Music Composed, Produced, Programmed, Mixed & Mastered by Tom Holkenborg
Score Wrangler: Bob Badami Music Editors: Catherine Wilson & Stephen Gallagher Orchestra Conducted by Conrad Pope Additional Music by Antonio Di Iorio Orchestrated by Edward Trybek, Henri Wilkinson, Jonathan Beard & Tom Holkenborg Music Preparation by Jordan Cox Additional Synth Programming by Emily Rice, Jonas Friedman & Max Karmazyn Technical Score Engineers: Alex Ruger & Jacopo Trifone Music Production Services by Michiel Groeneveld Music Recorded at Michael Fowler Center (Wellington, New Zealand) & Stella Maris (Wellington, New Zealand)
Music Performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Orchestral Recording Engineers: Graham Kennedy & John Neill Orchestral Mix Engineer: John Neill Score Recordist: Nigel Scott Score Technical Crew: Andrew Dalzlel & Brian Mahoney Music Mixed at Park Road Post Production Choir: Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir Choir Conducted by Karen Grylls Solo Sopranos: Morag Atkinson & Pepe Becker
Release date : 12/07/2018
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So just like Divergent, the score is completely butchered in film. The main “London” tune is only used for about 30 seconds in the entire film (disregarding it being tracked into the credits suite) and most of the other music from album seems to be either suites, alternates, or heavily chopped up on screen. The editing in the film is pretty bad, so I’m wondering if that may have affected the score in some way.
Surprisingly there is one excellent unreleased cue, which transitions into “First Strike”, that takes the “Shan Guo” ostinato and overlays the operatic MEDUSA vocals which turn to screams at one point. Also some unreleased Hester/Shrike piano music...
1. A Discovery 2. I Don’t Even Know My Own Name 3. What’s Your Dream? 4. Double Identity 5. The Warrior Within 6. A Dark Past 7. In Time You’ll Remember 8. Nova’s Orders 9. Jackers Mission 10. Unlocking the Past 11. Whose Body Is This? 12. Grewishka’s Revenge 13. Broken Doll 14. With Me 15. I’d Give You My Heart 16. You Just Lost a Puppet 17. What Did You Do? 18. In the Clouds 19. Raising the Sword 20. Motorball
This might be one of the most “traditional” scores that Tom has scored at this point in his career. The strings/brass still have the signature JXL sound to them, but the music feels more mature when compared to something like Mad Max or even his most recent outings.
I’m still picking up on the themes as of now (the most obvious being the main fanfare and Hester’s tune) but the idea for Shrike is definitely a clear standout. Especially when it gets an emotional spin later on. The use of woodwinds and the operatic female solo vocals also are a nice addition.
Overall this has to be the biggest surprise of the year for me. Having sorta given up on Junkie after being disappointed by his output in the past few years I never expected him to write a fantasy score on this level (while still keeping one foot in his comfort zone of course). Hopefully more producers actually demand quality music from him, as opposed to the shit we got from Tomb Raider and Deadpool.
Anonymous
2018-12-14 15:42:10
To me it sounds like the composer's usual fare, only this time it has a touch of Conrad Pope every now and then in the orchestrations. Won't be surprised if CP's involvement went beyond just conducting.
mpolonest123
2018-12-14 16:30:08
^ And I think a big part of that is the sound mixing. I understand each composer has their own unique voice, but in Holkenborg’s case he tends to mix everything so harshly, particularly the brass. It definitely muffles the music to a degree.
Similar issue I have with Giacchino, who I think writes amazing music which gets undercut by the really dry mixing.
MrZimmerFan
2018-12-14 18:14:35
Conrad Pope is only conductor in this, not orchestrator.
Am I correct that the music used in the long flashback scène with Hester and Shrike is only sort of present in the final track "Alive and Together" ?
I'm listening right now, one of the best works by Tom, by far.
Beautiful choir, great action tracks (even there is a great renditions of the themes, Windflower with that version of Shrike's theme is gorgeous) and multiples themes.
Anonymous
2018-12-13 23:19:07
Great work.
I love Tom's aggressive and extreme way of mixing and bold use of percussion.
Why wouldn't Peter Jackson have Howard Shore score?
Edmund Meinerts
2018-12-10 09:26:24
Peej only produced this film, didn't direct it, and also I sorta think he and Howard Shore don't have the warmest of relationships considering the King Kong firing and then the way the music was mistreated in the Hobbit films.
Anonymous
2018-12-10 14:37:39
Skipped the Hobbit films. How so was the music mistreated in those?
MrZimmerFan
2018-12-10 15:58:11
Jackson use more LOTR music than the original music created for the movie.
Altough, Watertower releases respect the material written by Shore (as he wanted)
Edmund Meinerts
2018-12-10 16:44:14
Especially in the first one, there's a ton of LOTR themes needledropped even though Shore wrote original material for those exact scenes that you can hear on the album, and also there are themes used in scenes where they don't belong at all. Oh and the main theme of the first one and a couple of the secondary ones completely disappear from the second and third movies
superultramegaa
2018-12-11 00:05:52
Don't forget the pointless changes like the opening title music for AUE being replaced with an E Major version of The Shire and Gandalf's Farewells for some reason. Or temp tracking earlier pieces of the film in for later scenes.
lumpy
2018-12-11 11:15:02
get this a cd-release too
Oscarilbo
2018-12-12 20:26:25
The "problem" with The Hobbit scores came just on the first movie and just because it changed from being 2 movies to be a whole trilogy. So... the "punch" points had to be changed on AUJ, meaning that very subtle moments had to be now enhanced every way possible specially by the score so you have much more dramatic emphasis than you had it before, because now you're gonna end the movie MUCH MORE sooner that originally planned.
Nothing to do with Jackson not liking what Shore did. Shore even had the same themes that were ultimately used in the final film, they just were more subtle... even the wrongly music known as "wraights theme" when Throin charges against Azog (which is actually related to all agents of Sauron) was used there by Shore before the changes, just again, the connection was more subtle when that was not going to be the climax of the film.
Tom just released "London Suite in C Major" on his YouTube channel, and I am really loving it. He's usually hit-or-miss for me, but this cue in particular really intrigues me. Sounds like he merged the orchestral sections of Fury Road with the flighty ballads of Hollywood Golden Age music.
Ds
2018-12-11 11:35:53
It's great but sadly it's only used in the end credits :-( I suspect it might have been an alternate version of the opening scene.
Anyway the rest of the score is absolutely stunning, a good balance between heavy action and themes (and incredible choir). A new high in JXL's career, let's hope the OST release does it justice.
This sounds amazing. https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc6U4zYppks
Mike
2018-12-06 22:53:46
Consider me pleasantly surprised....
Mike
2018-12-06 23:20:05
On repeat listens, it sounds like if someone tossed Fury Road into a blender with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and Michael Giacchino's Medal of Honor scores. A surprisingly good combination, if you ask me.
mpolonest123
2018-12-07 01:30:36
I’m pleasantly surprised. The whole thing has a very “classic Hollywood” fantasy type feel to it, with Holkenborg’s usual percussion and strings overlaid. The mixing is still a bit too harsh and overproduced, but I’m loving what I hear so far. Here’s hoping the rest stays consistently strong...
Andreas
2018-12-07 09:54:16
Saw the film few days ago. Score is one of the best things in the film. Indeed a mix of BvS en Mad Max, only more orchestral. Can't wait to listen to it again.
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