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Author	Topic: Concert Works by Film Composers

SFT Standard Userer	Hi, everyone! So - what is your favourite classical piece by a film composer? I don´t know that many myself, but a short list I CAN make: 1. Wuthering Heights (opera) Bernard Herrmann 2. Symphony No. 1 - Bernard Herrmann 3. Clarinet Quintet - Bernard Herrmann 4. String Quartet "Echoes" - Bernard Herrmann 5. Flute Concerto - John Williams 6. Violin Concerto - John Williams I guess you can see I only have a limited number of concert works by film composers. I have most of what Herrmann wrote for the concert hall, but not that much of William´s work, though I know he´s written much music in that medium. Any recommendations? SFT
posted 09-15-2001 12:47 AM PT (US)

Timmer Standard Userer	Yep I have recommendations... Quite simply... ANYTHING BY MALCOLM ARNOLD!
posted 09-15-2001 04:12 AM PT (US)

James Standard Userer	FIREWORKS by Jerry Goldsmith BLEEDING PARTICLES by Don Davis
posted 09-19-2001 02:29 PM PT (US)

JJH Standard Userer	The Song of Terezin by Franz Waxman Fire, Water, Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio, Elliot Goldenthal second that Malcolm Arnold recommendation
posted 09-19-2001 11:47 PM PT (US)

wistiti Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Timmer: Yep I have recommendations... Quite simply... ANYTHING BY MALCOLM ARNOLD! hmmm... I'm not sure that counts. Herrmann and Williams are primarily film composers. Though they might be classicaly trained, like Steiner, Korngold or Rozsa, I think they are in a separate catagory. Arnold is a classical composer, first and foremost. In the same way that I would exclude Shostakovich, Copland and Prokofiev from this category/thread/topic, I would also exclude Arnold, Walton, Alwyn, and Bliss. I regard those people as being classical composers who ventured into film scoring. Not film composers who ventured into classical music. Though I don't know what to make of Nino Rota. He is more than anything, a classical composer who ended up scoring films because he could not live on the income generated by his classical music which is slowly being rediscovered. Muti conducted a Sony Classical album of Rota's LaStrada ballet adapted from the film score, and included his Concerto for Strings. EMI recently put out a Rota classical music disc (again conducted by Muti) and Chandos has released a third or fourth Rota album (Concertos for Cello 1 and 2) follwing their previous releases of Rota's chamber/piano music repertoire.
posted 09-21-2001 10:16 AM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Standard Userer	That's a difficult point, actually. Prokofiev is in the classical section of my collection, though the first CDs I had by him were the 2CD "Film Music" set. On the other hand, Philip Glass has his place in the film score section. Why? Don't know. Don't ask me, because I might end up not knowing if I should leave them where they are or move them to the other section. NP: Alan Silvestri: The Back to the Future Trilogy (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, John Debney)
posted 09-21-2001 02:32 PM PT (US)

Timmer Standard Userer	Wistiti, Arnold has written about 80, that's EIGHTY film scores, I think that qualifies him very well as a composer of film don't you think?! Only in recent times has he begun to be accepted in the snotty world of Classical critique. Arnold is one of the finest living composers on the planet.
posted 09-22-2001 06:50 AM PT (US)

wistiti Standard Userer	William Alwyn has written just as many. Quantity is not the issue. I do not believe having said that Arnold was not a film composer. It's just that I do not consider him to be primarily a film composer. I see him much more as a classical composer. [Message edited by wistiti on 09-22-2001]
posted 09-22-2001 01:51 PM PT (US)

JJH Standard Userer	whether he writes for film, theater, TV, or the concert hall matters not. A composer's a composer. Period. NP -- Bite the Bullett, North
posted 09-22-2001 03:40 PM PT (US)

Timmer Standard Userer	I'll drink to that JJ, fancy a pint Wistiti?
posted 09-22-2001 07:06 PM PT (US)

wistiti Standard Userer	Any time. Would that be a UK pint? Or a US pint?
posted 09-22-2001 07:10 PM PT (US)

JJH Standard Userer	a pint's a pint dammit! Guiness for everyone! (my preference)
posted 09-23-2001 12:42 AM PT (US)

SFT Standard Userer	Some good points here - and the question is: how can you define someone as either a "filmcomposer" or a "classical composer"? Bernard Herrmann himself did not like the term filmcomposer, and to him it made no difference what you compose for - he thought of himself rather as "a composer who sometimes wrote for film." Also, you could ask the question: what is Danny Elfman? A "filmcomposer" or a "rock-artist"? Depends on your point of view...to me he´s primarily a "composer". And with the upcomming ballet, he´ll be venturing into the classical realm aswell. SFT NP: Rumanian Folkdances, Bela Bartok [Message edited by SFT on 09-23-2001]
posted 09-23-2001 12:54 AM PT (US)

Timmer Standard Userer	Hey Wistiti, is there a difference between a UK and a US pint? JJ, Guiness never taste as good unless you drink it in Ireland (...at least in my experience )...do they DO a good Guiness in the States? Food in a glass...'yum'! Iron me up so you will, lovely stuff so it is
posted 09-23-2001 06:06 PM PT (US)

Guenther Koegebehn Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Timmer: Wistiti, Arnold has written about 80, that's EIGHTY film scores, I think that qualifies him very well as a composer of film don't you think?! Only in recent times has he begun to be accepted in the snotty world of Classical critique. Arnold is one of the finest living composers on the planet. <nitpickmode on> Arnold wrote 62 motion picture scores and was involved in 8 others as either conductor or orchestrator or co-composer or had his work rejected (once or twice if you count Battle of Britain) He scored aprox. 50 documentaries (exact number is not known) and a few radio and TV shows. <nitpickmode off> I agree on the finest composers
posted 09-24-2001 03:08 PM PT (US)

JJH Standard Userer	quote: do they DO a good Guiness in the States What constitutes a BAD Guiness?
posted 09-25-2001 01:02 AM PT (US)

Hector J. Guzman Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Timmer: Arnold is one of the finest living composers on the planet. I thought Arnold was dead. NP. Holst "Saturn - the Bringer of Old Age" from The Planets Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Charles Dutoit
posted 09-10-2003 11:54 PM PT (US)

Graham Watt Standard Userer	Hector, I hadn't heard that Malcolm Arnold had died. I think I'd have remembered if he had, though he was looking rather shakey in the last photos I saw of him (Soundtrack Magazine Vol. 21 No. 81, Spring 2002 - great quality photos by the way, Malcolm Arnold in Dusseldorf)
posted 09-11-2003 01:50 PM PT (US)

Timmer Standard Userer	Alive so he is!
posted 09-11-2003 06:07 PM PT (US)

Guenther Koegebehn Standard Userer	Yes, Malcolm is still with us. BTW he even has a homepage: http://www.malcolmarnold.co.uk
posted 09-16-2003 03:22 AM PT (US)

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