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Raiders of the Lost Ark (John Williams)

November 11, 2011 Category :Reviews 0

1981

Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had both achieved massive success by the 1980’s, Lucas with Star Wars, and Spielberg with Jaws and Close Encounters. After planning on collaborating on an adventure film at some point in the future, Raiders of the Lost Ark came along in 1981. Successful enough to spawn three sequels (all very good ones), the film remains one of the favourites of adventure films.

Given that John Williams had provided the music for all of Spielberg’s previous films and two of Lucas’ Star Wars films (with four more to come in later years), there couldn’t possibly be any question of anybody else scoring Raiders of the Lost Ark (or the sequels). Like his music for Jaws, Star Wars, and Superman beforehand, Williams’ theme for the Indiana Jones films would become one of the most famous in cinema history. The fact that the score was not one of the film’s five Academy Award wins remains one of the biggest injustices as far back as the awards go, and alone proves that the Oscars are a worthless popularity contest with utterly no value whatsoever. Vangelis (who didn’t even attend the ceremony) won for his score to Chariots of Fire, which had a nice enough main theme but was otherwise dreadful (not to mention wholly inappropriate for the film), and Chariots of Fire beat out Raiders for the Best Picture award as well. Williams would finally win his fourth Oscar the following year for what is arguably his greatest score, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, but quite honestly, he should have had four consecutive wins for the first four years of the 80’s alone.

Of course, it’s the famous Raiders March that everybody knows the score for. The score opens with music of a dark, menacing fashion as the main character makes his way through the jungle in search of an ancient Peruvian temple that contains a golden idol. The mood of the music continues through the second cue, “The Idol Temple”, and then all hell breaks loose in “Escape from the Temple” as Indy avoids numerous booby traps to get out of the place alive.

It’s in the next cue, “Flight from Peru”, where we hear the famous title theme for the first time, heard in heroic fashion as the plane flies off into the sunset. The theme reoccurs several times throughout the score, most notably in “The German Sub”, where it is given its finest rendition.

There are two other primary themes for the score, the first of which is for the character of Marion, the second for the lost ark. “A Thought for Marion/To Nepal” both themes, opening with the first of them performed by a solo woodwind and gentle strings. At the 18 second mark, the theme for the ark appears . Like the Raiders march, both themes appear later in the score, with Marion’s theme heard in its first fully fledged performance in “Flight to Cairo” as she and Indy join forces.

Cues like “The Basket Game”, “The Fist Fight”, and especially “Desert Chase” show Williams’ writing for action at its very best. “The Basket Game” is a frantic yet comedic piece, culminating in an abrasive performance of Marion’s theme as Indy believes her dead. “The Fist Fight” is a terrific action piece as the hero battles a hefty Nazi solidier (played by Pat Roach, who is the only actor other than Harrison Ford to appear in all three of the original Indy films), who ends up getting shredded by an airplane propeller. The seven and a half minute long tour de force that is “Desert Chase” is easily one of Williams’ finest action pieces , and it accompanies what is unquestionably one of the finest action sequences ever filmed.

“The Map Room: Dawn” is easily amongst Williams’ finest compositions, and is where the theme for the ark receives its finest treatment in a fantastic choral performance which is slowly built up throughout the piece. Two more great performances follow in “Indy Follows the Ark” and especially “The Miracle of the Ark”, where the orchestra gives the piece a performance of incredible power. The album concludes with a concert arrangement of the Raiders march and Marion’s theme.

This is a score with so many remarkable and memorable moments that describing them all would be a waste of time. I think I’ve made my point though – this is one of the finest adventure scores ever written, a classic in every way, and John Williams at his very best. No collection of the maestro’s works would be complete without this.

Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (UK)

Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (USA)

Track Listing

1. In the Jungle (4:13)

2. The Idol Temple (3:56)

3. Escape from the Temple (1:34)

4. Flight from Peru (2:24)

5. Washington Men/Indy’s Home (1:06)

6. A Thought for Marion/To Nepal (2:12)

7. The Medallion (2:55)

8. Flight to Cairo (1:30)

9. The Basket Game (5:02)

10. Bad Dates (1:14)

11. The Map Room: Dawn (3:53)

12. Reunion in the Tent/Searching for the Well (4:02)

13. The Well of the Souls (5:28)

14. Indy Rides the Statue (1:09)

15. The Fist Fight/The Flying Wing (4:37)

16. Desert Chase (7:33)

17. Marion’s Theme/The Crate (2:10)

18. The German Sub (1:23)

19. Ride to the Nazi Hideout (3:20)

20. Indy Follows the Ark (1:40)

21. The Miracle of the Ark (6:07)

22. Washington Ending & Raiders March (6:52)

Total: 73 minutes

Credits

Music Composed, Conducted and Produced by John Williams

Orchestrations by Herbert Spencer

Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra

Awards

Academy Award for Best Original Score (nominated)

BAFTA Award for Best Music (nominated)

Grammy Award (won)

Insert Notes

Score was purchased as MP3 download – no digital liner notes included.

Red River (Dimitri Tiomkin)

November 4, 2011 Category :Reviews 0

(1948)

Acknowledged as one of the best western films ever made, Red River tells a fictional story of the first cattle drive from Texas to Kansas. Like most of the great westerns, it’s a film that isn’t just about the beautiful scenery and guns; it’s a film with a great story. It was a success, earning two Academy Award nominations for Writing and Editing.Nobody musically defined the sound of the American west than the (ironically) Russian composer Dimitri Tiomkin, whose score for Red River is among the best he ever wrote. He was a regular collaborator with both the director Howard Hawks and star John Wayne, scoring such other films as Rio Bravo and writing probably his best score for Wayne’s directorial debut, The Alamo. His complete score for Red River is now available thanks to the highly acclaimed John Morgan and William Stromberg, who have reconstructed and recorded many classic scores with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, including music from such composers as Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, among others.

The album contains 37 tracks, and though only two are longer than three minutes, Tiomkin’s use of leitmotifs and the consistent orchestrations ensure that the atmosphere of the film is there throughout the entire score. As usual, the film opens with a title song, which in this case is Tiomkin’s “Settle Down”. After the powerful performance of the song by a chorus, horns introduce Tiomkin’s primary theme for the film, with a light choral backing. The second track, “”Dunson Heads South” is the longest track on the album, and probably the best as well. It starts out as a more emotional piece, but then changes to reflect the epic western scenery.

The music for the scenes of action is just superb. “The Red Menace Strikes” is first, a terrific piece of orchestral mayhem, as well as the tracks “Stampede” and “Fight for Life”. There’s music for the romance in the film as well, and it doesn’t come any better than the sublime violin solo in “”Foggy Night Surrender”. There’s really nothing more you could want when listening to a score like this. The chorus returns following some lovely string performances for the film’s conclusion with a reprise of the title song.

Nobody scored westerns as well as Dimitri Tiomkin, and Red River is among the best of the many scores that prove that. John Morgan, William Stromberg and the Moscow Symphony and Chorus have released more fine re-recordings of film scores than probably any other label, but my love of western scores makes this a particularly special one. The orchestral performances and recording quality is superb, and given that it’s available on Amazon for little more than £5, no film music fan should miss out on this one.

Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (UK)

Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (USA)

Track Listing

1. Main Title (1:30)

2. Dunson Heads South (4:47)

3. Red River Camp (1:29)

4. The Red Menace Strikes (1:34)

5. The Lone Survivor (2:15)

6. Birth of Red River D (3:15)

7. Mexican Burial (:58)

8. Growth of the Dunson Empire (1:46)

9. Roundup (:27)

10. Suspense at Dawn (1:07)

11. On to Missouri (1:36)

12. The Drive moves North (3:04)

13. The Brazos Trail (:31)

14. Stampede (2:46)

15. The Missing Cowboy (2:36)

16. Latimer Burial (1:01)

17. Thunder on the Trail (:45)

18. Red River Ahead (1:26)

19. Red River Crossing (2:01)

20. Cottonwood Justice (:59)

21. Dunson Swears Vengeance (1:24)

22. Comanche Arrows (:40)

23. In Wait (1:35)

24. Fight for Life (2:20)

25. Vigil in the Night (1:01)

26. Foggy Night Surrender (1:54)

27. The Spectre Takes Form (:43)

28. Interlude (:22)

29. Out of the Past (1:47)

30. Memory of Love (1:31)

31. A Joyous Meeting (1:53)

32. Approach to Abilene (1:50)

33. A Big Day in Abilene (1:40)

34. The Spectre Closes In (1:02)

35. A Message for Matt (2:50)

36. The Challenge (3:22)

37. The New Brand (2:22)

Total Time: 64:07

Credits

Music Composed by Dimitri Tiomkin

Orchestrations by Lucien Caillet & Paul Marquardt

Score Reconstructed by John Morgan

Conducted by William Stromberg

Performed by The Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Awards

None

Insert Notes

Contains detailed notes about the score and various photographs.

Legends of the Fall (James Horner)

November 3, 2011 Category :Reviews 2

(1994)

1995 for James Horner is easily amongst the finest years for a composer in Hollywood history. Though Legends of the Fall’s score was written in 1994, it didn’t get a release on album until January of 1995, a year which also saw Horner writing two other masterpieces for Apollo 13 and Braveheart, earning Oscar nominations for both. His major success didn’t come until 1997 however, with the massive success of his music for Titanic. It’s a shame, because Titanic is a significantly inferior score when compared to any of its aforementioned predecessors, and its success has overshadowed them ever since. Legends of the Fall is easily amongst the best scores of the modern age of film music, and some would probably argue the best ever.

Horner takes a leitmotivic approach to the score, with several great themes weaving reflecting a character or an element of the storyline. The first theme to be introduced is also the most prominent throughout the score, first introduced on solo trumpet, an then the rest of the orchestra slowly builds up the piece whilst the shakuhachi flute adds a somewhat eerie sense to the music, with brilliant effect.

The next theme is that for the Ludlow family, and is easily the best of them all. Indeed, some would argue it’s Horner’s single best piece from a film score. It opens with a lovely solo piano performance, and is then given a lush rendition by the string section of the orchestra. There’s only one thing to say – glorious.

The action music is equally excellent, with the cue “Samuel’s Death” being particularly notable, an eight minute long piece of orchestral mayhem representing the horrors of war. The romantic music is also great, with “Alfred Moves to Helena” probably being the best.

The final track on the album is quite possibly the best piece of music Horner has ever written. No other composer manages to put together such long pieces of music for an album, and this twelve minute piece demonstrates Horner’s ability there to the highest possible degree. Throughout the piece he weaves an incredible musical tapestry, linking all the themes together perfectly. It’s just pure magic.

In sum, this score is a masterpiece that deserves to be included in the collection of any film music fan. Few 75 minute long albums are not too long, but this is certainly one of them. It’s the best score of its year, one of the best of the 90’s, and probably the best score Horner has ever written. Seek with the utmost confidence.

Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (UK)

Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (USA)

Track Listing

1. Legends of the Fall (4:17)
2. The Ludlows (5:40)
3. Off to War (5:55)
4. To the Boys… (2:49)
5. Samuel’s Death (8:24)
6. Alfred Moves to Helena (3:01)
7. Farewell / Descent into Madness (8:13)
8. The Changing Seasons / Wild Horses / Tristan’s Return (5:11)
9. The Wedding (3:06)
10. Isabel’s Murder / Recollections of Samuel (3:58)
11. Revenge (6:20)
12. Goodbyes (3:12)
13. Alfred, Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend… (15:09)

Total Time: 75:18

Credits

Music Composed, Conducted & Produced by James Horner

Orchestrated by Thomas Pasatieri & Don Davis

Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (nominated)

Insert Notes

The liner notes contain credits and a note from the film’s director Edward Zwick

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