attested to the lack of quality, and my heart only went out to Rossi -who was present during the screening- to have to hear her work butchered like this.
    What a shame.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorCaliburn
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2017 edited
    Ok more context is needed I guess. :-) I always bring earplugs with me to concert. Of course the metal and rock concerts I attend need them obviously.

    The music is so loud that ear plugs is needed for two reasons:

    1) Saving your ears (of course)
    2) Being able to listen to all the details in the music that is "overthrown" (right word?) by the loudness.

    With film music concerts ear plugs are not needed for me. Except for one composer: Hans Zimmer.

    I have seen him perform twice and both times I needed the earplugs. It was quite annoying actually: removing them from the ears during "Chevaliers" and putting them back in ASAP for "The Dark Knight," "Inception," and "Amazing Spider-man". With those very loud pieces I save my ears and can listen to all the small details.

    With the ear plugs in I had an amazing night from an amazing composer. If I would not have brought the ear plugs it would have been a different story for me.
  4. Martijn wrote
    Honestly, it is TOO weird for me.
    I can kind of understand bringing ear plugs to a concert that has some kind of additional visceral element: hard rock or trance, these produce a vibe (literally!) that you feel in your bones and can enhance the experience.

    But the very idea of having to bring ear plugs to something that is an AUDITIVE event is like having to bring a blind fold to a theatre play, or a gag to a debate. It makes NO sense!

    The sole reason to be required to do this, is that the amplification is simply too fucking high.
    For no reason.
    As you're playing a concert hall rather than a Siberian tundra, there is -amazingly- actually no physical need for the sound to cross 80 kilometers across. So it's just bullshit. It really is.
    I do not laugh at people bringing ear plugs.
    I lament the ridiculous requirement to have to do so.


    Not knowing how the sound level would be, and not having been to a rock concert in ages I went to The Australian Pink Floyd Show in Brussels last year. I brought ear plugs with me. I was glad I did, even though the mix was still way too loud with them in. I'm sure I would've had lasting damage after the two hours this concert took, and pretty much everything was at full volume. I mean the music was awesome, but it was deafening. Some distortion was going on when the mix was its loudest, that's not normal. I'm happy I had those earplugs in, it softened the constant barrage of sound somewhat. And I do have tinnitus, but I only notice it when it's completely still.
    "considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G.
  5. It's crazy. They seem to assume most of the audience is half deaf already.

    Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
  6. Presumably the half that had already been to a prior concert. It's a vicious cycle! wink
  7. Captain Future wrote
    It's crazy. They seem to assume most of the audience is half deaf already.

    Volker


    I'm telling you, it's the audio mixers that are 50 % deaf, so they turn it up to an acceptable level for them (100 % which means 150 % for the audience). crazy
    "considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G.
  8. Just bought tickets for my wife and I to go to the John Williams Hollywood Bowl concert this September. We'll be attending the Friday night show. Anyone around here planning on coming to that? (I realize that's a very long trip for most of you, but if any of you are planning on it, I would love to meet you in person!)
    • CommentAuthorMogens
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    I went to see Zimmer in concert in Copenhagen ten days ago and it was a really great experience.

    The venue was Copenhagen's Forum, notorious for its bad sound quality. It wasn't built for concerts but, incredibly, remains the Danish capital's only venue of this size, with the exception of stadium concerts that take place at Parken (the largest sports stadium in the country).

    Thankfully my good friend Jesper and I had gotten really good seats, in the second row, meaning that we probably had a better experience that most other in the hall.

    Still, the sound was not perfect and the huge ventilators that all but ruined the Ennio Morricone concert in December also let their presence be known during the (rather few) quieter moments. It's just an embarrasingly bad venue.

    However, the experience as a whole managed to outweigh Forum's bad sound, rickety seating arrangements and its generally shitty atmosphere. This says a bit about the show.

    The set list was pretty much the same as the immediately previous concerts (as gleaned on setlist.fm), consisting of a first set with most of the crowd-pleasers and a second set dominated by Zimmer's superhero film scores and ending with suites from Interstellar and Inception.

    The first set was the most accessible one with medleys and suites that included music from Sherlock Holmes, Angels and Demons, Gladiator, The Da Vinci Code, The Lion King (with Lebo M and his daughter on stage, leaving no eyes dry) and the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

    The second set began quietly with the lovely marimba theme from True Romance before segueing quickly into Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight Trilogy, with "Journey to the Line" from The Thin Red Line thown in as a brief respite from the barrage of noise from the stage.

    And with barrage I do mean barrage. But in a positive way.

    Zimmer then concluded with suites from Interstellar and Inception, with "Time" as an encore.

    Was it loud? Oh yes, but not nearly as loud as I'd feared. I'd brought earplugs but didn't need them, even during some of the most cacophonous moments of the second set.

    Because this definitely wasn't a traditional film music concert. Guitars and percussion played a major role during almost all suites, combined of course with copious amounts of equally loud synthesizers, particularly during the second set.

    But call me crazy, it really worked! The musicians really kicked some serious ass, even if the choir was often somewhat drowned out by the rest of the setup (also, in part, due to the bad acoustics of Forum). Pedro Eustache was outstanding on the duduk and an assortment of other woodwinds, Guthrie Govan plays one mean guitar and Tina Guo of course provided the electric cello parts.

    But really, the entire ensemble appeared to be in a fantastic mood and put on a great show. I also got some laughs when Nick Glennie-Smith walked about the stage with a fake parrot on his shoulder while playing the accordion during the Pirates-medley.

    Zimmer himself appeared to thoroughly enjoy himself and was utterly charming, both while performing and while providing both funny and touching anecdotes between suites.

    All in all, it was just a really, really great experience. And the concert came with a nice surprise. My friend Jesper, who is a film composer himself, had been in contact with Zimmer before the concert and had arranged for back stage passes, including a brief meet and greet with Zimmer himself.

    Would I go to a Zimmer concert again? Definitely. Would I recommend it without reservations? Certainly not. But if you've checked out some of the videos that float around on YouTube and not been discouraged, you should definitely go if you get the chance. It really is something!
    Luminous beings are we.. Not this crude matter.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    Thanks for the report, Mogens. It pretty much mirrors mine, down to the 'bad venue' element. Since you're Danish, you can read my Norwegian report here:

    http://montages.no/2017/05/massivt-og-m … er-i-oslo/
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorMogens
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    Excellent report, Thor! Your impression of the concert mirrors mine very closely. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Crimson Tide immensely (one of my all-time favourite Zimmer anthems!) and did miss The Rock, too - among others.

    I failed to mention the light show which really should be highlighted as it plays an important role, particularly in the second set.

    I also should have mentioned that given the arrangements, volume, lightshow and the attitude of the musicians, the concert really became a total audio-visual experience that really went beyond a mere "concert". This was a show.
    Luminous beings are we.. Not this crude matter.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    Indeed. And as I mentioned in the article, structured almost like a film in terms of narrative build-up.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorCaliburn
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    Have a good time in LA Christopher! Hollywood Bowl is awesome!

    And good to hear that earplugs were not needed for the Zimmer concert. Maybe they have learned to tune it a bit down?

    The Hamburg one last year was awesome, but ear plugs were really needed.
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    christopher wrote
    Just bought tickets for my wife and I to go to the John Williams Hollywood Bowl concert this September.

    punk

    SLightly envious of everyone experiencing a Williams concert with the master himself, it always adds an extra touch. I'll probably never see that happen so I'm very glad for everyone being able to do so.
    Kazoo
    •  
      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    Thor wrote
    Indeed. And as I mentioned in the article, structured almost like a film in terms of narrative build-up.

    And for us non-Danish? tongue
    Kazoo
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeJun 1st 2017
    You're all SCREWED! wink

    Off to a Spielberg/Williams concert here in Oslo in just two hours. But of course without the man himself. sad
    I am extremely serious.
  9. Mogens wrote
    All in all, it was just a really, really great experience. And the concert came with a nice surprise. My friend Jesper, who is a film composer himself, had been in contact with Zimmer before the concert and had arranged for back stage passes, including a brief meet and greet with Zimmer himself.

    How is Jesper? I got to know him a little when we were both at SONCINEMAD many years ago and we keep in touch in Facebook every so often.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorMogens
    • CommentTimeJun 2nd 2017
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    Mogens wrote
    All in all, it was just a really, really great experience. And the concert came with a nice surprise. My friend Jesper, who is a film composer himself, had been in contact with Zimmer before the concert and had arranged for back stage passes, including a brief meet and greet with Zimmer himself.

    How is Jesper? I got to know him a little when we were both at SONCINEMAD many years ago and we keep in touch in Facebook every so often.


    Jesper is great! He recently completed his first feature film score for a Russian horror film called Nevesta (or The Bride in English). He is also keeping busy with his own label, PlantSounds.

    We meet up once in a while, though not as often as we used to, after he moved to Copenhagen. But we're in touch regularly.
    Luminous beings are we.. Not this crude matter.
  10. Mogens wrote
    He recently completed his first feature film score for a Russian horror film called Nevesta (or The Bride in English).

    I'd heard that he'd completed it and I am looking forward to hearing it if it gets a release.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorArtworks
    • CommentTimeJun 2nd 2017
    Bregt wrote
    christopher wrote
    Just bought tickets for my wife and I to go to the John Williams Hollywood Bowl concert this September.

    punk

    SLightly envious of everyone experiencing a Williams concert with the master himself, it always adds an extra touch. I'll probably never see that happen so I'm very glad for everyone being able to do so.


    Me too. Bought tickets for his Tanglewood concert in 2015, the one he sadly had to cancel. Still went to New York, and had a blast of a trip, but ended up skipping the concert since the main attraction wasn't there. So that's probably as close as I'll ever get smile

    Went to a "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" concert yesterday though - that was excellent smile
  11. Well, the Zimmer concert was ... loud. First part was amazing. Too many highlights, too many things to tell. The way the orchestra was introduced in Madagascar was cool. Angels & Demons was a surprising highlight. Gladiator very lovely performed, The Lion King a riveting experience. And Pirates of the Caribbean an absolute thrill. It looked like this couldn't fail. Alas, for me they made a big mistake with the second part. They played The Amazing Spiderman 2 and they chose the villain theme (not the super hero theme), they chose The Dark Knight and they went again for the villain theme. At this point we also left the concert because it was too hot in there and just not enough air. So sadly I can't comment on the Inception or Interstellar pieces (or whatever came after it). But the first part showed Zimmer's incredible thematic powerhouse voice. And that second part (with of course the exception of True Romance, Thelma and Louise and The Thin Red Line) a blend of his more droning ambience. Again, if it wasn't that hot in the arena, we probably never would have left. But we weren't the only ones departing at that moment. The combination with the hot temperature and just disappointing blend of Superhero scores made us leave. Too bad considering my girlfriend and I just couldn't stop talking about that first part.
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  12. CATS by Andrew Lloyd Webber

    I saw the London production in Munich yesterday where it plays for three weeks at the Deutsches Theater. I'm not a big musical fan but I was totally carried along by this performance. Terrific!

    cat Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeJul 21st 2017
    Thomas Glorieux wrote
    Well, the Zimmer concert was ... loud. First part was amazing. Too many highlights, too many things to tell. The way the orchestra was introduced in Madagascar was cool. Angels & Demons was a surprising highlight. Gladiator very lovely performed, The Lion King a riveting experience. And Pirates of the Caribbean an absolute thrill. It looked like this couldn't fail. Alas, for me they made a big mistake with the second part. They played The Amazing Spiderman 2 and they chose the villain theme (not the super hero theme), they chose The Dark Knight and they went again for the villain theme. At this point we also left the concert because it was too hot in there and just not enough air. So sadly I can't comment on the Inception or Interstellar pieces (or whatever came after it). But the first part showed Zimmer's incredible thematic powerhouse voice. And that second part (with of course the exception of True Romance, Thelma and Louise and The Thin Red Line) a blend of his more droning ambience. Again, if it wasn't that hot in the arena, we probably never would have left. But we weren't the only ones departing at that moment. The combination with the hot temperature and just disappointing blend of Superhero scores made us leave. Too bad considering my girlfriend and I just couldn't stop talking about that first part.


    amazing Spider-Man 2 is hideous in all its forms, either recorded on disc or live..thanks for the summary and interesting read mate.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.