Not sure if there was already a topic about this...one forgets after the years . But what are /is the biggest orchestra and choruses used in filmscoring. Is it QUEST FOR FIRE ?
Not sure if there was already a topic about this...one forgets after the years . But what are /is the biggest orchestra and choruses used in filmscoring. Is it QUEST FOR FIRE ?[/endquot
QUEST I think combines 2 (!) Orchestras and chorus..LONDON SYMPHONY and LONDON PHILHARMONICS.......so...I guess Tiomkin´s FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE is also eligeble for a contender...dont know
I'm sure I read (in the booklet notes probably) that BED OF ROSES by Michael Convertino featured something like 200 string players for the massive sound he wanted.
QUEST I think combines 2 (!) Orchestras and chorus..LONDON SYMPHONY and LONDON PHILHARMONICS.......
Although Quest for Fire credited the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, it doesn't mean both orchestras were combined. Rather, some sessions were handled by the LSO, and others by the LPO.
There's been one or two threads for sure; I know I posted in one years ago.
One thing to note: a large number of players doesn't mean they are all necessarily there at the same time playing. A large orchestra like that end up only using a standard number of most cues, with players for certain cues or additional players doubling up on others.
QUEST I think combines 2 (!) Orchestras and chorus..LONDON SYMPHONY and LONDON PHILHARMONICS.......
Although Quest for Fire credited the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, it doesn't mean both orchestras were combined. Rather, some sessions were handled by the LSO, and others by the LPO.
some of the largest ensembles assembled were to perform Varese's concert works. one of his pieces required 17 percussionists and huge orchestral resources to achieve the sound textures he wanted.
But as Justin says, large groups are not meant for a large sound. Usually, it's unique chord voicings that require more of a particular orchestral choir. hence why Mahler's symphonies require such large resources. You can achieve plenty of weight with a standard 80 piece orchestra if you know how to orchestrate properly.
As of 1965-66, the biggest "aggregation" of musicians was on The Hallelujah Trail. (As described by the composer himself on a disc used for radio promotional purposes at the time). By "aggregation" he meant, of course, orchestra and chorus combined, so not sure if this counts, or if it has been overtaken in the years since...
Amusing question, but somewhat beside the point for film music. The gargantuan imaginings of Berlioz and Mahler had to do with filling an acoustical space with sound. Recordings mostly annihilate space. They achieve their effects by other means. Korngold achieved spectacular results with probably no more than fifty musicians.
Also, the extra instruments used by the late Romantics weren't there just to make a bigger sound. When there are eight horns, they seldom just play together. Sometimes there are divisi parts. Sometimes the extra musicians serve to give the first player a rest. Obviously the last issue is irrelevant in recording sessions.
Also, the extra instruments used by the late Romantics weren't there just to make a bigger sound. When there are eight horns, they seldom just play together. Sometimes there are divisi parts. Sometimes the extra musicians serve to give the first player a rest. Obviously the last issue is irrelevant in recording sessions.
Indeed. Mahler's 8th Symphony is one of the orchestral works requiring very large forces (not just a large orchestra, but several choirs and vocalists, organ, etc.), yet many passages of the music are rather quiet (though there are some loud ones for sure). Likewise Schönberg's Gurre-Lieder, which also require a large orchestra, but it is not per se a "loud" composition.
Wasn't Back To The Future one of the biggest assembled at the time?
From the Intrada booklet.... "It's exciting to be in a room and hear all these people playing together - 98 people! I've been told it's the largest orchestra ever assembled in the history of Universal pictures."
I'm sure I've also read it was 101 players. But no idea where I saw that number.
