I'm no Phillip Glass fan, either...but I, too, thought his soundtrack for "The Hours" worked well with the movie. (I wasn't surprised at its Oscar nomination.)

In fact, after grudgingly coming to this conclusion, I started paying close attention to see if I could tell why this soundtrack felt so musical when I find most other Glass music almost annoying.

My take was this: Two things made it work. The musicians...and the mix.

One thing I find annoying about some of the Glass I've heard is that the dynamics are almost mechanical. And the recordings tend to sound sterile to me. I thought the pianist and string players brought a great deal of musicality to the score. Also, it was recorded at Abbey Road, and Jonathan Allen's beautiful, lush mix made the music wrap around the story. (I admit a bias, here. I've had the privilege of working with Jonathan once. And I wasn't surprised when I saw his name in the closing credits.)

This score...and 'Kundun'...could almost make me like Phillip Glass.

Almost.

Fred Story

Phillip Glass is responsible for one of the worst film scores in the history of filmmaking: the "New Score" to the Universal "Dracula" which is first of all a film that had no score. So we are dealing with tampering to begin with. But this atrocity has to be heard to be believed. It has absolutely nothing to do with the film at any point, and drones on and on incredibly irritatingly with no reference to what is happening on the screen. It is like music composed by a chimp.

Another example of Glass's prententiousness: putting his grubby mitts all over Jean Cocteau's and George Auric's masterpiece of film and music ""Beauty and the Beast." The arrogant Glass had the gall to erase the beautiful impressionist soundtrack by Auric, and replace it with his own moronic droning which he calls music.

Why this person is so acclaimed is one of the anomalies of modern music.

William,

Now quit holding back and tell us what you really think.

Didn't Phillip Glass score Hamburger Hill? I think he almost pulled it off but I recall the music drawing me away from the film quite a bit.

Paul,

I love Morricone's great the score to The Untouchables. It's so funky (Main Tile) with that oboe ostinato and snare with brushes etc. It really is one of the great modern scores. Highly appropriate, evocative of the time, and highly original. Few film composers can make such a personal statement with no musical compromise and satisfy the requirements of a film so perfectly. Very very few. The guy's a giant.

Dave Connor

I'm not sure if it really was Glass for "Hamburger Hill", but I do distinctly remember some awful hard rock music right at the end, when they finally take the hill. Totally drew the attention away from what should have been a climactic point in the film. The sadness, loss and pain of an after battle scene is in complete oposition with the music that was applied. Bizzare, innapropriate, and definitely a bad decision.

Hmm, it's pretty easy to criticise when you are a young composer like me [:)] I'd better shut up and try and avoid making terrible music myself!

Did anybody see Inarritus "21 grams". Saw it yesterday. Probably not one the finest film scores out there but I was just melting away because of the nice use of the bandoneon. It´s just such a beautiful instrument...... sigh...
(Composer is Argentinian Gustavo Santaolalla.)
I saw Inarritus first film "Amores perros" in Istanbul, very strange experience.... a mexican-spanish movie with english subtitles surrounded by a turkish audience ... and I loved it! I´m very happy that we have a director like him.
He actually was a famous DJ before he made films. He earned so much money with DJ´ing that he once decided to spend the money on a film....

"I'd better shut up and try and avoid making terrible music myself!"

Leon, that's a good attitude - I should should probably try to do the same. When I see these composers though, that are laughing all the way to the bank, it is difficult. Especially when I'm crying all the way to the bank.

William,

At least you're going to the bank: I cry at home.

Dave

@Leon Willett said:

Hmm, it's pretty easy to criticise when you are a young composer like me [[:)]] I'd better shut up and try and avoid making terrible music myself!

Leon,

Don't worry about any of that! These people aren't bloody Gods and their music is not written in tablets of stone. Young composer aye? Write some terrible music; I do all the time. Does you the power of good. Now and again, you get lucky and write something half decent, just like most of the named filmscore writers.

Dave,

Yes. The beginning music to The Untouchables is definately 'funky' with those those oboes playing chords in an ostinato fashion. Very original. The music that comes in the first time we meet Al Capone is so unexpected and dead right. Very clever. Youv'e got to be top of the tree to write that stuff.

Bill

Do you know, I know absolutely nothing about Phillip Glass. Is he a minimalist type of writer? Where does he come from and is he still alive?

Mathis

I like the sound of the Bandeon. I think it was used years ago for the theme to Captain Pugwash. I can hear laughter, but actually that was a really good piece of music. If it wasn't a Bandeon, then it sounded a lot like one. Only I can talk about Capatain Pugwash on this forum and get away with it. [[:)]]

Which seamlessly [8-)] brings me onto........

Anyone heard the score to Master and Commander yet? The so called 'incidental' music, not Bach and Vaughn Williams etc. I think it's very effective in the context of the storyline

Later (and Bests)

Paul

@vinco said:

Philip Glass?Vincent

Hi Vincent

If you like this music, well thats the main thing. If it gives you inspiration, then thats got to be positive. Unfortunately, I haven't seen The Hours and am not familiar with this composers work. I will look out for it and come back to it another time. Is that the film about the Bloomsbury Set?

PaulR

The Hours was great. And I love Philip Glass. Although if the director lets him have free reign he can destroy a film. The best is when the director is highly in control of him. Like Hamburger Hill, or The Truman Show. But NOT Kundun.

Evan Evans

Paul is right - if you write something lousy, that's great. Because the next thing can be better. If you write nothing because it's not good enough - there is no next thing. You're still getting to the first thing.

Any serious artist should never worry about quality. He should just create - the hell with quality. You'll deal with it when you can - when you have that luxury.

It really bugged me when somebody was ragging on Evan for the quality of the films he scores. Jeez! No composer can control that. He can only fulfill his end of the bargain. And continue working - that's the important thing. Keep writing! Or creating - however you do it.

@William said:

It really bugged me when somebody was ragging on Evan for the quality of the films he scores. Jeez! No composer can control that. He can only fulfill his end of the bargain.

I agree. I remember that and thought it was piss poor.

Paul, you mean that?

http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/pugwash/pugwash.wav">http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/pugwash/pugwash.wav

That´s cute [:D]

(but not a bandoneon, b.t.w.)

@William said:

Any serious artist should never worry about quality. He should just create - the hell with quality. You'll deal with it when you can - when you have that luxury.

Agreed. And one more tip: Do small projects but finish them!
Don´t start with one unfinished symphony after the other.

I have a large piece of paper pinned up on my wall, reading 7/10 in big black letters. That is the score I must feel I reach in terms of quality, before moving on.

This is the only way I can ever leave one bar alone, and move on to the next. My nature is to endlessly seek 10/10, and I never get there. I can go weeks without finishing anything unless I settle for what I regard as 7/10.

So thats my new religion: 7/10 [[:|]]

7 out of 10 - that is probably a good approach. Also I agree on finishing small projects. I find deadlines helpful, becauses otherwise I have problems in this area - not getting things done if they are independent of a timeframe like a CD of original music, etc. This can be very disturbing because it is like energy that has gone nowhere. You have to finish projects with some efficiency even if they are not on a strict deadline.

@mathis said:

Paul, you mean that?

Oh! you great bloke! I haven't heard that for years! How on earth did you find it. Amazing! Yes, I mean that. I wish I'd written it I can tell you. To hear that after the day I've had today (I fell off a ladder) was therapy of the first order.

Good man! [:D]

Bests

Paul

@PaulR said:

How on earth did you find it. Amazing!

Well, these are my business secrets.... [[;)]] , nooo, just a quick google.
What made you climb up the ladder?
(glad you´re not hurt too serious!)


William, I think it was a post of yours mentioning Philippe Sarde. One of his soundtracks is currently running here (Les voleurs) and I´m very moved. I´m not totally sure what the instrumentation is, it´s a string quartett, but sometimes I think there´s a Bass added. Does anybody know?

Good night, folks,
- M

@mathis said:

[What made you climb up the ladder?
(glad you´re not hurt too serious!)

Well, as it's my birthday today and as a little bit of light relief for the lads from all this music, I was painting the house as a matter of fact. I was about 13 feet up and was thinking of something else and just stepped out into space. The few nanno seconds before I landed, I went Arrrrgghhh and my wife came running round the corner, saw that I was Ok and started laughing. My fall was broken by a fortunately placed large rhoddodendron bush and her laughter turned to annoyance when she realized the rhoddodendron was completely destroyed. Plus the paint, very thick masonry paint, landed all over me. Munched up shoulder and cuts and bruises so thanks for your concern, but my self-esteem is irrevocably damaged. [:O]ops:

This morning, my beautifully painted back wall of the house, had a low-level crap attack by a bunch of wood pigeons as I stood there admiring it. [:'(]

If I had been allowed to get a Huf Haus, none of this would have happened. And don't expext little treats like this on a regular basis btw.

Bests

Paul

Multiple levels of LOL!!!!!

[:)]

LOL

LOL

LOL

Evan Evans