I recall someone posting that there is a wealth of film score treasure to be found with lesser-known and/or foreign composers. Could those with this knowledge share some insight and list some of their favorites that fall into this category and provide a reference for comparison, e.g., this composer's style is similar to Goldsmith's, along with recommended works? I looked at past threads for this and didn't see a comparable one, so I do apologize if I missed it. Thank you for your participation.
Now this can become a great thread that maybe should never end. It has potential to broaden our knowledge and scope in the field of film music. I will list some tonight. I hope this becomes a winner.
I recall someone posting that there is a wealth of film score treasure to be found with lesser-known and/or foreign composers. Could those with this knowledge share some insight and list some of their favorites that fall into this category and provide a reference for comparison, e.g., this composer's style is similar to Goldsmith's, along with recommended works? I looked at past threads for this and didn't see a comparable one, so I do apologize if I missed it. Thank you for your participation.
Hello, AMAFilmScoreFan.
There's so much that I'm unsure where to begin.
I can start by referring to one of my prior threads on Roberto Nicolosi.
Within the above, you can read my reviews of the Nicolosi CD albums on Digitmovies. Several times, I make comparisons to American composers. For example, if a Nicolosi soundtrack contains musical phrasings or orchestrations which remind me of other composers and/or film scores, then I say so. If one likes early 1960s music by Gerald Fried or Dominic Frontiere or Johnny Mandel, then one might be very well interested in exploring those albums of Roberto Nicolosi music.
Not knowing where you are "at" musically speaking, recommendations can be all over the map without any sort of stylizations with which to anchor this vast area into specific territory.
Tuomas Kantelinen - He has a number of great emotional/melodramatic scores that I really enjoy as well as a solid ballet that was just released (Snow Queen).
Suite from ARN The Knight Templar
Fernando Vealzquez Spanish composer who has been doing more and more scores lately. He did some solid scores for The Impossible, Mama, and a few others. Many of these have been released by smaller labels.
Toru Takemitsu One of the greatest composers of the 20th century, and with around 90 film scores to his credit in addition to a large and influential body of concert work. His film scores are often a lot more accessible than his modernist concert works, and vary wildly in style. He is one of Elliot Goldenthal's biggest influences. These are among his best scores:
Here's the complete score to Glowing Autumn, one of Takemitsu's loveliest:
His expanded score to Rising Sun was just released by Kritzerland, wink wink
Kenji Kawai Mamoru Oshii's composer of choice, with a very distinctive, endlessly inventive sound. His science fiction and horror scores are among the best of the genre from any country.
Byeong Woo Lee Brilliant South Korean composer and classical concert guitarist most known for his work on the international hit A Tale of Two Sisters (later remade in America as The Uninvited) and his collaborations with autuer Bong Joon-ho (the upcoming Snowpiercer, The Host, Mother). His score for Mother is my personal favorite, with his usual mix of folk-ish guitar tunes and heartwrenching string passages.
Not knowing where you are "at" musically speaking, recommendations can be all over the map without any sort of stylizations with which to anchor this vast area into specific territory.
Thank you, all, for your posts thus far. They've been helpful and informative. I was deliberately vague with my original post because I want the replies to be as broad as possible so they could impact a larger potential audience.
The post I quoted above made me evaluate where I thought I was at, musically speaking, and I would have to say that I am a newbie to symphonic music. I began listening to Romantic-era and later symphonic works and operas 4 years ago, which is how and when I also began listening to film scores. I have a list of the film score composers that I have purchased in that time frame below (in first-name alphabetical order). Some of them I have quite a few titles with and some only 1. I enjoy all of them and it has been posts on this board that have helped me grow outside of my comfort zones.
Alan Silvestri, Alex North, Alexandre Desplat, Basil Poledouris, Brian Tyler, Bronislau Kaper, Bruce Broughton, Christopher Young, Cliff Eidelman, Clint Mansell, Danny Elfman, Dave Grusin, David Arnold, David Raksin, Dennis McCarthy, Dimitri Tiomkin, Don Davis, Dust Brothers, Elliot Goldenthal, Elmer Bernstein, Ennio Morricone, Erich Korngold, Franz Waxman, Fred Karlin, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Kraemer, Joel McNeely, John Barry, John Ottman, John Powell, John Scott, John Williams, Leonard Rosenman, Michael Giacchino, Miklós Rózsa, Philip Glass, Ron Jones, Roy Budd, Russell Garcia, Shirley Walker, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Wojciech Kilar
It's very gratifying to read that you enjoy the music from all the composers you've listed above. You have a wide spread from "Golden Age" to present day. This implies that you are open-minded towards the 1950s as much as the 21st century (as well as all the decades that are in between).
There's still more yet to explore. For example, while you've gotten Waxman & Kaper so far, you apparently don't have (yet) any Friedhofer or Amfitheatrof. (and the post above mentions some current names who are also absent).
Your soundtrack inventory appears to be from only Holywood/English language films, though. I hope the input from the others above & myself will spur interest into international cinema.
There's no Maurice Jarre or Georges Delerue or Michel Legrand, let alone "lesser-known" guys like Jacques Loussier or Jean Prodromides or Michel Magne.
Perhaps my threads on Prodromides (or Georges Garvarentz) might interest you in some French soundtracks, especially ones that have never been distributed in English-speaking territories:
I am open to all periods of film scores, as I hope others are too. Financial limitations force me to scrutinize my purchases. Threads such as this provide me with a good set of initial recommendations that help prioritize future spending.
One of the ways I was vague with my initial post was with the definition of "lesser known." To some who have had this hobby for less time than me or do not research other composers may find that many of the composers on my list fall into the lesser-known category. So, please respond accordingly and mention some that I may know but that others who are newer than I may not. I'll try and do the same, too.
