Thor Joachim Haga
Forumsvar Lagt Inn
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Innlegg
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No reactions?
I’m pondering who’s left of the titans of that generation, outside Williams, now that Schifrin is no more.
There are some, like Laurence Rosenthal, Stu Phillips, John Scott, Dave Grusin, Klaus Doldinger, Philip Glass etc., who are more or less in the same age range, but as icons of the silver screen, I feel like it was only Williams and Schifrin left, after the passings in recent years of Morricone, Legrand, Q. Jones and so on.
Damn, just as I was about to congratulate him on his 93rd birthday a few days ago, as well musing on his upcoming concert work (hopefully finished?), we receive the news of his death:
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/lalo-schifrin-dead-mission-impossible-film-composer-1236442000/
The giants of Williams’ generation are falling one by one.
The Prendergast is a classic, Mark! It’s also a cornerstone of my own academic years. Not my favourite, but a reference point. I agree that the Larsen is hit/miss, but it’s the only Norwegian book of its kind.
Here’s a pic with some of my own, on my shelf:
Sorry for the small photo, it’s the only one I could find. A Beltrami promo from 2000, which I once had on CD-R, but then gave away (but kept the files). I miss the Beltrami of yesteryear. In the last 10 years or so, I haven’t found anything to latch on to (the last one in my collection is THE HOMESMAN from 2014). He was so good at merging melody with darker textures.
I predict there will be lots of “the old one was far better” posts by then
Probably, but it will hopefully pass. I wish I could contribute to the FSM Kickstarter, but I’m strapped for money, as always.
Over the years, it’s mostly been FSM and Scorereviews/Maintitles for me, the latter now sadly dead. Occasionally JWFAN. I’ve peeked into Intrada (also dead) and Filmtracks over the years, but never been a regular. I still can’t make heads or tails of Filmtracks’ interface. Also a couple of Elfman messageboards – Music for a Darkened People (semi-alive) and The Elfman Zone (dead). The creator of The Elfman Zone also had a Goldenthal board once, but long since gone.
I don’t like discussing on social media, like Twitter, Facebook, Blusky etc., so never appeared much there.
The AVATAR score for me was kind of THE LION KING in space, full of that ethnic Kitsch that I dislike so much.
Let’s not forget the large amounts of traditional, orchestral action music. But yes, the “ethnic kitch” element is where our roads diverge. Can’t get enough of that.
Ouch on AVATAR, which I think is one of the best things he ever wrote.
But interesting origin story. I can’t remember how I got into Horner. I do remember where I was when he died, though. An SMS ticked in while I was still in bed, just about to get up in the morning. It was from a Norwegian acquaintance, who gave me a heads-up. I got up quickly, checked the news/messageboards, and there it was. I was shocked, still the most shocking composer death I can recall.
When this came out in 2017, it felt like a refreshing throwback to the kind of consonant orchestral writing I loved in the 90s, with bold, sweeping, perhaps slightly dark Americana. It’s good to know that there is still room for the Shaimans of this world, even though he isn’t as active as he used to, and that he gets to do more serious stuff, not only comedies and musicals.
Thank you!
For a few minutes I started writing here something.
But then I thought, I don’t want to depress people and deleted it.Don’t feel that way! That’s what this thread is for. Here is a good example of a thread I had in mind at Maintitles, which I found really therapeutic.
In 3 days, it will be 10 years since James Horner died.
Would be great if we used this time to reminisce a bit. How did you discover Horner? What’s your general take on his work? How do you rank him among your favourite composers? Do you remember where you were when you got the news about his death? And – of course – more top 5 lists are welcome.
Please do, I’m curious to hear your thoughts. His entire discography is on Bandcamp: https://waveshaper1.bandcamp.com/music
I particularly recommend TRACKS TO THE FUTURE, LOST SHAPES and the soundtracks for VIDEOMAN (with Robert Parker) and A VOID HOPE. But it’s all good. He’s been my favourite synthwaver since the early 2010s.
You posted them here, but they were in ‘pending’. The post is restored now, above.
Sometimes, when a member is new, posts are automatically put in “pending/spam” folder. Nothing to worry about if that happens, they will be approved once I log on to the board.
