1001 Nights
David Newman
" A most special celebration tour of David "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the music as heard in the movie
David Newman's sole work of 1998 was for Mike Smith's tantalizing vision upon Yoshitaka Amano's work. Through 3D animation this 24 minute short feature was launched and celebrated by fans around the world for its look. No dialogue (apart from the opening narration) was used and so David Newman's sole score was featured and heard most prominently during the movie. Actually it could be that Newman's vision is so spot on the money, a lot of the magic is lost while listening separately from the visual.
To tell you the truth, after hearing its music you'll wonder if you heard either the most brilliant music alive or the most difficult. And while it's a little bit of both, it's good to have music as demanding as this sometimes. Since it might listen harder then most, it also demands more in the end from your soul. After listening to it, you feel more revived then you were probably expecting. I could compare it a bit with Fantasia that the music makes the visuals work, meaning specifically drawn for the movie and here you feel the same way too.
Yet the music was written after it and Newman therefore is to be commended for doing such a terrific job. In all honesty you wonder what came first.
This short bootleg features the entire 23 minutes of music for the feature and was performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra so precisely, a lot of detail went in to revive every single pixel in the movie. It's amazing to hear such detail from a man we all know to score silly frenetic comedy movies. My god these directors should have to hear more of his works. After all David Newman is truly as great as his fellow name composers. Since it are works like these that perhaps demand more, but bring more in the end as well.
As said, the entire piece is here, and in one track it might look as a tough nut, it listens quite fluently. Not like say Zimmer's mammoth pieces in Fools of Fortune for example. It's one orchestral tour de force and lacks a lot of thematic cohesion, but the expression behind it feels like the clockwork for the scenes itself. Its feisty opening minutes in the beginning, its ethnic touches which remind you especially of the vocal of Operation Dumbo Drop, its mysterious play during the first 5 minutes,...
It's all shaken up later when frenetic and typical Newman music sets a little bit more cohesion to the fore. Don't forget also the force of the sound, which is quite good yet not clear. In fact after the first ten minutes the score receives its true climatic moment. First a solo piano is heard creating the most beautiful theme (especially when heard in the frenetic tones that came before it) and while some light choir makes up for the mystery, it's the explosion of the orchestra which creates the climatic feel. Near the end even beats and brass set up the David Newman touch to end softly and dreamy with bells and strings.
It's true, 1001 Nights is demanding and at the end, you even wonder what to remember of its thematic qualities. But the feel during listening, the impact and the special demanding quality surrounding it, is enough for you to consider this. It might not make for easy listening but sure as hell will fit for the scenery on screen. Not to be given to anyone, but a true Newman completist will feel he's witnessing something new from the maestro, and with great reason too.
To tell you the truth, after hearing its music you'll wonder if you heard either the most brilliant music alive or the most difficult. And while it's a little bit of both, it's good to have music as demanding as this sometimes. Since it might listen harder then most, it also demands more in the end from your soul. After listening to it, you feel more revived then you were probably expecting. I could compare it a bit with Fantasia that the music makes the visuals work, meaning specifically drawn for the movie and here you feel the same way too.
Yet the music was written after it and Newman therefore is to be commended for doing such a terrific job. In all honesty you wonder what came first.
This short bootleg features the entire 23 minutes of music for the feature and was performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra so precisely, a lot of detail went in to revive every single pixel in the movie. It's amazing to hear such detail from a man we all know to score silly frenetic comedy movies. My god these directors should have to hear more of his works. After all David Newman is truly as great as his fellow name composers. Since it are works like these that perhaps demand more, but bring more in the end as well.
As said, the entire piece is here, and in one track it might look as a tough nut, it listens quite fluently. Not like say Zimmer's mammoth pieces in Fools of Fortune for example. It's one orchestral tour de force and lacks a lot of thematic cohesion, but the expression behind it feels like the clockwork for the scenes itself. Its feisty opening minutes in the beginning, its ethnic touches which remind you especially of the vocal of Operation Dumbo Drop, its mysterious play during the first 5 minutes,...
It's all shaken up later when frenetic and typical Newman music sets a little bit more cohesion to the fore. Don't forget also the force of the sound, which is quite good yet not clear. In fact after the first ten minutes the score receives its true climatic moment. First a solo piano is heard creating the most beautiful theme (especially when heard in the frenetic tones that came before it) and while some light choir makes up for the mystery, it's the explosion of the orchestra which creates the climatic feel. Near the end even beats and brass set up the David Newman touch to end softly and dreamy with bells and strings.
It's true, 1001 Nights is demanding and at the end, you even wonder what to remember of its thematic qualities. But the feel during listening, the impact and the special demanding quality surrounding it, is enough for you to consider this. It might not make for easy listening but sure as hell will fit for the scenery on screen. Not to be given to anyone, but a true Newman completist will feel he's witnessing something new from the maestro, and with great reason too.