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I see the point you're making - it's fair, though quite subtle, especially since JNH doesn't always use the elements you describe.
No of course JNH doesn't always use the rock instruments with orchestra, but at least he used to do it a lot in the 90s, and I mostly enjoyed that. And he does it more than Williams.......
I like “The Fugitive” which has some of what you’re describing, and I like “Waterworld” but I’m wondering if you like that one too? “Waterworld” is basically a Williams-orchestra score, even down to the use of non-traditional instruments and subtle use of synths to sweeten parts of the orchestra.
I’m wondering too if you’re a fan of Goldsmith? He has a lot of scores that use the orchestra non-traditionally and are filled with synths. And to check against - did you like Shore’s “Lord of the Rings”? Another traditional use of orchestra albeit with quite an expanded inclusion of instruments from around the world.
I like the swimming cue in Waterworld. But that's electronic.
I like Goldsmith more than Williams, but not a big fan.
Didn't really like LOTR.
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I see the point you're making - it's fair, though quite subtle, especially since JNH doesn't always use the elements you describe.
No of course JNH doesn't always use the rock instruments with orchestra, but at least he used to do it a lot in the 90s, and I mostly enjoyed that. And he does it more than Williams.......
I like “The Fugitive” which has some of what you’re describing, and I like “Waterworld” but I’m wondering if you like that one too? “Waterworld” is basically a Williams-orchestra score, even down to the use of non-traditional instruments and subtle use of synths to sweeten parts of the orchestra.
I’m wondering too if you’re a fan of Goldsmith? He has a lot of scores that use the orchestra non-traditionally and are filled with synths. And to check against - did you like Shore’s “Lord of the Rings”? Another traditional use of orchestra albeit with quite an expanded inclusion of instruments from around the world.
I like the swimming cue in Waterworld. But that's electronic.
I like Goldsmith more than Williams, but not a big fan.
Didn't really like LOTR.
That makes sense then, so it seems like for you it’s just more the traditional use of the orchestra that doesn’t appeal to you, which is consistent across all the other composers.
Goldsmith does tend to be more experimental than Williams but not too much more.
And Lord of the Rings, while having an extremely diverse and unique blend of instruments is still presented very formally / traditionally.
It’s funny you mentioned the “Swimming” cue from “Waterworld” because I was also thinking of that as a standout cue that would sound very different from Williams since I think it uses a lot of synths and percussion that isn’t specially motivated by the film itself (like Memoirs of a Geisha’s “unique” instrumentation is motivated by the culture/setting).
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I like Goldsmith more than Williams, but not a big fan.
Didn't really like LOTR.
Ok. Good luck.
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I would surmise that most people post from their phones nowadays rather than from their computer which tends to affect the length and detail of their responses.
It’s interesting to revisit this thread after all these years. I’ve changed my perspective a little since my initial posts back in 2004. I listen to less Williams these days and more Goldsmith. Not that I dislike Williams’ music- in fact, I just watched Nixon the other evening for the first time in ages and I love the score. It’s a bit of an underrated gem. The same goes for Sleepers. Of course, I continue to enjoy Jaws, Jaws 2, Dracula, The Fury, Superman, ANH and ESB, etc. And Accidental Tourist quite a lot actually. But a good portion of his work goes unlistened to these days in favor of other composers. Additionally, I’ve been studying Williams Walton and I’m a little surprised by the impact of his music/style on Williams’ output. Nothing too egregious but there are obvious similarities.
Dan mentioned Williams’ scoring process quite a few years ago. I would agree to a point, at least for some of his scores. Take the Helicopter Rescue from Superman (my all-time favorite score btw); it’s a very literal application of Music to events. After the initial rescue of Lois, it breaks into a quote from the Love Theme then jarringly recaps to that tense brass/string figure as the helicopter breaks loose and plunges toward them. Then it’s a bold statement of the Superman theme. It’s a bit knee-jerk in a way. Musically it’s all quite delightful of course and who knows if Donner asked Williams to slide in the love theme amidst the chaos of the rescue…
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whereas the Star Wars prequels sometimes ignore possible theme usages at crucial moments or avoid bringing back themes that would tie the stories together.
Well written plots and coherent (and interesting) storylines would probably help. Those prequels ain't exactly good.
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I say every artist has a good ten years in them. Age, complacency, and repressiveness factors in. The "fire" inside diminishes after awhile, its just human nature. That's not to say an artist doesn't do anything good ever again, just that the "golden years" are not finite.
Probably true. Nevertheless, Mr. Williams has produced remarkable works in every decade of his career, including the last one. Who else but Mr. Williams, nearly 80 years at the time, could write a score as sprightly, nimble and sophisticated as The Adventures of Tintin? That would have been a feat for a man half his age.
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As a style / sound, it's never appealed to me much. I find that of course they're popular and recognizable, but they don't give me that sense of nostalgia or resonate with me personally. I "know" the Jurassic Park theme, but I don't "care" about it, that sort of thing.
If you’d be willing to elaborate, I am curious to learn a bit more specifically what your perspective is.
Have you seen the movies with the scores in them or just listened to them as standalone scores?
How would you describe Williams’ style/sound and is it different from other composers?
What scores would you say give you a sense of nostalgia / resonate with you?
I similarly asked “First Breath” a lot of different questions and was able to reach a helpful understanding of their perspective.
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