This CD single-handedly takes the Nr.1 spot for best score of the year 2004 for me. A creepy yet melancholy atmosphere of dread and solitude, a perfect and varied orchestration with the unique and surreal sounding theremin, some cues in the most effective Herrmann vein of vibraphone and flutes over harsh strings.
Composer Roque Banos didn't use an overly large orchestra, proving another point I've noticed over the years: the smaller the orchestra, the richer and more colorful the orchestration. A brilliant and most listenable score, a gem.
Every serious film music fan should have this CD, honestly.
Composer Roque Banos didn't use an overly large orchestra, proving another point I've noticed over the years: the smaller the orchestra, the richer and more colorful the orchestration.
This is off course nonsense.
Richness and color of music is dictated more by the talent and skill of the composer then by the size of his orchestra.
Yes, Stefan, but you can't fail to notice that most composers today are not up to the standards of decades or even centuries ago reg. orchestration, and when they get the memo from the producer, "Just make it sound BIG!", most times they do just that. Composers using smaller ensembles tend to get a little more freedom from their directors because also the film projects tend to be more "refined" or arthouse-like than your average Bruckheimer extravaganza, so the music also calls for more "refinement".
So somehow smaller projects and musical refinement seem to go hand in hand to a degree, don't you think? (of course there are exceptions both ways!)
That is probably why people like Gabriel Yared don't get assigned to ARMAGEDDON 2 (or they refuse in the first place!). Writing for 120 players AND make it rich and varied in orchestration is scarce these days (and looking at the TROY disaster just seems to prove my point - it's apparently not even wanted on the REALLY big screen). I've heard many a 120 player score with very little orchestrational refinement, but seldom a 40 or 50 player one that didn't have at least some of it.
Just listening to the 'Orpheus Chamber orchestra' playing the music of Stravinsky. Stravinsky is no loser but the music doesn't sound big. A smaller orchestra sounds ... smaller, no matter who the composer is.
-------------------- Alex Cremers - looking forward to see and hear 'The Machinist'.
Uh, we've already been through this. You're selling it on eBay, and charging in British pounds, or currency equivalent to $34.00 U.S., plus shipping...
Well, now you know what we in the UK have had to put up with for so long...
If you order it via discoweb's UK branch (.co.uk), it's £9.07 + £3.49 shipping to the Rest of the World. That's about $23-$24.
Richard and Matt, thanks for the info.
At this price (and after hearing a very Bernard Herrmann/"Twilight-Zone-ish" sound clip on the site), I placed my order this morning. Can't wait to hear the whole thing!
I also am very impressed by the cue that underscores the Flash site. Very Herrmannesque. Also a very fluid piece on its own. Hope someone distributes this in North America at some point.
