CD REVIEW - Sea Images - The Best of David Fanshawe + News from Top Dollar PR
Sea Images - The Best of David Fanshawe
Silva Screen SILCD1205 (U.K.)
25 Tracks 79:36 mins
This generous overview of the English composer's career covers not just his screen music but much more, but as I am a screen music reviewer I'll naturally start with the "Film & Television" section, which commences with Fanshawe's "Overture" to perhaps his most well known film score Tarka the Otter, which has a nice, sweeping theme at its core and a turbulent middle. A flowing clarinet theme and variations thereon next features in "Mother and Child" from Serenata, followed by the jaunty travelling music of "Charabanc Ride" from England, Their England; the dreamy tango of "River Thames Interlude" from Three Men in a Boat, and "Piano Solo" from the same programme. Next up is the late Alex Glasgow's loved by some, hated by others, vocal from When the boat Comes In, as arranged by Fanshawe. The quirky, sax-lead "John Fothergill's Rag" follows; then two pieces from Flambards, again a quirky whistled theme with a repeated "Ma'am" vocal, followed by the jolly little sax-lead mover "Dorothy's Theme." The section finishes up with two songs from The Good Companions.
The most recent music on the disc is for Sea Images, three orchestral pieces, commencing with "Trafalgar, " a stirring march, incorporating the sailors Hornpipe and "Rule Britannia." There follows the composer's "Lament of the Seas," composed in response to the terrible Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004, which begins suitably menacing and turbulent and then choir joins the orchestra for an arrangement of "For Those At Sea." The final piece is "Dover Castle," a seascape, which goes through many moods before proudly building to a peaceful climax.
Arabian Fantasy was commissioned by and is dedicated to Nail Attallah. Of the 12 movements that comprise the work, four are included here. "Sirocco" is a fast-moving piece of pop; "Prelude" starts off ethnic and mysterious with Qanun solo then flows along before turning electronic; "Blues" is a flowing ethnic-jazz mixture; and "Arabian fantasy" a jazzy fast-mover with police siren effect.
African Sanctus, drawn from the composer's recordings of traditional African music on his travels along the Nile from 1969-73, is apparently Fanshawe's best-known work (though I've strangely never heard of it) and four movements are presented here, starting with the title piece, a mix of tribal dance and Latin chorus. This is followed by "Kyrie: Call to Prayer," which features a priest, recorded in the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo, joined by choir in the composer's setting of "Kyrie eleison." "The Lord's Prayer" features the Choristers of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, backed by Alan parker's guitar. Finally, "Dona Nobis Pacem" features soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez and choristers in a setting of "Agnus Dei."
The "Finale" section features two pieces from 2000's Planet Earth. The opening "Fanfare" commences with trumpets and drums, before becoming big and brassy, leading to a suitably grand climax; whilst "Millennium March" is suitably stirring, with a broad, very English theme at its centre.
As an encore, the composer includes a repeat of "Trafalgar," this time with choir singing "England expects that every man will do his duty" at the appropriate moments.
A very varied collection of works then by David Fanshawe, accompanied by an 18-page booklet, in which the composer, together with broadcaster Brian Kay, guide you through his career and the works presented therewith, which left me realising how little I actually knew about the artist in question.
From Top Dollar PR
NCsoft Announces "Lineage II: The Concert"
Award-winning composer Inon Zur to be honoured at first symphonic game music concert in Korea
Los Angeles - May 23rd, 2006 - Renowned composer Inon Zur will be celebrated in a special live symphony concert presentation of his music for the computer game Lineage II®: Chronicle V: Oath of Blood, to be performed by the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra at the AX-Hall in Seoul, Korea on May 30th, 2006. Internationally recognised as one of the A-list composers in the video games industry, Zur was commissioned by NCsoft® Korea to compose the game's original score based on his award-winning dramatic music for film, television and video games. His other game credits include blockbuster titles such as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, Icewind Dale II and SOCOM II, each production featuring Zur's distinctive orchestral style. For more information on Lineage II: The Concert please visit: http://bbs.lineage2.co.kr/event/eventView.asp?eid=33&progressType=0.
Mr. An Yong Jin, Sound Supervisor at NCsoft Studio E&G and organizer of Lineage II: The Concert, said, "Inon has written some of the most emotionally charged and ethereal music heard in a computer game to date. His music for Lineage II is perfectly suited for a live symphony concert setting and more importantly it matches our vision for this epic game and upgrades the fantasy to a whole new level!"
For the recording of the Lineage II: Chronicle V: Oath of Blood original game score, Zur recently conducted and recorded with the 70-piece Northwest Sinfonia at the Bastyr University Chapel in Seattle. The score was mixed at Zur's project studio in Los Angeles.
Commenting on his music for the game and the upcoming live concert performance in Seoul, Korea, Inon Zur said, "I'm very proud and honoured to take part in the legendary Lineage series. I hope my music will add to the Lineage heritage and bring some new elements to this magical world. I had an extremely fascinating experience working on this game and I look forward to sharing this music with the players and fans. It is a dream come true to have my music performed live in concert."
Zur's powerful orchestral scores have also previously featured in the promotional trailers for Hollywood movies such as "Annapolis" (Touchstone Pictures), "The New World" (New Line Cinema), "Kingdom Of Heaven" (Twentieth Century Fox), "The Pacifier" (Walt Disney Pictures), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Walt Disney Pictures), and "Fantastic Four" (Marvel/Twentieth Century Fox). Inon's music can also be heard in the hit television series "Into The West" from Executive Producer Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television. Inon is a classically trained graduate of the Music Academy of Tel Aviv in Israel, and also studied at the Dick Grove School of Music and UCLA. Inon Zur is represented by Bob Rice of Four Bars Intertainment (North America) and Stacey Yoon of LaMi Productions Inc. (Asia). For more information please visit www.inonzur.com.
About NCsoft:
NCsoft® North America is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with other NCsoft subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles in the last three years and continues to support its AAA franchises that include Lineage®/Lineage II®, City of Heroes®/City of VillainsT, Guild Wars®/Guild Wars FactionsT and Auto Assault®. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.plaync.com.
###
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Lineage, The Chaotic Chronicle, Scions of Destiny, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Auto Assault and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes, City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Sea Images - The Best of David Fanshawe
Silva Screen SILCD1205 (U.K.)
25 Tracks 79:36 mins
This generous overview of the English composer's career covers not just his screen music but much more, but as I am a screen music reviewer I'll naturally start with the "Film & Television" section, which commences with Fanshawe's "Overture" to perhaps his most well known film score Tarka the Otter, which has a nice, sweeping theme at its core and a turbulent middle. A flowing clarinet theme and variations thereon next features in "Mother and Child" from Serenata, followed by the jaunty travelling music of "Charabanc Ride" from England, Their England; the dreamy tango of "River Thames Interlude" from Three Men in a Boat, and "Piano Solo" from the same programme. Next up is the late Alex Glasgow's loved by some, hated by others, vocal from When the boat Comes In, as arranged by Fanshawe. The quirky, sax-lead "John Fothergill's Rag" follows; then two pieces from Flambards, again a quirky whistled theme with a repeated "Ma'am" vocal, followed by the jolly little sax-lead mover "Dorothy's Theme." The section finishes up with two songs from The Good Companions.
The most recent music on the disc is for Sea Images, three orchestral pieces, commencing with "Trafalgar, " a stirring march, incorporating the sailors Hornpipe and "Rule Britannia." There follows the composer's "Lament of the Seas," composed in response to the terrible Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004, which begins suitably menacing and turbulent and then choir joins the orchestra for an arrangement of "For Those At Sea." The final piece is "Dover Castle," a seascape, which goes through many moods before proudly building to a peaceful climax.
Arabian Fantasy was commissioned by and is dedicated to Nail Attallah. Of the 12 movements that comprise the work, four are included here. "Sirocco" is a fast-moving piece of pop; "Prelude" starts off ethnic and mysterious with Qanun solo then flows along before turning electronic; "Blues" is a flowing ethnic-jazz mixture; and "Arabian fantasy" a jazzy fast-mover with police siren effect.
African Sanctus, drawn from the composer's recordings of traditional African music on his travels along the Nile from 1969-73, is apparently Fanshawe's best-known work (though I've strangely never heard of it) and four movements are presented here, starting with the title piece, a mix of tribal dance and Latin chorus. This is followed by "Kyrie: Call to Prayer," which features a priest, recorded in the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo, joined by choir in the composer's setting of "Kyrie eleison." "The Lord's Prayer" features the Choristers of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, backed by Alan parker's guitar. Finally, "Dona Nobis Pacem" features soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez and choristers in a setting of "Agnus Dei."
The "Finale" section features two pieces from 2000's Planet Earth. The opening "Fanfare" commences with trumpets and drums, before becoming big and brassy, leading to a suitably grand climax; whilst "Millennium March" is suitably stirring, with a broad, very English theme at its centre.
As an encore, the composer includes a repeat of "Trafalgar," this time with choir singing "England expects that every man will do his duty" at the appropriate moments.
A very varied collection of works then by David Fanshawe, accompanied by an 18-page booklet, in which the composer, together with broadcaster Brian Kay, guide you through his career and the works presented therewith, which left me realising how little I actually knew about the artist in question.
From Top Dollar PR
NCsoft Announces "Lineage II: The Concert"
Award-winning composer Inon Zur to be honoured at first symphonic game music concert in Korea
Los Angeles - May 23rd, 2006 - Renowned composer Inon Zur will be celebrated in a special live symphony concert presentation of his music for the computer game Lineage II®: Chronicle V: Oath of Blood, to be performed by the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra at the AX-Hall in Seoul, Korea on May 30th, 2006. Internationally recognised as one of the A-list composers in the video games industry, Zur was commissioned by NCsoft® Korea to compose the game's original score based on his award-winning dramatic music for film, television and video games. His other game credits include blockbuster titles such as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, Icewind Dale II and SOCOM II, each production featuring Zur's distinctive orchestral style. For more information on Lineage II: The Concert please visit: http://bbs.lineage2.co.kr/event/eventView.asp?eid=33&progressType=0.
Mr. An Yong Jin, Sound Supervisor at NCsoft Studio E&G and organizer of Lineage II: The Concert, said, "Inon has written some of the most emotionally charged and ethereal music heard in a computer game to date. His music for Lineage II is perfectly suited for a live symphony concert setting and more importantly it matches our vision for this epic game and upgrades the fantasy to a whole new level!"
For the recording of the Lineage II: Chronicle V: Oath of Blood original game score, Zur recently conducted and recorded with the 70-piece Northwest Sinfonia at the Bastyr University Chapel in Seattle. The score was mixed at Zur's project studio in Los Angeles.
Commenting on his music for the game and the upcoming live concert performance in Seoul, Korea, Inon Zur said, "I'm very proud and honoured to take part in the legendary Lineage series. I hope my music will add to the Lineage heritage and bring some new elements to this magical world. I had an extremely fascinating experience working on this game and I look forward to sharing this music with the players and fans. It is a dream come true to have my music performed live in concert."
Zur's powerful orchestral scores have also previously featured in the promotional trailers for Hollywood movies such as "Annapolis" (Touchstone Pictures), "The New World" (New Line Cinema), "Kingdom Of Heaven" (Twentieth Century Fox), "The Pacifier" (Walt Disney Pictures), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Walt Disney Pictures), and "Fantastic Four" (Marvel/Twentieth Century Fox). Inon's music can also be heard in the hit television series "Into The West" from Executive Producer Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television. Inon is a classically trained graduate of the Music Academy of Tel Aviv in Israel, and also studied at the Dick Grove School of Music and UCLA. Inon Zur is represented by Bob Rice of Four Bars Intertainment (North America) and Stacey Yoon of LaMi Productions Inc. (Asia). For more information please visit www.inonzur.com.
About NCsoft:
NCsoft® North America is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with other NCsoft subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles in the last three years and continues to support its AAA franchises that include Lineage®/Lineage II®, City of Heroes®/City of VillainsT, Guild Wars®/Guild Wars FactionsT and Auto Assault®. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.plaync.com.
###
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Lineage, The Chaotic Chronicle, Scions of Destiny, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Auto Assault and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes, City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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