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Along with the operas I can’t seem to get enough of, I’ve been gorging my ears on all the Romantic Era compositions I can get my grubby little hands on. Classical, Romantic Opera, and Ballet has been tearing up my iTunes for the last few weeks and I feel like sharing. For those that don’t know the Romatic hey days were the mid to late 1800s, a period that has fascinated my forever. Without the events of the late 1800s our current society would be drastically different including the occurrences of the two World Wars, the rise of Capitalism and Communism, and the exploration of the globe that has resulted in today’s globalism. Music of this time likewise was significantly changing through exploration and rapid cultural changes occurring in Europe. Russia emerged as a musical powerhouse as one of its few oddly strong areas of talent with such names as Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and later, Shostakovich.

The music of the era is charged with national pride, exploration, world influences, and internationality that I adore. Despite hyper competitiveness amongst the nations, talent was encouraged to travel to enhance the name of the fatherlands and inevitably cultures clashed in the form of unparalleled experimentation. It was the time of Neitzsche and Marx and Mill in philosophy and ideology made a huge impact on musical composition. Instrumentation also moved out of religious traditions and harpsichord, organs, and tabernacles were replaced with percussion, brass, and wind instruments that upheld military and international motifs better. Arias and hymns were replaced with turbulent choral shouts and hedonistic story lines. Music became modern and the world changed.

1. De Falla - Magic Of Love Introduction & Scene

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2. Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op.95, From the “New World” - Allegro con fuoco

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3. Gliere - The Red Poppy, Ballet Suite, Op. 70 - Heroic Coolie Dance

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4. Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No.1 Op.46 Anistras Dance

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5. Kodaly - Duo for Violin and Cello, Op.7 - Allegro serioso, non troppo (Recorded in Japan 1978)

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6. Lizst - Czardas

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7. Shostakovich - Symphony No.10 in E Minor, Opus 93 - II. Allegro

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8. Strauss - Persian March, Op. 289

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9. Stravinsky - The Firebird Suite - Infernal Dance

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10. Verdi - Overture The Force Of Destiny

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Original score and orchestral selections have made epic movies not just very very intense - it makes them the shit. There is just one name in the original score scene in American films, it’s slightly disturbing but since John Williams is the man and has been the man for the past 30 years it’s acceptable. Jaws, Jurassic, Star Wars, Superman, Schindler, Indiana, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. Pure genius and genius deserves homage. I have a selection from John Williams as well as some of my favourite other orchestral pieces that helped shaped their movies into the psyche of the cinema goer.

Of course Star Wars has to make the list, it’s Title intro as well as Imperial March from the second film are unforgettable even today thirty years later (really who could forget Darth Vader?). But Williams isn’t God and there are other movies that he didn’t compose for. My favourite modern composer Yoko Kanno is world famous for her work as an anime composer, and her soundtracks and original albums are a testament to her brilliance (lookout for a spotlight article on her in the future). I’ve included one of my favourite orchestral pieces for her work on the Turn A Gundam soundtrack (Turn A has the best original orchestral album ever created for any work - ever). And lest I forget one of my favourite films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it’s hair raising, spine tingling homage to Nationalist High-Imperialist music from the brilliant Richard Strauss. Just to spice it up I also added some Ennio Morricone since Western’s never get enough credit.

1. John Williams - Star Wars “Main Title”

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2. John Williams - Superman “Main Title”

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3. John Williams - Jaws “Theme”

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4. John Williams - Jurassic Park “Theme”

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5. John Williams - Saving Private Ryan “Summon the Heroes”

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6. J.S. Bach - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World “BWV1007 Unaccompanied Cello Suite in G Major”

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7. Richard Strauss - 2001: A Space Odyssey “Thus Spoke Zarathustra: Sonnenaufgang”

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8. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire “Title”

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9. Yoko Kanno - Turn A Gundam “White Falcon”

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10. Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly “Theme”

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