Sengin Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 So, I've never really been a fan of orchestral music. To me, it's also been... bland. Sure, there's some tempo changes and a lot of dynamics, but there was nothing interesting melodically. It was mostly... filler, I guess. But Kotaku ran a story about an HDR time lapse video called The Chapel. You can watch it here (it's really good): http://vimeo.com/16414140 While I found the video pretty spectacular, I really enjoyed the music. I went to the composer's website (http://www.tomasleonhardt.com/) to find out a bit about him. He has a whole bunch of his music on his site to listen to or download. All of it is really good. And all of it is orchestral. This is how I think orchestral music should be. Imagine this guy doing video game soundtracks? Obviously not every genre would work, but I can DEFINITELY see my Shepard going up against the reapers to this guy's music (not that I have anything against the amazing music of the series so far, I'm just saying that I think it would be a good fit for a similar type of epic). Does anyone know of any other good orchestral music? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenogu Labz Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 A big problem is that most people come to orchestral music expecting bland, boring, baroque and stiff and strict. But orchestras provide much more than that: they have the ability, more than any other form of music, to convey an enormous range of emotions and relations. Once people can get past the initial block, an entire world is opened up. Okay, enough with the silly banter. Some examples? Two Steps From Hell, run by Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen, take this concept to its formulaic extension: they create shorter pieces for the sole purpose of advertising and spots for media. They use techniques and combinations that are known to evoke specific emotional responses of awe, wonder, and tension. Hans Zimmer, a well-known film composer. Now, before the hatahs come in and tell me he's not good, I'd like to point to the fact that, while he does use a pretty narrow bag of tricks, he is incredibly flexible, versatile, and his themes really work. They're catchy ear-worms that enhance whatever they're used with. Sherlock Holmes: Discombobulate Josh Whelchel, up-and-coming indie composer, and local OCR artist, has made some wonderful soundtracks. His works are often founded on orchestra, with other elements intermingled. The purely orchestral pieces, however, are incredibly strong, conveying much more than the most complex techno can simply never do. All of these are just a taste of what's out there, if you're willing to look for it. , , and James Newton are just a few of the many incredibly talented composers out there, and there's even more that go beyond simply composing 'big', and are able to also compose deep; not every epic song needs to be grandiose or loud. All it takes is the right melody, the perfect movement, sweeping from a narrow point to soaring wings to touch your soul. This is the power of orchestral music.And wow, I sound so pretentious now. xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Whelchel Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Josh Whelchel, up-and-coming indie composer, and local OCR artist, has made some wonderful soundtracks. His works are often founded on orchestra, with other elements intermingled. The purely orchestral pieces, however, are incredibly strong, conveying much more than the most complex techno can simply never do. All of these are just a taste of what's out there, if you're willing to look for it. , , and James Newton are just a few of the many incredibly talented composers out there, and there's even more that go beyond simply composing 'big', and are able to also compose deep; not every epic song needs to be grandiose or loud. All it takes is the right melody, the perfect movement, sweeping from a narrow point to soaring wings to touch your soul. This is the power of orchestral music. Coming here to say Berlioz, Debussy, Wagner, and others, and I see this. Now I'm just Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenogu Labz Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Good suggestions. Can't forget the Romantic period composers; a lot of those are a more experimental, and stretch beyond the bounds of basic theory more, without stepping into the stranger grounds of the Modern period. The Romantic period tends to push more into the emotional aspects of music than the earlier periods did, I think (although I'm not very familiar with musical history by a long shot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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