For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That’s loved by you.
–From You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
As I write more and more about film music, I find that every note is filtered through a critical eye. I sometimes wonder if I have the capacity to just sit down and enjoy music. Since this blog recently passed its three-month mark, I thought I’d step back for a moment and appreciate those film music moments (in no particular order) that have delighted me so far over the first six months of this year.
- Michael Giacchino’s thrilling “Enterprising Young Men” as Kirk and McCoy fly by the Enterprise
- Tribute Film Classic’s superb new recording of Korngold’s THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
- Discovering Nico Muhly and his splendid score for THE READER
- Finding a brand new copy of David Shire’s RETURN TO OZ for under $20 and checking off that previously prohibitively expensive holy grail
- The release of Andrey Sigle’s beautiful score for ALEXANDRA
- The sheer exuberance of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE’s closing dance number, “Jai Ho”
- Carl looks through the photo album to Giacchino’s tender music in UP
- Stumbling across Andre Previn’s exceptional first film score, for a Lassie picture (of all things): THE SUN COMES UP. Movie? Dreadful. Score? Sublime.
- FSM’s fantastic release of Previn’s INSIDE DAISY CLOVER
And last, but certainly not least, the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people through the comments not only on this blog, but through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the Intrada and FSM message boards. All hail social media!
Thanks to every one of my readers. Your support keeps me sitting in front of this laptop day after day. Here’s to the next 3, 6, 9 months and beyond.
I’ve enjoyed “meeting” you, Jim, and reading your stellar blog. I had no idea why I started using Twitter at the time I did, but I’ve made so many wonderful connections with other film score afficianadoes (and composers) through it. Nice to know we have the FSM connection as well.
I was actually recounting some of my recent moments of pure film music happiness just last night! I’m a bit of a cynic, though not as much as some. I’m still optimistic about the state of film music today, even if I have my share of complaints.
I have to admit that a track that has brought me nothing but joy, and one that I can’t stop listening to, is Hooper’s “Farewell Aragog” from the new Harry Potter. Everything in me tells me not to like Hooper, and yet he creates a piece like that and I’m bowled over with the kind of infectious, touching, beautiful music that made me a film music lover to begin with.
Appreciate your post! Wish I could find a Return to Oz for 20 dollars…
Tim, thanks for your kind words about the blog. :)
I think a lot of us are cynics but, for me at least, it’s because we care. And yet when I drop the cynicism, I find all this great stuff. It may only be a track here or there, but there’s still great film music to be found, whether it’s new or not. And, like reading, there’s no way we’ll be able to experience it all in our lifetime. I know when we try and hear EVERYTHING, that’s when it gets to be a drudge.
Of course, today I’m waiting on my four Varese Club albums, so I’m particularly anxious. LOL