I enjoy this John Williams score from the 90's, but it's not one I love dearly. It's got a great, sweeping Main Theme and some exciting, adventurous scoring, but it's dominated by loads of exotic percussion and flutes, plus mournful cello/violin sections. One track that always stood out for me is Palace Invitation, especially the bit from 1'10, wherein the music sweeps and glides along in hair-raising fashion (link below)...I wish there was lots more like that...
The penultimate cue on the album (Regaining A Son) is also a winner. Williams hits the listener with an emotional finale, using a melody he would later develop and enhance further down the line.
I saw the film at the cinema, back when it was released, but I didn't think much of it. I imagine this is one of those albums Mike-M is, or has already has, done his magic work on.
This is one where I absolutely adore highlights... but in terms of me loving the whole score, I think that'll be more likely to happen once Mike M works his magic on it and we get a complete & chronological release along the lines of Amistad and Sabrina recently, both of which were revelations.
This is one where I absolutely adore highlights... but in terms of me loving the whole score, I think that'll be more likely to happen once Mike M works his magic on it and we get a complete & chronological release along the lines of Amistad and Sabrina recently, both of which were revelations.
Yavar
I dearly hope an expansion of this is coming soon. It's one of my all-time favorite Williams scores with exceptional solos by Yo-Yo Ma. Pretty please!
I really like this score, I think the album sounds really good. I agree with Kev that it's a great main theme, and there's lots of other good stuff as well. If I recall, Williams said the score as written was butchered when used in the film, so an expanded release would be interesting to see what he had intended.
I enjoy the film as well, I had read the Heinrich Harrer book so I was interested to see how they would do the film. A lot of it was shot in Argentina if I remember. A witty review at the time said it felt like watching it in real time in reference to the title, but I've always liked it.
It has such an epic gorgeous main theme. The secondary motif depicting Harrers' travel is also terrific which Williams sort of reprises later in THE PHANTOM MENACE.
I'd love to see a C&C remastered presentation rendered by Mike Matessino of this.
I remember noticing Williams' name attached to this film in the 'what's playing in the cinema' ad section in the physical newspapers (hey, that was a major news resource in the nacent years of the internet!), while squinting my eyes to read the small credits print at the bottom of the poster. Already a Williams fan at the time, I remember finding the Annaud-JW connection interesting, having fond memories of Annaud's THE BEAR from my childhood. Also funny to read there was another John Williams attached (as producer, I think).
Anyways, at that time I was more into the big and boisterous Williams, so when I finally got the CD, I was slightly underwhelmed by the seemingly static Tibetan colours and the slow development. In fact a recurrent experience in those post-JURASSIC PARK years. However, it slowly started to grow on me, and these days I absolutely love it. The aching main theme(s), of course, but also those more abstract Tibetan things. And the majestic slowness of it all, which is closer to my taste these days.
Great score, finely curated as is - with a very generous 66 minutes (in fact, it may be some 10 minutes too long)!
This is one where I absolutely adore highlights... but in terms of me loving the whole score, I think that'll be more likely to happen once Mike M works his magic on it and we get a complete & chronological release along the lines of Amistad and Sabrina recently, both of which were revelations.
Yavar
I think this is one of the cases where JW's album program actually improves quite a bit the stand-alone listening experience. The film is scored mainly with brief cues and contains long stretches without any music. Some cues were dialed out in favour of silence or diegetic Tibetan monks choir stuff, but overall the approach was quite low-key. Anyhow, JW rethought the score for the album presentation in a true concert-like fashion, putting Yo-Yo Ma's cello front and center, creating a sort of sinfonia concertante narrative. And this is obtained through creative editing of the film cues, like this one for example, which is actually four separate cues for four different scenes conjoined together:
Imho, the final result is seamless, it almost feel like a concert piece. The same can be said also of tracks like "Peter's Rescue," "Harrer's Journey," and "Quiet Moments". There is also one track ("Premonitions", but the original manuscript title is "The Child of Tibet") that was composed specifically for the album.
Of course I hope Mike will work his magic on this score as soon as possible and get us the film presentation version, and hear all the unreleased bits (like the cue for the prison escape, containing some cool low piano stuff), but the OST album is a keeper.
One of those superb and somewhat underrated Williams scores that's not from Spielberg or a franchise, but agreed that the main theme is absolutely wonderful but the rest is lovely, over a well curated album. I would slightly disagree over the sound quality, which I always felt was rather too heavily mid-range focussed, but I don't know if that's an artefact of the orchestration as much as the recording. I think there's some room for improvement for a bit more air in the recording.
Interesting that he seems less interested (totally uninterested?!) in Seven Years in Tibet, compared to Memoirs of a Geisha or Schindler's List when it comes to arranging his scores for the concert hall. I assume he probably had it programmed into concerts around the time of its release, but nothing recently and he's never revisited it with Yo-Yo May despite having recorded his Cello Concerto with Ma twice and Ma being the original soloist. Not to mention the two suites from Geisha he has done with Ma (one solo, the other with the Chicago Symphony). Perhaps he doesn't regard it as highly as we do.
Interesting that he seems less interested (totally uninterested?!) in Seven Years in Tibet, compared to Memoirs of a Geisha or Schindler's List when it comes to arranging his scores for the concert hall. I assume he probably had it programmed into concerts around the time of its release, but nothing recently and he's never revisited it with Yo-Yo May despite having recorded his Cello Concerto with Ma twice and Ma being the original soloist. Not to mention the two suites from Geisha he has done with Ma (one solo, the other with the Chicago Symphony). Perhaps he doesn't regard it as highly as we do.
Remember that Williams expanded Regaining A Son into the Elegy For Cello and Orchestra, which has been performed in concert many times including with JW himself. A beautiful piece…..
Remember that Williams expanded Regaining A Son into the Elegy For Cello and Orchestra, which has been performed in concert many times including with JW himself. A beautiful piece…..
Indeed. One of my absolute favourite concert pieces by John Williams, for such a tragic back story.
no need for an expansion - the OST program is perfect IMHO
Except that we know the film excluded a lot of music written and recorded for it by Williams. None of us really has a good idea of just what his original composition for it was... we literally *don't know what we are missing*. That's why I think a new Matessino edition has the potential to be a revelation.
no need for an expansion - the OST program is perfect IMHO
Except that we know the film excluded a lot of music written and recorded for it by Williams. None of us really has a good idea of just what his original composition for it was... we literally *don't know what we are missing*. That's why I think a new Matessino edition has the potential to be a revelation.
Yavar
You mean something like :
Party In The Nanga Parbat – Extras from Seven Years in Tibet ?
Thank you for posting I reminded me of the score. Aside from the main theme I haven’t heard this in years and always struggled to get through it. But today I have rediscovered it and it is fantastic!
I think the Tibetan stuff and some of the cello solos are still quite challenging but there is some beautiful music in this score and well worth many repeated listens.
I liked the score initially but as it went on I found it a bit overdramatic.
Then I revisited it after a few years and it's one I would really welcome an expansion of! Proving once again that if I don't like a score, I will absolutely enjoy it down the road.
I liked the score initially but as it went on I found it a bit overdramatic.
Then I revisited it after a few years and it's one I would really welcome an expansion of! Proving once again that if I don't like a score, I will absolutely enjoy it down the road.
Or as David Raksin once said “ no one should play my music the first time ! “
Remember that Williams expanded Regaining A Son into the Elegy For Cello and Orchestra, which has been performed in concert many times including with JW himself. A beautiful piece…..
Thanks, I had forgotten that the elegy was based on a cue from Seven Years in Tibet, although again interesting that he chose to develop a secondary theme rather than the main theme.
no need for an expansion - the OST program is perfect IMHO
Except that we know the film excluded a lot of music written and recorded for it by Williams. None of us really has a good idea of just what his original composition for it was... we literally *don't know what we are missing*. That's why I think a new Matessino edition has the potential to be a revelation.
Yavar
Not "a lot", only a certain amount, and part of that was indeed included on the OST album. There are some cues which are known to have alternates, but it's not like there is another score waiting to be discovered, at least as far as I am aware. Williams' approach to the film was relatively low-key and somber for the most part. A new presentation with all the cues presented as written and intended in film order will certainly be fascinating to hear, but as I said above, the narrative that JW built for the OST album program is musically more satisfying on a pure listening standpoint.
