Sicario is a complex film. It’s frankly a horse pill to be swallowing as the first of five films nominated for the 2016 Academy Awards, at least for an orchestration review. Firstly, I just want to say right here that I don’t accept the narrow view of Mexico that the film portrays – a horrific…
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A lot of people, including fairly-well trained musicians, don’t understand John Williams’ approach – or perhaps it would be better to say that they think they do, and typify their misconceptions with a clichéd interpretation of what his music sounds like. And that’s because so few people know how to really listen to what’s going…
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There’s no denying that Williams has a settled approach to scoring trumpets, particularly for his Star Wars cues. While it’s been criticised, I feel that some of this is simply because trumpets stand out. It’s impossible not to notice them, so any tried-and-true approach may feel grating at times. The new soundtrack for The Force…
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In early 2015, a momentous decision was made that would deeply affect the character of the upcoming blockbuster-to-end-all-blockbusters, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. By mid-March, John Williams went public with an extremely diplomatic announcement: “I’ve had the privilege of working with the very best musicians in both the U.K. and the U.S. The London Symphony…
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We orchestrators and composers are a specialised lot, as far a movie fandom is concerned. We love certain films with a passion, for their composers as much as (or more than) how well they’re scripted, directed, and acted. We can get passionately twisted over such issues as who orchestrated what, or whether a great film…
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Granada is subtitled “Serenata” – in other words, a serenade. For the first movement of his very successful Suite Española no. 1, Albeniz chose a work that was immediately evocative of Spanish elements, for both his local audience and the mainstream Western concert music listener. Of course, as a serenade, those elements are obviously a…
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I’m witnessing two contrary reactions as members of the Orchestration Online community start to report back from their viewing of the recently-released Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. One reaction claims that it’s pretty much the same as all the other films. The other says that it’s different, but the new themes aren’t that…
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Spoiler warning: discussions about character roles nearly everyone already knows from watching the previews, but no plot reveals. “Will someone get this big walking carpet of my way?” The year was 1978, and this was my 16-year-old girlfriend’s favourite line from the recently-released Star Wars (now titled “A New Hope”). Like so many young women…
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The Orchestration Online Facebook group is a great place for developing composers to share the works-in-progress and get constructive feedback. However, we do have a problem. For many more experienced members like myself, who may be expected to comment from the perspective of a teacher and/or a professional, it can be daunting to have several very long,…
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(Tip no. 68 from “100 Orchestration Tips,” Part 4: Harp) Left hand multiple harmonics are only practical up to around middle C. Higher than that, the hand position prevents them from speaking with ease. This is a tip that I’ve not seen in ANY orchestration manual anywhere, period. Most manuals tell you that the right…
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