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I love sitting down, listening to a score, loving it, and then coming to the FSM board to see it completely shot down.
INTJ for the win.
lol
hat about this score do you like? I'd like positive feedback from those who really dig it.
I will say the reference to RVW Lark Ascending is pretty distracting for me.... it's hard to get past it.
And even if you don't hear that, the 6 note phrase can also be heard in Schifrin's Rush Hour score.
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Posted: |
Sep 5, 2020 - 12:27 PM
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By: |
bondo321
(Member)
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Anyhow, what about this score do you like? I'd like positive feedback from those who really dig it.
Well to put it in context, 2020 hasn’t been the best year for film scores, so the bar is currently resting pretty low to begin with. And I’m a big fan of HGW’s “epic” style as heard in Kingdom of Heaven, Chronicles of Narnia, and Prince of Persia. So I went into this score hoping for two things... 1. That familiar HGW style and 2. Enjoyable quasi-Chinese-infused melodies and texture. I’m happy to report that the score delivered both of those for me! Is it the best score he’s done? Nope. Was I expecting that? Nope. What the album presented to me was a musical representation of a Chinese historical figure that I could imagine in my mind as I listened to the album from start to finish. It has highs, lows, action, drama, suspense... everything I had hoped for. A few more listens to the score solidified this impression. And as a big fan of the Goldsmith original, I appreciated the nods to his score.
Reviews of the film (which I have not seen) portray it as a middle-of-the-road flick trying to be both a bloodless historical epic and a family-friendly tale of personal growth. I think HGW did the best job possible, and I’m off to give the album another listen. Cheers!
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Anyhow, what about this score do you like? I'd like positive feedback from those who really dig it.
Well to put it in context, 2020 hasn’t been the best year for film scores, so the bar is currently resting pretty low to begin with. And I’m a big fan of HGW’s “epic” style as heard in Kingdom of Heaven, Chronicles of Narnia, and Prince of Persia. So I went into this score hoping for two things... 1. That familiar HGW style and 2. Enjoyable quasi-Chinese-infused melodies and texture. I’m happy to report that the score delivered both of those for me! Is it the best score he’s done? Nope. Was I expecting that? Nope. What the album presented to me was a musical representation of a Chinese historical figure that I could imagine in my mind as I listened to the album from start to finish. It has highs, lows, action, drama, suspense... everything I had hoped for. A few more listens to the score solidified this impression. And as a big fan of the Goldsmith original, I appreciated the nods to his score.
Reviews of the film (which I have not seen) portray it as a middle-of-the-road flick trying to be both a bloodless historical epic and a family-friendly tale of personal growth. I think HGW did the best job possible, and I’m off to give the album another listen. Cheers!
I'm spinning it as I type this. I like the activity and energy for sure. It's not a sound wash. There is lot of interesting music moments. It moves along quite well. I'm definitely more impressed with this compared to much of what I've heard from HGW whose scores usually work in the film but are a touch uninvolved apart from the movie.
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Highlights for me include...
- The main theme heard as soon as the score starts in "Ancestors" and then resolving beautifully in "Mulan & the Emperor"
- The fantastic build-up of the second half of "Four Ounces Can Move a Thousand Pounds"
- The nods to Goldsmith's score, especially at the beginning of "Mulan Rides Into Battle" and at 4:50 of "Fight For the Kingdom"
- "The Charge" aka Chinese Kingdom of Heaven lol
There are quotes from Reflections in this too but a bit re-harmonized
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