Composers that you disliked, but now like?
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Are there any composers that you disliked at some point, or perhaps were indifferent to, but that you now quite like?
I have a few, but would love to hear some thoughts from you first.
Well, I can start off with one example.
I hated Howard Shore in the 90s. Especially those droney Cronenberg efforts, but also when he nurtured a similar style outside, like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. But then came LOTR, which was a revelation, then I discovered his lighter side (MRS. DOUBTFIRE, NOBODY’S FOOL, that kind of stuff), and over the years, I slowly began to appreciate some of those Cronenberg things as well, although my favourite of that work remains his dreamy synth score for MAPS TO THE STARS.
So now I quite like him.
Not a specific composer, but I’ve gotten a greater appreciation for golden age film scores in recent years. Probably a reaction to the decreasing number of (good) symphonic scores nowadays.
Also not really a specific composer but originally – decades ago I mean – I always needed a good tune (I still like good themes) and I had to work hard on appreciating more experimental and dissonant scores. Some Alex North scores I really needed to get into but now I like for example DRAGONSLAYER a lot and Goldsmiths PLANET OF THE APES is one of my favorite scores.
For me, I think that it’s less about any change in opinion of specific composers but rather how a composer changes style or the sorts of films they compose for.
Howard Shore and James Horner come to mind. I much prefer Shore’s “droney” Cronenberg efforts over much of his more recent work (with a few exceptions). And Horner’s early style is much more appealing to me than much of his later stuff.
That’s interesting, Alan, because I prefer 90s Horner over the early stuff.
The composer that has had the biggest turnaround for me is, I think, Mark Isham. Another one I severely disliked in the 90s. I found him to be a one-trick pony, always inserting those trumpet and jazz licks in everything, regardless of film genre. And I didn’t like those slow, synth-infused things since I was all about the bombastic and upbeat.
Well, times and preferences change. With CRASH (2004), I had a complete 180 on Isham. Blew me away, and I consider it one of the ten best synth scores ever written. This led me to re-explore works I had inititally dismissed, loved what I heard and now I’m quite the fan, with a considerable digital collection.
No one really in particular but Delerue/Jarre/Legrand took a bit more time for me. With Legrand, it is the piano flourishes and adult contemporary stuff.
That’s interesting to hear, slint, because I’ve always thought – from your FSM postings – that those Frenchmen were always your favourite composers. You have so much knowledge about them.
Hans Zimmer… it took me a while get into him.
I first noticed him when RAIN MAN came out, I loved that score. To this day I do.
The other stuff that followed, not so much. It’s not that I disliked him, I was just more indifferent about him. Other film composers interested me more.
Nowadays, I think he can be great, and I’ve come to appreciate a lot of his work. Incidentally, I am listening to INCEPTION this very moment, and yesterday I re-watched the movie. (Love both the film and the score.)
That’s interesting to hear, slint, because I’ve always thought – from your FSM postings – that those Frenchmen were always your favourite composers. You have so much knowledge about them.
I’ve always preferred other French composers, including Philippe Sarde, Francis Lai, Antoine Duhamel or Pierre Jansen.
Georges Delerue is obviously very talented and has some beautiful lyrical scores, so has always been very much on the radar. I guess it is simply a matter of taste: some of his scores are technically very advanced and very cinematic, but I don’t really fancy listening to them over and over. He is one of those composers that are almost too good for their art, with the music outside of the film losing a bit of its strength.
The other two are different. Maurice Jarre had the majority of his scores recorded in Hollywood and I find his French period mostly unremarkable. For Michel Legrand I think some of his Nouvelle Vague scores are great but for different reasons, I am simply not that much of a fan. Both Jarre and Legrand were also a bit monothematic like many European score composers. I can certainly appreciate they had a huge contribution in film music and were 100% into it (they conducted all their scores), so I am now a bit more appreciative after having listened their full catalogues.
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