AUDIO: On The Score With James Horner
ON THE SCORE is sponsored by La-La Land Records
James Horner has visited many musical worlds during over three decades that have made him into one of Hollywood’s top composers. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for his success is how Horner’s boldly emotional sound can place a viewer so effectively in the skin of the characters he scores, from the mystical Indian heritage a cop explores in “Thunderheart” to the ethereal, exotic jungle a boy grows up in “Where the River Runs Black.” Or it can be the choral battlefield valor of soldiers charging into “Glory,” as well as the ferocious jungle danger unlocked when two children play a game of “Jumanji.”
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All of these melodic feelings, and many more from dozens of memorable Horner scores can be felt amidst the jungles of Pandora, the latest, and one of the most impressive epic worlds that Horner’s music has allowed us to visit. It’s a world that further evolves for “Avatar,” Horner’s third teaming with writer-director James Cameron, who first let Horner feel the militaristic terror of being swarmed by “Aliens” before segueing to the epic romance and tragedy of “Titanic.” This winner for Best Picture and Director also brought Horner his first Oscar for Best Score. And it’s likely Academy voters will also take notice of this majestic visual, and musical leap into a score that conveys an alien world, and culture like few soundtracks before it. For Pandora’s jungle is filled with haunted electronics, the songs of its Na’Vi inhabitants, the tender, and the tender, transcendent emotions of a human visiting its world in their form. Yet Pandora’s dense sonic terrain will also be invaded by the dark strings and military fury of the terrans who covet its riches- something the Na’Vi won’t give up easily with exhilarating “War” music that will thrill audiences, and Horner’s vocal fans in particular.
Realizing the challenge of inhabiting this “Avatar” has yielded rich rewards for James Horner, who now talks about creating the music to match Cameron’s astounding visuals in this new edition of “On the Score.”
Comments
By Grooveraider on November 28th, 2009 at 12:06
Great interview on one of the most brilliant film composers in my lifetime.
I’ve done an excellent job trying to avoid much of Avatar information until the
December 18th release date. But learning from this site Horner was teaming with Cameron for the 3rd time is just icing on the cake for me. I’m already set to see Avatar several times in IMAX ^_^
By Jeremy on December 2nd, 2009 at 11:30
His discussion on the absence of thematically driven scores as of late was insightful. A few people on the IMDb Composers message board have tackled this issue multiple times.
By Joi Veer on December 3rd, 2009 at 06:11
James Horner is one of my all-time favorite composers. I think his brilliance shines especially bright on the 2001 film “A Beautiful Mind” which I’m a bit surprised wasn’t mentioned. Still, nice article…always refreshing to read anything about this musical master.
By Mattias Holmgren on December 9th, 2009 at 01:18
I agree, A beautiful mind is truly one of the best scores out there. Amazing tension and melodies. James Horner is truly an inspiration.
By Brian Bulman on December 28th, 2009 at 09:43
Great work Daniel. Thanks for getting these behind the scenes and informative interviews.
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