In 2011 composer Ramin Djawadi was first asked to score a new TV series called Game of Thrones. In its first season much of the music was written for a small string ensemble, and filled out with synthetic pads and percussion. Over the course of the next six seasons the music budget got bigger and bigger to match the ever-increasing viewing figures the show was enjoying. This release celebrates the rich tapestry of music over the six series with the full firepower of an 80 piece symphony orchestra and choir.
Game of Thrones really is a television phenomenon. HBO’s epic small screen adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series of fantasy tomes continues to draw in record audiences around the world, and shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed some 8.9m people tuned in to the Season Six finale in the US and with repeats, recordings and on-demand viewings taken into consideration, it is estimated that Game of Thrones enjoys an average of 23m viewers per installment. With a whopping thirty-eight Emmy Awards (and counting), this series remains the darling of prime-time pay TV.
With so much music created for the sixty episodes so far broadcast, this album can of course only take in so much. The particular cues and themes it does highlight, though, lend themselves beautifully to this symphonic re-imagining.
1. Main Title 2. Goodbye Brother 3. Finale (From "Season 1") 4. Warrior of Light 5. Winterfell 6. Mother of Dragons 7. A Lannister Always Pays His Debts 8. Dracarys 9. Mhysa 10. Two Swords 11. You Are No Son of Mine 12. The Children 13. Blood of the Dragon 14. Dance of Dragons 15. Atonement 16. Son of the Harpy 17. Light of the Seven 18. Khaleesi 19. Winter Has Come 20. Hear Me Roar 21. The Winds of Winter
If you've never bought a Game of Thrones CD you'd be well served with this album, the album is what I'd consider a GoT Greatest Hits, and it's a great thing. Very well done, expert recording and the main theme is a real treat to hear with full orchestra vs. the one that's played with the series.
I remember a few years back some cellists were commenting online something along the lines of "Hey Ramin, here's what a REAL cello sounds like doing the GoT Theme".
I am going to seek out the CD in March -
Will always have a deep affection for the City of Prague Philharmonic.
I remember a few years back some cellists were commenting online something along the lines of "Hey Ramin, here's what a REAL cello sounds like doing the GoT Theme".
The cellists who did that were full of crap - the cello in the GoT theme has always been real. The playing in those videos was terrible.
An audience of 16,000. Not bad for a TV score concert. (I must be the only one in the USA who's never watched the series. Says here, the music is "gorgeous." Any CD recommendations?)
The symphony CD is good, but I think I prefer the original recordings.
For season albums, I think 2, 3, and 6 are the best. 6 is different from most of the albums because it has more long form pieces (like "Light of the Seven" and "Hold the Door"). 2 may have the best renderings of a lot of leitmotifs that exist throughout the series.
Thanks, guys. I'm thinking perhaps I'll take a chance on the Symphony album. If it really bowls me over, I can always then invest in the individual Season discs.
I came across this album but found it weird that there was no conductor mentioned? Did the orchestra just play without a conductor like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra? Seems unlikely. Who conducted it and why is the name of the conductor mysteriously absent from the cover? I mean, I'm not going to buy such recording without knowing who conducted the orchestra. https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/242895/the-city-of-prague-philharmonic-orchestra-music-of-game-of-thrones
