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...... Bruce Dern is great as always...., .
Dave,
didn't you mean to say "Bruce Dern is crazy as always..." ?
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...... Bruce Dern is great as always...., .
Dave,
didn't you mean to say "Bruce Dern is crazy as always..." ?
Yeah, but he's great as crazy, ain't he?
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yeah, i guess so. I guess he holds to the adage;
better to do one thing well , than ten things poorly.
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I just ordered this baby!
You won't regret it. One of Mr. Williams very finest.
Cheers!
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Back to BLACK SUNDAY. It arrived today along with PLAYERS and ANDROMEDA STRAIN, delayed no doubt because of this vile winter weather- It sounds just marvelous! Aces for that! The score is tenfold better than I remembered it being. Congratulations and Thanks for this one! If I can only get FAMILY PLOT in an official release, I could actually live without there ever being another Williams release.
I said it 10 months ago. 
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Posted: |
Jan 7, 2011 - 4:02 PM
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By: |
Grecchus
(Member)
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Arrived yesterday. This is definitely the most unusual John Williams OST I've ever come across. It's a chase movie and so the music has to go into chase mode big time. In fact, the score is ballistic chase music. Yeah, it's also a thriller, so the tone of the music reflects that too. Very powerfully, in fact. There was a time when the word was video, and this movie was instantly accessable to me during that era because it would be on TV regularly and anything there would go straight to video. The trouble is, time passeth and I haven't seen it in many a year. But I do recollect that it's a chase movie, and a darn good one at that. The part that sticks in my mind the most is when Dern, as Lander, tests out his device on a hapless innocent bystander just to see if his shrapnel-like rifle darts will fly out in destructive predetermined patterns designed by himself. The scene is made memorable by Dern's manic, deinviduated and psycopathic character drill. The disc contains unused music from this scene. I get the feeling that this is a crossroads piece because I hear constructions from a multitude of works. For example, track 3 Commando Raid, contains bit-sequences from Towering Inferno and Jaws 2. Track 5, Speedboat Chase has elements that evolved into War Of the Worlds. Track 21, Air Chase Part 1, has a very short introduction that sounds much like the Michael Small paranoid nail-biting chase music for Marathon Man. There's no reason why composers can't acknowledge one another (from time to time) on jobs well done. I even hear Dracula in Track 24, End Title. The score's unique signature motif is slow, deliberate, seemingly inevitable and entirely fitting.
One other thing, the source piece, Flight Song #1 could have come right out of the Gypsy Moths ringside circus numbers. Flight Song #2 has a drummer's melodic beat reminding me of the Amity street marching band briefly encountered by Brody in Jaws.
FSM wizardry has produced a technically flawless reproduction from a score kept under wraps for far too long (why?). The very characteristic low end bass is applied to perfection. It's what this score is all about.
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Posted: |
Apr 11, 2011 - 11:37 PM
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By: |
BasilFSM
(Member)
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Wow.
It only took me a year and a quarter to finally get around to hearing this score, but I absolutely love it.
Going to give this a second and third spin over the next day or two. I actually obtained this release secondhand (for free), so now I feel bad that I didn't actually pick up a copy from FSM - then again, I never felt extremely compelled to buy this at the time of its release anyway. The sound samples seemed "okay" to me back then, but I didn't pay attention to details in film music then like I do now...
I wonder how much of the run has sold, given the fact that this is limited to 10000.
Regardless, I'm babbling. Great score, a keeper for sure! I realize Angela Morley orchestrated John Williams' earlier scores, and as such Black Sunday really does have a Watership Down vibe throughout - to me, at least.
(How ironic that I'm bumping this on the day Kritzerland releases the Les Baxter Black Sunday...)
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Posted: |
Apr 12, 2011 - 12:30 PM
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By: |
Wedge
(Member)
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I know nothing about how scores are orchestrated anyway, so for me to say much more about it would be nonsensical blabber coming from this mouth...
Scores are typically written first in "sketch" form (if they are written at all, and not just laid down by a musician without classical training). These sketches can be very simple, indicating the major components of melody, harmony, bass, rhythm, and/or delineating major instrument groups. In this case, it is the responsibility of the orchestrator to "flesh things out." Writing for a few basic parts is very different from writing for a full orchestra -- you need to have an intimate knowledge of instrument ranges, combinations, techniques, etc. Otherwise, the music will be impossible to play, or not achieve the desired sound. Poorly orchestrated music is taxing to the ear, and can have a negative impact on the film, so it's a big responsibility. If the composer is inexperienced at orchestration (or too busy with deadlines to give much guidance), the orchestrator may have a good deal of leeway. The composer may also provide general guidelines and rely on the orchestrator to follow them.
On the other hand, some composers' sketches can be very detailed, serving as a kind of shorthand. It falls upon the orchestrator, in these cases, to correctly read the composer's instructions and accurately "expand" the sketch. It's nothing the composer couldn't -- or wouldn't -- do themselves. But by taking on the "grunt work," orchestrators free the composer to spend more time on the creative process of composing. A certain degree of trust is involved here ... the composer has to know that the orchestrator is proficient, so that his or her instructions are understood, and errors are not introduced in the "expansion" process. The composer may also count on the orchestrator to catch errors or make useful suggestions. Laurence Rosenthal, who is absolutely no slouch in the orchestration department himself, said of his friend and orchestrator Herbert Spencer, "he knew more about the orchestra than I'll ever know."
In a nutshell, the impact of an orchestrator on the sound of the finished work varies widely depending on the circumstances and the people involved.
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