Classical influences in modern genres...

[samantha]

I love hearing the influence of classical music in other genres.

post-rock, by nature, lends itself to be combined perfectly with classical music. Esmerine, Rachel's and Anoice are my favourites..

Doom is another genre where the influence is often present.. more so in structure than in musicianship, though Kayo Dot (and Toby Driver) are worth checking out on this front. bands like ASVA, Nadja, Everlovely Lightningheart..

anyone have any other recommendations for me?

[djdave]

As far as films are concerned, I'd say Stanley Kubrick.

While he was directing 2001: A Space Oddessy, a composer called Alex North - who also did Spartacus and Cleopatra amongst others - was slaving away on the score.

Meanwhile, Kubrick had used classical music for the temp tracks (which are supposed to give directors an idea of what the film will be like when scored).

Trouble is, many directors fall in love with the temp cues, which can cause problems for the composer. In North's case, his entire score was rejected and Kubrick kept in the classical stuff. North never got over it.

I reckon that a lot of orchestral film music can be considered a worthy successor to classical music. Indeed, in the 30s, 40s and 50s, European emigrees like Steiner and Korngold were steeped in classicalism. Indeed, Walton and Vaughn Williams wrote music for the silver screen as an addition to their concert works, and many contemporary film composers also dabble in concert works. Moreover, Michael Nyman's work for Peter Greenaway's films is heavily influenced by Purcell

For the novice, I'd recommend the double CD of Ennio Morricone's work (Virgin)...it's a corker.

[ambernector]

Also the music from 'Schlinders List', has been turned into many different genres including electronic dance.

[djdave]

Also the music from 'Schlinders List', has been turned into many different genres including electronic dance.

Absolutely. And the solo violinist on the score was Itzhak Perlman.

[ambernector]

Dave your knowledge of film music and composers is the best I've seen. If I was to name a big blockbuster film, could you name the title music and composer? Obviously, without looking it up on the web...

[djdave]

Dave your knowledge of film music and composers is the best I've seen. If I was to name a big blockbuster film, could you name the title music and composer? Obviously, without looking it up on the web...

That's very nice of you to say so. I can certainly give it a go. I'm more knowledgeable about film msuic from the 50s, 60s and 70s than I am about modern scores but it'll be fun to try.

[ambernector]

That's very nice of you to say so. I can certainly give it a go. I'm more knowledgeable about film msuic from the 50s, 60s and 70s than I am about modern scores but it'll be fun to try.

What has to be your favourite film music from those times?

[djdave]

What has to be your favourite film music from those times?

My absolute favourite score of all time has to be Ennio Morricone's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from 1966. The two best cues are the two at the end: The Ecstasy of Gold, as Eli Wallach's character runs round and round Sad Hill Cemetary and The Trio where the three protagonists face off in a three-way duel.

Other favourites include Francis Monkman's The Long Good Friday from 1979 - you may see it listed as 1980, but that's only because it had a tortuous release - Fred Karlin's Westworld from 1973, Alfred Newman's How The West Was Won from 1962 and Alex North's Spartacus from 1960. And, although I only have one cue from it (on a compilation), Miklos Rosza's Ben Hur (1959) is a triumph of the movie music craft.

Then there are scores where I only like one or two cues. Michael Small's Klute (1971) is a good example. There's a fabulous piece of source music i.e. music the characters are supposed to be able to hear, which is very Eastern European sounding.

[samantha]

The good, the bad, and the ugly. Is brilliant scored music for the film it is betraying. However, it is not the sort of music I would listen to on my MP3 player.

[dr woot]

In regards to film I think Lalo Schiffrin is a great composer... mainly because it's fun to say his name.