# recommendations for classical-tier movie soundtracks



## zelenka (Feb 8, 2018)

What are some really great movie scores/soundtracks that you consider on a par with great classical music works?

1. Kingdom of Heaven
2. Braveheart
3. A Beautiful Mind
4. LOTR Trilogy
5. Amelie
6. The Passion of the Christ
7. Cinema Paradiso


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Pearl Harbor
Dragonheart
The Man With The Iron Mask
The Mission
The Last of the Mohicans


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

and anything by Bernard Herrmann.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Waxman: Peyton Place, Rebecca, Bride of Frankenstein, Prince Valiant, A place in the Sun, Sunset Boulevard
Korngold: Kings Row, Robin Hood, Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk
Steiner: Gone with the Wind, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Now Voyager
Herrmann: 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Vertigo, Gulliver's Travels,


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

In no particular order:
Vertigo by Herrmann. 
Interstellar by Zimmer. 
Alexander by Vangelis. 
Spartacus by Alex North. 
Batman by Elfman. 
Superman by Williams. 
Star Trek TMP by Jerry Goldsmith.
The Piano by Michael Nyman.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

On a par with great classical works? Really? Am I being told that sitting and listening to these scores will be an experience on a par with listening to a Brahms, Mahler or Beethoven symphony? If so it seems I am missing something when listening to the music that has been recommended so far. Or perhaps the recommenders get something very different to what I get when they listen to Beethoven, Mahler and Brahms. I'm not "having a go" but I really am distressed by this thread. 

I know lots of people are going to jump on me now and, as I don't enjoy debates that are (to put it politely) "competitive", I have already decided that I will not respond further in this thread. I could have just ignored this thread - that would have been sensible - but I am intrigued as well as distressed and would like to read how or why you all think the recommended music compares well with the greatest music of the classical tradition. Is it in the same way that one might say that Hendrix or Coltrane or even Genesis are similarly great (but clearly very different)? Or is it being said that this music equals the best classical at its own game? As I say, I won't argue ... but I am genuinely interested as I know many of you often post interestingly.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Enthusiast said:


> On a par with great classical works? Really? Am I being told that sitting and listening to these scores will be an experience on a par with listening to a Brahms, Mahler or Beethoven symphony? If so it seems I am missing something when listening to the music that has been recommended so far. Or perhaps the recommenders get something very different to what I get when they listen to Beethoven, Mahler and Brahms. I'm not "having a go" but I really am distressed by this thread.
> 
> I know lots of people are going to jump on me now and, as I don't enjoy debates that are (to put it politely) "competitive", I have already decided that I will not respond further in this thread. I could have just ignored this thread - that would have been sensible - but I am intrigued as well as distressed and would like to read how or why you all think the recommended music compares well with the greatest music of the classical tradition. Is it in the same way that one might say that Hendrix or Coltrane or even Genesis are similarly great (but clearly very different)? Or is it being said that this music equals the best classical at its own game? As I say, I won't argue ... but I am genuinely interested as I know many of you often post interestingly.


Howard Shore - The Prophecy (from Lord of the Rings) - delicate, powerful and well orchestrated imo.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I would agree that most filmscores, however well they work supporting the film (and some are extraordinary), do not work for me listening to them on their own. At best they call to mind the scenes they accompany. Even the scores by recognized established classical composers (Vaughan Willims, Prokofiev, Walton . . .) don't really hold up after too many listenings.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

In my own music listening, I certainly don't break out a film score as often as I do a Brahms or Beethoven symphony. They are just much more cohesive and involving.

With that said, there is music of value to be found among film scores, just as there is among operas.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Not the Shore score. I would sit and listen to this over Mahler, Martinu, and many others.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

I love many movie soundtracks. For years, they were my favorite music genre. I no longer think they need to be "elevated" to the category of "classical" to justify their beauty and emotional impact, but here are two that come immediately to mind:

1. The soundtrack to "The English Patient"

2. The theme song to "Lewis:"






Here's the full playlist, original music by the Lebanese composer Gabriel Yared:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL96133968EC595B03

(Also, this was the last year that I watched the full Academy Awards. The actresses' gowns were so elegant. After that, it was all downhill.)

_Lewis _Theme Song:






I really miss this show.


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