SONY CLASSICAL RELEASES SCORE SOUNDTRACK OF THE NEW JAMES BOND FILM, SKYFALL™ ORIGINAL MUSIC BY THOMAS NEWMAN

A SUPERB ADDITION TO A 50-YEAR BOND TRADITION
AVAILABLE ON NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Sony Classical announces the release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of SKYFALL™ on November 6, 2012, consisting of original music written by leading film composer Thomas Newman. From Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, the film is the 23rd James Bond adventure and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise.
SKYFALL™ also marks the debut of distinguished director Sam Mendes in the James Bond franchise. Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in SKYFALL™, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time.  In SKYFALL™, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her.   As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. The film is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan.
Composer Thomas Newman’s uniquely expressive musical style fits perfectly with the humor and slickness of a Bond movie. His expressive range goes from thunderous and dramatic for the many action sequences to broodingly atmospheric for scenes in which the dark side of the story, marked by mistrust and fear of betrayal, is at the forefront. With its big orchestral effects, this music is equal to the spectacular events that the movie portrays.
Starting with American Beauty in 1999, Thomas Newman has collaborated on all but one of Mendes’ films. One of the most respected composers in the film  business, he has scored more than fifty feature films and has been nominated for ten Academy Awards®, nine times in the category Best Original Score and once for Best Original Song. He has won a BAFTA, two Grammys and an Emmy, and has also been nominated for a Golden Globe. Born in Los Angeles, he comes from a prominent Hollywood musical dynasty: his father Alfred Newman, brother David, sister Maria and uncle Lionel all composed music for the movies, and his cousin is the noted singer-songwriter and film composer Randy Newman.
Newman’s first major work in movies was in 1984 for Reckless. He composed the scores for Erin Brockovich and The Good German for director Steven Soderbergh, as well as for such acclaimed films as Finding Nemo, The Player, The Shawshank Redemption, Wall-E, The Help and The Horse Whisperer. Recent work includes the scores, also released by Sony Classical, of The Iron Lady and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Newman has composed for television, including the HBO miniseries Angels In America, and the theme for Six Feet Under, which won him Grammys for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Arrangement. He also has been commissioned to write orchestral concert music.
About Albert R. Broccoli’s Eon Productions
EON Productions Limited and Danjaq LLC are wholly owned and controlled by the Broccoli/Wilson family. Danjaq is the US based company that co-owns, with MGM, the copyright in the existing James Bond films and controls the right to produce future James Bond films as well as all worldwide merchandising.   EON Productions, an affiliate of Danjaq, is the UK based production company which makes the James Bond films.   The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-two films produced since 1962.  Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli succeeded Albert R ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and have produced some of the most successful Bond films ever including CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE. They are currently producing the 23rd film, SKYFALL.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and distribution of film and television content globally. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content. In addition, MGM has investments in domestic and international television channels, including MGM-branded channels. For more information, visit www.mgm.com<http://www.mgm.com>.
About Sony Pictures:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in 159 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/<http://www.sonypictures.com>
About Sony Classical:
Sony Classical is the label group in charge of classical music within Sony Music Entertainment, based in New York and Berlin and responsible for the international productions of Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, as well as a vast catalogue that goes back to Enrico Caruso. Sony Classical is the home of artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, Murray Perahia and Vittorio Grigolo, as well as containing the musical legacy of Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Arturo Toscanini and Leonard Bernstein. In the USA, Sony Classical is represented by the Sony Masterworks label group. For email updates and information please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Music from the Original Soundtrack (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

James Horner’s “The Amazing Spider-Man: Music from the Original Soundtrack” is not a soundtrack in which one track will stand out, but it is a soundtrack that is enjoyable when listened as a whole.  Beautiful music, wonderful piano playing and an emotional soundtrack worth recommending!

Image is courtesy of © 2012 Madison Gate Records, Inc.

TITLE: The Amazing Spider-Man: Music from the Original Soundtrack

LABEL: Sony Classical

DURATION: 1:16:53

RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2012

Main Title – Young Peter    1 of 20    4:55
Becoming Spider-Man    2 of 20    4:17
Playing Basketball    3 of 20    1:22
Hunting for Information    4 of 20
The Briefcase    5 of 20    3:15
The Spider Room – Rumble in the Subway    6 of 20    3:20
Secrets    7 of 20    2:30
The Equation    8 of 20    4:23
The Ganali Device    9 of 20    2:29
Ben’s Death    10 of 20    5:42
Metamorphosis    11 of 20    3:04
Rooftop Kiss    12 of 20    2:35
The Bridge    13 of 20    5:15
Peter’s Suspicions    14 of 20    3:02
Making a Silk Trap    15 of 20    2:52
Lizard at School!    16 of 20    2:58
Saving New York    17 of 20    7:52
Oscorp Tower    18 of 20    3:23
“I can’t see you anymore”    19 of 20    6:51
Promises – Spider-Man End Titles    20 of 20    4:53

While composer Danny Elfman was known for the work on the previous Spider-Man films, for “The Amazing Spider-Man”, with the reboot of the series and taking things onto a new direction.

From the look of Spider-Man, the talent, the overall feel of the superhero film but also its music.

So, what best than to feature of the most successful film composers out there to give a new musical feel for Marvel’s iconic character.

James Horner, known for his music on “Titanic”, “Avatar”, “Braveheart”, “Troy”, “The Karate Kid”, “A Beautiful Mind”, to name a few, had a pretty big task and that is to create a new style that was different from Danny Elfman’s work.

While the soundtrack was not as memorable, there are tracks that captivate you.

“Becoming Spider-Man” is an uplifting track with a good balance of orchestration and vocalists.  A song that showcases a young, naive Peter Parker.

“Playing Basketball” is another track that showcases the meek Peter Parker, with its playful use of horns.

Then you have the more haunting or emotional melodies such as “Secrets”,  the darker “Ben’s Death and the transitioning movements in “Metamorphosis”.

And then you have tracks that captivate you, such as the wonderful “The Ganali Device” which showcases James Horners piano playing,.

But you will also have the action-driven sequence  upbeat tracks such as “The Bridge”, “Lizard at School!”, “Saving New York” (which was an effective style of James Horner to use the piano in such a way).

For the most part, James Horner is a master in creating beautiful music, emotional music.  From his orchestral direction, his use of piano, voice utilization, the music for “The Amazing Spider-Man is original and manages to be different than Elfman’s “Spider-Man” compositions.

Similar to the film, the soundtrack for “The Amazing Spider-Man” is emotional and he builds upon each track that it begins to grow on you and you find yourself enjoying the soundtrack even more.

But I have to say that this is one of the most original soundtracks when it comes to how the piano is utilized.   But at the same time, aiming for beauty, aiming for emotion, there is not a score that  found that sticks out, a track that I found memorable.

If anything, “The Amazing Spider-Man: Music from the Original Soundtrack” is one of those soundtracks that you may want to listen to it as a whole, rather than listening to tracks independently.  It’s a different style of soundtrack, especially compared to other soundtracks that feature a heroic character which John Williams and Danny Elfman are both known for. In fact, it’s a bit different compared to other James Horner soundtracks as well.

In some way, I found a similarity to his older film “A Dangerous Mind” that featured beautiful music, but not one song that stood out.  And a soundtrack that I enjoyed as a whole, rather than listening to individual tracks.

But “The Amazing Spider-Man: Music from the Original Soundtrack” is a rewarding soundtrack, one that I found enjoyable to listen to.  I’m glad that James Horner was able to create a musical score different from other composers and aim for something outside of the box rather than sticking to an old formula used in superhero films.

“The Amazing Spider-Man: Music from the Original Soundtrack” is recommended!

 

The Iron Lady: Music from the Motion Picture (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“The Iron Lady: Music from the Motion Picture” is soundtrack that is well-composed and consistent for the most part of the soundtrack.  I loved the use of strings, brass and percussion throughout the entire soundtrack, although “Community Charge” and the sound of electric guitar churning, seemed a bit out of place.  But the addition of “Shall We Dance?”, “Casta Diva” and “Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846″ was a great addition to the soundtrack.  A good soundtrack overall.

TITLE: The Iron Lady: Music from the Motion Picture

LABEL: Sony Classical

DURATION: 54:42

RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2011

1. Soldiers of the Queen
2. MT
3. Grover’s Daughter
4. Grand Hotel
5. Swing Parliament
6. Eyelash
7. Shall We Dance? (from “The King & I”) – By Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon and Yul Bryner
8. Denis
9. The Great in Great Britain
10. Airey Neave
11. Discord and Harmony
12. The Twins
13. Nation of Shopkeepers
14. Fiscal Responsibility
15. Crisis of Confidence
16. Community Charge
17. Casta Diva [From "Norma"] by Maria Callas; Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala; Tullio Serafin
18. The Difficult Decisions
19. Exclusion Zone
20. Statecraft
21. Steady the Buffs
22. Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846

Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to1990 is best known for her strict conservative policies and her hard line against the trade unions which have earned her the nickname “The Iron Lady”.

While many who grew up during that time were familiar with her impact in politics and society, there are those who recognized her efforts of smashing the barriers for women.  A complex woman who is known for her virtue but a woman who also is know for making decisions that have angered some of her countrymen.

In 2011, the film “The Iron Lady” directed by Phyllida Lloyd (“Macbeath”, “Mamma Mia!”, “Gloriana”) and a screenplay written by Abi Morgan (“Shame”, “Tsunami: The Aftermath”, “Sex Traffic”) and starring Meryl Streep (“Kramer vs Kramer”, “Julie & Julia”, “The Devil Wears Prada”) and Jim Broadbent (“Gangs of New York”, “Moulin Rouge!”, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”).

The film has received positive reviews, including recognition for Meryl Streep’s performance as Margaret Thatcher.  “The Iron Lady” focuses on Margaret Thatcher’s life from the past and the 17 days leading up to the Falklands War in 1982.  An intimate portrait of the first and only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and one of the most famous and influential women of the 20th Century.The film focuses about power and the price that is paid for power.

To capture the general mood of Thatcher’s life and leadership as prime minister, the composer selected to create the music for the film is Thomas Newman (“Wall-E”, “The Shawshank Redemption”, “American Beauty”).

First let’s discuss the music not by Thomas Newman.  Included are “The Iron Lady: Music from the Motion Picture” begins with “Soldiers of the Queen Regimental March” performed by the Military Band of the Queen’s Regiment.  A short and live performance.  Also included are “Shall We Dance?”, the classic song from the film “The King & I” performed by Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner.  The opera track “Casta Diva” from “Norma” which is performed by Maria Callas, Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala and Tullio Serafin.  The soundtrack concludes with a beautiful piano melody by Olli Mustonen titled “Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846).

As for the music by Thomas Newman, you have a range of orchestral and synth created music.  Many start out towards the short duration under a minute long but then you get beautiful and powerful music such as the strings-driven track “Swing Parliament”, the lively “The Great in Great Britain” and the brass-driven track of “Discord and Harmony”.

And of course, you get into tracks that show the more darker side of Thatcher’s life from “Crisis in Confidence” featuring the percussion and brass heavy track, the rock n’ roll “Community Charge” (which seemed a bit out of place in the entire soundtrack), the looming slow to mid-tempo synth and percussion track “Exclusion Zone” and return to strings with “Statecraft” and “Steady the Buffs”.

The CD soundtrack booklet comes with images from the film, production credits and track listing.

“The Iron Lady: Music from the Motion Picture” is soundtrack that is well-composed and consistent for the most part of the soundtrack.  I loved the use of strings, brass and percussion throughout the entire soundtrack, although “Community Charge” and the sound of electric guitar churning, seemed a bit out of place.  But the addition of “Shall We Dance?”, “Casta Diva” and “Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846″ was a great addition to the soundtrack and the songs that I listened to the most.

A good soundtrack overall.

My week with Marilyn: Music from the Motion Picture (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“My week with Marilyn: Music from the Motion Picture” features a delightful soundtrack with songs wonderfully composed by Conrade Pope, beautifully sung by Michelle Williams and beautiful piano playing by Lang Lang. 

TITLE: My week with Marilyn: Music from the Motion Picture

LABEL: Sony Classical

DURATION: 58:40

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011

1. Marilyn’s theme – Conrad Pope
2. ‘When love goes wrong, Nothin’ Goes Right’ & ‘Heat Wave’ – Michelle Williams
3. Colin Runs off to the the Circus – Conrad Pope
4. Colin Joins the Circus/Mr Jacobs – Conrad Pope
5. Driving through Pinewood – Lang Lang
6. Paparazzi – Conrad Pope
7. Colin and Vivian – Conrad Pope
8. Memories Are Made Of This – Dean Martin
9. Rushes – Conrad Pope
10. Lucy – Conrad Pope
11. Uno, Dos, Tres – La Tropicana Orchestra
12. Arthur and Marilyn – Conrad Pope
13. Marilyn Alone – Conrad Pope
14. Arthur’s Notebook – Conrad Pope
15. Vivian Screens Marilyn – Conrad Pope
16. The Getaway – Conrad Pope
17. You Stepped Out Of A Dream – Nat King Cole
18. Eton Schoolyard Conrad Pope
19. Autumn Leaves – Nat King Cole
20. Overdose – Conrad Pope
21. Colin’s Heartbreak – Conrad Pope
22. Colin and Marilyn – Conrad Pope
23. It’s a Wrap, I found a Dream – Michelle Williams
24. Such Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of – Conrad Pope
25. Remembering Marilyn – Conrad Pope
26. That Old Black Magic – Michelle Williams

One highly anticipated film to come out this winter is the British drama “My Week with Marilyn”, an adaptation of Colin Clark’s two books “The prince, the showgirl and me: the Colin Clark Diaries” (1995) and “My week with Marilyn” (2000).

Colin Clark worked as an assistant director on Laurence Olivier’s film “The Prince and the Showgirl” (1957), which starred Olivier and actress Marilyn Monroe.  Clark would write about his experience working on the film via a diary featured in the book.  During the time, Marilyn Monroe was recently married to playwright Arthur Miller.  But while everything was quite detailed in that book, one week is missing.

That one week was then written in Clark’s “My week with Marilyn” in which Colin Clark alleges to have had a relationship with the actress.

In the film adaptation, the film is directed by Simon Curtis (“Five Days”, “David Copperfield”) with a screenplay by Adrian Hodges (“David Copperfield”, “Primeval”, “The Lost World”) and would star actress Michelle Williams (“Dawson’s Creek”, “Brokeback Mountain”, “Shutter Island”) as Marilyn Monroe and Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Shepherd”, “Powder Blue”) as Colin Clark.

The music for the film is composed and conducted by Conrad Pope (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace), “Marilyn’s Theme” by Alexandre Desplat (“The King’s Speech”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″) and would feature piano soloist Lang Lang and also music featuring the vocals of Michelle Williams.

To imagine the context of what Colin Clark is writing about, it’s important to note that Clark’s diary showed how much he disliked Monroe, how critical he was about her Hollywood look, her work ethic and then of course, the nine days missing from his first book.  A week that he alleges to have had an intimate relationship with an already ailing Marilyn Monroe in Sept. 1957, Monroe would die in an accidental overdoes in 1962.

While debate will always continue if whether or not Colin Clark’s memoir is indeed factual (Clark passed away in 2002), so far many people who have viewed the film has received positive reviews from critics.

As for the soundtrack, after repeated listening of the tracks, my opinion of the music is positive as I felt this is one classy, smooth and entertaining album.

First, Michelle Williams who did a fantastic job as playing Marilyn Monroe, also does a remarkable job performing the tracks such as “When Love Goest Wrong, Nothing Goe’s Right” and “Heat Wave”, another surprising track is Williams rendition of “It’s a Wrap” and “I Found a Dream”.  A beautiful song featuring Williams vocals and Lang Lang’s piano playing.  And a surprise for me was to see William’s cover of “That Old Black Magic”.  After listening to the Louis Prima and Keely Smith version for so many decades, it was interesting to hear a sultrier version by Williams.

Other vocal tracks on this album include Dean Martin’s “Memories are Made of This” and Nat Cole King Trio’s “You Stepped Out of a Dream” and “Autumn Leaves”.   And the instrumental “Uno, Dos, Tres” by Tropicana.  These songs help build upon the believability of the film taking place in the late ’50s.

But it’s Conrad Pope’s compositions that are easy listening.  From its upbeat, adventurous track of “Colin Runs Off to the Circus”, the big band jazzy “Collin Joins the Circus/Mr. Jacobs” and “Eton Schoolyard” to the adventurous string-dominated “Colin and Vivian” to the gentle “Vivian Screens Marilyn”, and of course the more sadder tracks with “Overdose” and “Colin and Marilyn”.  So, there are a good number of tracks that showcase a variety of emotions from Colin Clark’s earlier years, to when he first meets Marilyn, becomes closer to Marilyn and later to reminisce of Marilyn.

Alexandre Desplat has one track which he composed which is “Marilyn’s Theme” featuring beautiful piano playing by Lang Lang.  Lang Lang would be featured in five more tracks which include the beautifully scored “Paparazzi”, the sadder “Marilyn Alone”, working with Michelle Williams for “It’s a Wrap, I found a Dream” and for the closing track instrumental track “Remembering Marilyn”.

Overall, “My week with Marilyn: Music from the Motion Picture” is a soundtrack that provides great balance in songs showcasing the sultry Marilyn Monroe (via Michelle Williams who does a great job with her vocals), the Dean Martin and Nat King Cole tracks were also welcomed additions, and the inclusion of Desplat and Lang Lang were great additions.  But for the most part, Conrad Pope did a wonderful job composing and scoring this film.

“My week with Marilyn: Music from the Motion Picture” features a delightful soundtrack with songs wonderfully composed by Conrade Pope, beautifully sung by Michelle Williams and beautiful piano playing by Lang Lang.

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A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” features beautiful, emotional music composed by Howard Shore (composer of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) and the performance by Lang Lang for Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll” is just the icing on the cake for this delightful soundtrack.  Recommended!

TITLE: A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

LABEL: Sony Classical/Howe Records

DURATION: 1:04:57

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2011

1. Burghölzli
2. Miss Spielrein
3. Galvanometer
4. Carriage
5. He’s Very Persuasive
6. Sabina
7. Otto Gross
8. A Boat with Red Sails
9. Siegfried
10. Freedom
11. End of the Affair
12. Letters
13. Confession
14. Risk My Authority
15. Vienna
16. Only One god
17. Something Unforgiveable
18. Reflection
19. Siegfried Idyll

From filmmaker David Cronenberg  (“The Fly”, “Eastern Promises”, “A History of Violence”) comes his latest film “A Dangerous Method” based on the 1993 non-fiction book by John Kerr and a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, who wrote the original 2002 play “The Talking Cure” which was based on the book.

The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel.

“A Dangerous Method” takes place during World War I and features the turbulent relationship between psychiatrist Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (played by Viggo Mortensen), as the two professionals had a theoretical divergence.  The film would also feature Sabina Spielrein (played by Keira Knightley), one of the first female psychoanalysts and a woman that was  admitted to the Burgholzli mental hospital where Carl Gustav Jung worked and he was also her medical dissertation advisor.  The two had sexual relationship which was a breach of professional ethics.

So to create music based on these relationships, composing the music for the film is award-winning Howard Shore (best known for composing all three “Lord of the Rings” films, the upcoming “The Hobbit” films and “The Aviator”).

While Shore is known for creating music for epic films, the music for “A Dangerous Method” continues to show that Shore still has the magic touch when it comes to creating music even when the film focuses on three individuals.

The track “Miss Spielrein” has a slow building ferocity to showcase the introduction of Sabina.  Forceful as the string orchestra compliments this score to full effect. And there are other beautiful tracks such as “Galvanometer”, “Sabina”, “Freedom” which the soundtrack tends to either focus more strings or more piano.

For the first 15 tracks, most of the songs are only 2 minutes long (or less).  It’s not until you reach track 16, where you get music that lasts longer than two minutes.  So, listening to the soundtrack, for Howard Shore’s music,  I found myself not listening to one song but listening to his compositions as a whole.

Shore’s final three tracks are his longest on the soundtrack.  “Only One God” has the sense of a composition that wants to be powerful but its power slowly descends, “Something Unforgivable” is a beautiful song which begins with piano and then is joined by the strings and becomes whimsical and sad which leads to another track that is just as sad, “Reflection” which is more of an emotional track that is reinforced by its low and high chord progressions.

And while Howard Shore’s music is a big part of the film, for this soundtrack, his songs are quite short.  The longest track on this album is Richard Wagner’s “Sigfried Idyll” performed by Lang Lang and arranged by Howard Shore.

As Howard Shore is well-known for his compositions for “Lord of the Rings”, Lang Lang, a Chinese concert pianist is amazingly popular for his music, performing with nearly ever major orchestra in the world and selling out venues, I would not be surprised if most people were attracted to this soundtrack because of Lang Lang’s performance of “Sigfried Idyll”.

“Sigfried Idyll” is a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra which was made public in 1876 which lasts about 20 minutes but for Lang Lang’s performance it is about 32 minutes long.  It’s a track that showcases Lang Lang’s technical marvel as a musician.  I found his version to be delightful.  Outstanding!

As for the CD insert, we get a few stills from the film and production credits.

Overall, the music of Howard Shore fits the film’s structure very well.  But as mentioned, these compositions are 1-2 minutes long and rather than listening to one song, to experience the album, you listen to it straight-through.  The addition of the 32-minute performance by Lang Lang is like icing on the cake.

“A Dangerous Method: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”…A wonderful soundtrack featuring two talented men.  Recommended!