New Journeys with Andrew Lockington...
The Mysterious Island is a dazzling masterpiece and one of the better adventure scores you'll hear. Needless to say, it's a great honor to chat with the composer behind this exceptional music, Andrew Lockington, and to hear about his own real-life adventures that helped spark the making of this score. I must say that this is perhaps the most interesting "making of" account I've ever heard of in the annals of modern film music so I hope you tune in to hear all about it!
The Composer Power Ranking is based on each composer's recent output, the level of distinction they bring to the craft, and their upside as I see it. This is not a scientific process nor does strength of scoring schedule alone ensure an entry in the CPR.
1.
John Williams: The Academy Nominations are in and the great maestro has doubled up with Tintin and War Horse!
2.
Andrew Lockington: Andrew brings back epic adventure with his grand score for The Mysterious Island. It's not every day that you get a soundtrack with 4 fully realized themes any more.
3.
Ludovic Bource: Congrats to the Golden Globe winning composer of, The Artist, who has recently earned an Oscar nom. Good tunes for a surprise hit, and nice to see a newcomer (relatively speaking) on the scene.
4.
Michael Giacchino: His Ghost Protocol features a surprising amount of diversity. So cool to hear an original Russian anthem again!
5.
Terence Blanchard: Red Tails is making it happen at the box office, which is good news for everyone involved. Blanchard's score is one key to that success.
6.
Howard Shore: Kudos on the Academy Award nomination, Mr. Shore. While Hugo isn't necessarily the best of the 2011 campaign, it's a respectable entry to the awards field.
7.
Hans Zimmer: With a stupendously entertaining Game of Shadows under his belt, Hans ended the 2011 on good terms with me.
8.
Abel Korzeniowski: A Golden Globes nomination (second year in a row) for W.E. keeps Abel near the top of this power poll. If you've yet to discover his work, make amends now and partake in the magic.
9.
Patrick Doyle: A strong 2011 keeps him afloat. A new release of a recent classic from Movie Score Media is also good enough reason to keep the Doyle-fest going.
10.
Alexandre Desplat: So now he's scoring logos, too? The man is extremely busy and dangerously close. In a good way.
Terence Blanchard: Heroes & History (Red Tails Interview)
Award-winning composer Terence Blanchard fills us in on his experience composing the music for this important and entertaining film from George Lucas....
Red Tails Interview: Special thanks to Alisse Kingsley from Muse Media
Conan the Destroyer (suite)
Basil Poledouris / 2011 Recording
There is almost a healing quality when I hear a re-recording of a score I grew up with that suffered from quality issues. Thanks to James Fitzpatrick, I can relive my childhood all over again. Enjoy the suite from Conan the Desroyer!
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (suite)
by Michael Giacchino
Like a master chef, Giacchino respects the local flavors from the multiple locales visited in Brad Bird's over-the-top, MI4. Authentic choral music from Russia along with sparkling grandeur from the Middle East makes this a diverse and wonderful score...
Ilan has come up with an absolute gem with this unexpected follow-up in the Johnny English series. This score offers the perfect blend of action and camp, showing yet another side to a composer that I know to be extremely talented...
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (suite)
by Hans Zimmer
A score like this is what makes Hans so great: A mash-up of many colors and themes, all delivered with enthusiasm and gusto. I connected with this score much more than the first Sherlock and it makes for a great finish to 2011...
James Brett offers a versatile presence in the world of composing, thus its only apt that his talents are on on display with a unique project like, Batman Live. In this new interview, James talks about the intriguing challenges and rewards of working in the Batman universe while also delving into a portfolio of work that spans feature films and stand-alone albums.
The emotional punch of this score really appeals to me as do the futuristic action flavors and the world-fusion inspirations. I also felt the movie itself was decent enough, which certainly enables me to appreciate the soundtrack even more...
The wonderful talents of Composer Steve Burke is back on the scene with his catchy score for the new X-Box Live Arcade title, Fusion Genesis. In this new interview, Steve takes us inside the development of the score, shares his perspective on film composing, and as a special bonus to ScoreNotes readers, is providing you a chance to download the full score for free!
The return of the master! Though this entry didn't hit a homerun for me, there is still plenty to love about a new John Williams score. The Adventures of Tin Tin offers the trademark style we've loved over the years, unaltered by the modern trends...
