MUSIC FOR WAR GAMES
I've recently been fortunate to have had the chance to sample some recent scores for the popular videogame series Medal of Honor and Call of Duty.
Latest in Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor series is European Assault, which possibly boasts Christopher Lennertz's best series score to date. His previous outing for Pacific Assault had it's share of highlights, with some proud, heroic and elegiac music as well as plenty of action, but the cues for European Assault are less fragmented and more rounded, starting with the somewhat elegiac trumpet of Dogs of War and continuing with some pretty exciting action cues like Clearing Tobruk and Russia, 1942. To Stalingrad presents a weighty Russian chorale and One Man Can Make a Difference rounds out the score triumphantly, again with choral support.
Unfortunately none of Lennertz's Medal of Honor scores are officially available on CD, which is a great pity and let's hope that situation soon changes. In the meantime, my thanks to Jenn at Nettwerk.com Canada for letting me hear the scores away from the games.
A very welcome change of pace for the busy Graeme Revell is his music for Activision's Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. Revell has very rarely composed for full orchestra and choir in his film assignments over recent years, which is a pity, as on the evidence of his music for these games, he should do so more often. I don't know the game play details for either title, but the former appears to have an Eastern European setting, judging by the composer's apparent use of Russian choir in a number of cues. The score has some heroic and weighty moments and the action cues feature muscular brass and busy string writing. His score for Big Red One is even better, presenting a proud and heroic orchestral/choral main theme and some truly exciting action cues, which are rhythmically more interesting than his action writing for Call of Duty 2. Again, sadly, there are at present no official CD releases, but I'm sure you gamers out there will enjoy and benefit from the music for both the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series. My thanks to Costa Communications for giving me the chance to sample these scores.
I've recently been fortunate to have had the chance to sample some recent scores for the popular videogame series Medal of Honor and Call of Duty.
Latest in Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor series is European Assault, which possibly boasts Christopher Lennertz's best series score to date. His previous outing for Pacific Assault had it's share of highlights, with some proud, heroic and elegiac music as well as plenty of action, but the cues for European Assault are less fragmented and more rounded, starting with the somewhat elegiac trumpet of Dogs of War and continuing with some pretty exciting action cues like Clearing Tobruk and Russia, 1942. To Stalingrad presents a weighty Russian chorale and One Man Can Make a Difference rounds out the score triumphantly, again with choral support.
Unfortunately none of Lennertz's Medal of Honor scores are officially available on CD, which is a great pity and let's hope that situation soon changes. In the meantime, my thanks to Jenn at Nettwerk.com Canada for letting me hear the scores away from the games.
A very welcome change of pace for the busy Graeme Revell is his music for Activision's Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. Revell has very rarely composed for full orchestra and choir in his film assignments over recent years, which is a pity, as on the evidence of his music for these games, he should do so more often. I don't know the game play details for either title, but the former appears to have an Eastern European setting, judging by the composer's apparent use of Russian choir in a number of cues. The score has some heroic and weighty moments and the action cues feature muscular brass and busy string writing. His score for Big Red One is even better, presenting a proud and heroic orchestral/choral main theme and some truly exciting action cues, which are rhythmically more interesting than his action writing for Call of Duty 2. Again, sadly, there are at present no official CD releases, but I'm sure you gamers out there will enjoy and benefit from the music for both the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series. My thanks to Costa Communications for giving me the chance to sample these scores.
posted by jeffhall | 10:25 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home