Who do you think is as good a composer as Morricone?

[Jill]

Also not worthy to the Maestro (although popular and quite good): Howard Shore. LotR has some wonderful pieces, but the music, in general, is just pathetic and sugar-high. I like the dark pieces, however, like the Moria ones and the Isengard, Minas Morgul, Mount Doom tracks. And the Rohirrim musics.

Still, not as great as Ennio. I'd say Nino Rota is tie with him, but he's dead...

[moviesceleton]

Also not worthy to the Maestro (although popular and quite good): Howard Shore. LotR has some wonderful pieces, but the music, in general, is just pathetic and sugar-high. I like the dark pieces, however, like the Moria ones and the Isengard, Minas Morgul, Mount Doom tracks. And the Rohirrim musics.

Still, not as great as Ennio. I'd say Nino Rota is tie with him, but he's dead...

I think he's maybe the best composer in Hollywood right now. Yes, there are some schmaltzy tunes in LOTR but overall the soundtrack is amazing. He's done also other noteworthy soundtracks: The Silence of the Lambs, Ed Wood, recent Scorsese movies... I don't think he's as much in a certain box as Williams abd Zimmer are.

[Jill]

Williams can be good, but he's overused. I like the Star Wars and the HP musics, however.


Sometimes, silence can be as dramatic as music. I've seen Dreyer's wonderful Jeanne d'Arc without any music, so it was totally silent - and it was harrowing.

Just think about how Ennio uses the silence. He's a master in that, too, not only in music.

[Groggy]

I got Jerry Goldsmith's score for The Wind and the Lion for Christmas - a two-disc special edition, at that. I've always liked the music in the movie, and have had the Main Title on MP3 for awhile, but hearing the entire soundtrack is another experience entirely. It's a wonderful score, perhaps even the best thing about the movie, sweeping, romantic, exotic and extremely beautiful, balancing various emotions wonderfully and instilling a feeling of poignance and adventure (and more than a bit of nostalgia for me). The Roosevelt theme is probably my favorite piece of music, wonderfully subtle, quiet and poignant (and a nice counterpart to the blaring horns/trumpets in most of the score), although the Love Theme and the action music (Raisuli Attacks) are up there too. This edition includes a lot of incidental/archival music that's also worth a listen (particularly the nice renditions of Old Paint and Semper Fidelis). Probably the best Goldsmith score I've heard to date, and it's definitely in Morricone's league.

Still haven't watched the Maurice Jarre Tribute to David Lean DVD, but I'm waiting perhaps until I can get some speakers - my computer gives off like zero sound.

[franksgrandson]

Keep an ear open for Racheal Portman
she has done some excellent scores

[riotengine]

I'm a hardcore soundtrack nut. Goldsmith is my absolute favorite (and I have a soft spot for his western scores). My top five favorite composers are Goldsmith, Morricone, Basil Poledouris, Lalo Schifrin, and Joe Hisaishi.

Favorite spaghetti western composers are Francesco De Masi and Stelvio Cipriani (just ordered a copy of Blindman, which can't get here fast enough).

I'm looking forward to the (rumored) upcoming Film Score Monthly CD of Morricone's, The Five Man Army.

Greg

[Groggy]

I like Schiffrin's scores, he's definitely a unique composer. Conan is the only Poledouris score I liked so far.

[SilenceSWDB]

Both Luis Bacalov and Goblin made some BEAUTYFUL scores.

[riotengine]

I like Schiffrin's scores, he's definitely a unique composer. Conan is the only Poledouris score I liked so far.

I really like Schifrin's funky, jazzy 60s & 70s scores, like Bullitt, Enter The Dragon, & Dirty Harry.

Poledouris did nice scores for Farewell To The King, Cherry 2000, and Flesh + Blood. His Conan The Destroyer score is nice, but really dislike the movie. 

[archangel]

all equally great.
Morricone, Herrmann, Rosza.
jr.

[Groggy]

Hans Zimmer, in an interview, discussing Ennio Morricone. Interesting comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy4WcQRKR18

Thanks for this.

There's a definite Morricone influence on Zimmer's work, especially in The Lion King. There's one track in particular (I forget the name) which sounds almost exactly like On Earth as it is In Heaven from The Mission. Also King of Pride Rock has an oboe section very similar to the Frank theme from OUATITW. Whether this is cool or means he is a hack, I leave up to you.

[Dust Devil]

Thanks for this.

 

[Groggy]

I had a brain fart on this topic and needed an excuse to let it out.

[El Gorila]

I like a lot of John Barry's scores, while they lack the epic scope of Ennio's pieces, Barry is still a master of setting a mood and a feel for his films.
John Williams is also great, tho I prefer his earlier works.
Morricone is the best though, I can't listen to Ecstasy of Gold without being compelled to run in circles in a cemetery.

[franksgrandson]

for me
Badelt, Zimmer and a off the wall one Portman