So tonight my children wanted a treat and I agreed to give them some if they correctly identified the score after hearing a cue. I was shocked when I put on Raid on Alamut
from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
by Harry Gregson-Williams that my eleven year old daughter identified the score correctly from clear on the other side of the house after only ten seconds into the cue. If you've heard the track then you know it starts out subdued for the first ten seconds or so. She replied, "It's the only one I know that sounds Persian." So Harry, as far as my ten year old is concerned you nailed the Persian sound. The beginning of the cue begins with the Hollywood sound for the middle east and then quickly turns to suspenseful percussion to back Dastan, the film's heroine, as he super humanely scales the wall to gain entry to the sacred city of Alamut. About two minutes in the cue's intensity kicks into high gear with furious strings back by percussive elements common to Harry Gregson-Williams' scores. About 3:49 some male chanting joins the mix and then at about 4:28 some solo, male, ethnic wailing briefly appears to highlight Dastan's gaze of the city from atop a spire. At 5:23 the theme for Prince of Persia makes an appearance and then again in softer tones at 5:59. The cue ends heroically backed by chorus. My initial reception to this piece and score were lukewarm. However, seeing the melding of film to cue increased my appreciation for Harry's work. Raid on Alamut is certainly a noteworthy cue from 2010 and recommended not only by me, but also by my eleven year old daughter. Also, recommended are The Prince of Persia
and Destiny
.**** 
" the supposed one note theme for the Joker. With that kind of introduction I was intrigued, but while an interesting technique, ultimately on album it really doesn't work for me and the song is virtually unlistenable for most moods. Hans has continued his minimalistic ideas with 
and created a theme that is a mere two notes repeated repetitiously while varying pace and intensity, for example. "
" is to Inception what "
" is to The Thin Red Line what "
" is to The Da Vinci Code: a repetitious theme that builds to a loud and stirring crescendo. So in this sense it is not really so groundbreaking in construct. Time becomes so minimalistic that almost anyone can play the final minute, singlehandedly no less. Nevertheless, simplicity can be a good thing and it is interesting to continue listening to Zimmer's experimentation with it. According to Zimmer he extracted just two notes from an Édith Piaf song “
from John Powell's 
. Get ready for a rip, roaring Spanish styled tango John Powell style. Right from the first raps of the percussion you know this is going to be a fun ride. Frentic strings, guitar, brass quickly join the dance with barely a few seconds of breath catching for the cue's just under five minute running time. Even the tango's traditional musical instrument the bandoneón makes an appearance. What would a tango be without a bandoneón? What can I say? What are you waiting for? Click on over to Amazon and get this amazing cue now!
. The film is based on the book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky. I started listening to the samples on Amazon, which really only teased of what I might expect. What the hay, I decided, I'll get this one blind. Right from the get go this score does not in any way suggest that it comes from an animated feature. The score opens in 
with trumpets, and a 
. Several of the tracks have a brooding and/or suspenseful action tone, such as 
, that would seem to support the movie's description by some as a darker child's fantasy. In fact, the demeanor of the majority of the score tracks would indicate a more serious, dramatic fantasy, which rarely gets into the realm of Mickey Mouse (perhaps the first part of 
and the quote of 
from Bizet's Carmen at the end of 
). Most of the tracks employ choral backing and the finale of 
features an exciting choral chant. If only it lasted longer than twenty seconds. Legend of the Guardians wont endear quite so quickly as this year's earlier hit, 
. The main theme while heroic and memorable is featured far too little on album in contrast to the latter. The score also features much more dissonance and has a more serious tone throughout. Even if not as immediately satisfying as How to Train Your Dragon, Hirschfelder has crafted a mature, orchestral animated score, diverse in instrumentation, which excels beyond many other scores in the genre. Highlights include the score's bookends, Flight Home and More Baggy Wrinkles, 
and 
.
Anniversary 4-CD set. Howard's effort has met mostly lukewarm reception among film score fans including complaints of length concerning the release and too much mickey mousing in the score's mid-section. Neverthelss, I decided to take a leap of faith and purchase the second to last cue, 
. The suite features several different variations of Howard's theme including trumpet, strings, choral, and even a tender xylophone iteration at the conclusion. While Howard's theme is not as majestic sounding as Doyle's original, it still packs an emotional punch. I also enjoyed the use of choir even though it is similar to Doyle's. Recommended.
, 
is one of my favorite renditions), Celtic influence throughout, romantic sentimentality (just check out the awesome 
cue), excellent use of percussion (check out the end of 
, for example), and excellent sub-themes (check out 
---it sounds so epic it's hard to believe this is coming from an animated feature) are a few of the reasons. Groundbreaking scores like this just do not come along that often and undoubtedly this one will be emulated and likely end up in trailers for other movies in years to come. As of this writing, How to Train Your Dragon is the best score I've heard so far in 2010 and one worth picking up the entire score. Keeping it coming John!
from Medal of Honor: Frontline are my favorite video game choral score cues. I will certainly be keeping an ear out for James Hannigan in the future.