Michael Kamen - Band of Brothers
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Free Music Notes for Band of Brothers
Free Music Review: What are you waiting for!?
Hit: 5 Stars
l have just finished listening to the entire soundtrack and felt obligated to write a review so that other people can feel the same amazement that l did when experiencing this soundtrack. That is important. You do not listen to this soundtrack - you experience it.It is very difficult to describe this soundtrack. It evokes so many themes in so many different ways. For those of you familiar with the works of other film music composers, the best description l can give is that the composer, Michael Kamen, combines the delicate rolling sounds of James Horner (A Beautiful Mind) with the action-packed tempo that is characteristic of John Williams (Jurassic Park, Jaws, Apollo 13).
The music stands very well on its own. You could listen to this music at any time of the day. At work, in the car, while you are falling to sleep, doing the dishes - anything. l bought it in particular for background music while l am studying and always feel inspired, no matter which track l am listening to. Whether it is the all too familiar Main Theme (Track 1), the serious, determined sound of The Mission Begins (Track 4), the despairing but hopeful mood in Bull's Theme (Track 10) or the intricate folk melody and vocals contained within Plaisir D'Amour (Track 14), you will be nothing short of breathless by the end.
Through headphones or speakers, the sound is first-rate. Full bodied bass and light as a feather treble will give you goosebumps in no time. You can easily picture the movie playing out in your mind as the CD spins away. l suppose a good measure of any soundtrack is its ability to enhance and not detract from the picture - as though it maintains a subtle yet inseperable presence. Such is the case with Band of Brothers. It maintains continuity of theme for its duration without shocking you or making you want to press the skip button to the next track. It is very easy to listen to all 20 tracks sequentially and feel like you've listened to a single, evolving composition.
In any case, the proof of the pudding is in the eating so get out there and get yourself a copy of this timeless soundtrack. You will wonder how you ever did without it. l cannot even bare to study in silence anymore after listenting to this CD. l suppose invigorating is the best way to describe how one feels after letting this soundtrack make itself known. Do yourself a favour and get it now! You certainly won't regret it. If you're anything like me and have a soft spot for vibrant theatrical orchestrations with plenty to say, this soundtrack will very quickly become one of your most treasured possessions.
Cheers
Free Music Review: The most sublime music on soldiers comradeship
Hit: 5 Stars
I am a fan of good classical music, both for concert performance and for films. What Michael Kamen has achieved is probably the most sublime and inspirated work on the subject of comradeship among soldiers, no matter the side they fought. Together with John Williams' score for "Saving Private Ryan" this work ranks top, and is probably even more touching. The music is brilliant. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg knew what they were doing when they appointed Mr. Kamen for scoring the HBO series "Band of Brothers". Regarding the music itself, the first three cues are a whole concert work, divided in three parts: the main title, a fist and a second suite. The other cues are taken from the individual chapters of the series. Sometimes the music seems more chamber music than full symphony orchestra, what proves Kamen's capability as a composer. In some cues I think I find self-quotations of Michael Kamen's score for "Don Juan de Marco". But in the long cue of the camp, at least in my opinion, there is a clear, and very adequate indeed, quotation of Richard Strauss' "Metamorphosen für Streicher", a work composed at the end stages of the Second World War when Strauss mourned the end of the world he had known, and where he used (initially without noticing) the initial bars of Ludwig van Beethoven's "marcia funebre" of his Third Symphony. In my opinion, though I am not musical expert, Michael Kamen uses the same quotation Strauss employed, and for a very similar subject. And the result is really touching. Probably this coment of mine is not so erroneous if we see that another one of the cues of the CD is precisely a part of String Quartet of Beethoven, incorporated by Kamen as an independent piece into the score.Free Music Review: Music to save the world by
Hit: 5 Stars
The second track on this CD alone is worth every penny you pay for it. "Band of Brothers Suite One" is a sweeping, glorious hymn to the men who saved Western Civilization on June 6, 1944. Whether it's the actual score to the episode where Easy Company takes part in the invasion of Normandy or not, it perfectly captures the thrill and terror of the air invasion. Listening to it, one can almost see the airmen milling about, anxiously awaiting the go signal, and then the propellers starting up, the big planes lumbering down the runway and lifting off. All of that is right there in the music. It starts with a predawn whisper of hope, rises into a triumphant celebration of the courage of men taking off into the sun, headed for Europe and one of the greatest battles of the 20th century, and ends with a somber reminder that so many of them never came back. A movie about war, especially one with so unequivocal a moral foundation as the fight against the Nazis, needs at least one stirring theme for heroes, and this is one of the best ever written. Elsewhere on this CD, Kamen gives us melancholy requiems, bittersweet songs for a stillborn romance, and painful evocations of shock as a concentration camp is discovered. All these pieces are excellent, as befits a master composer, but in my opinion the violins and horns of the second track outweigh the rest of the CD. This score was a magnificent achievement for the late and much lamented Kamen, one he should be proud to be remembered by.Free Music Review: Captures the spirit of adventure and bravery! Recommended!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is Michael Kamen's best soundtrack since Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I especially like tracks 2 and 4, they manage to capture a sense of supreme sacrifice, uncertain fate, a sense of duty, yet filled with adventure, honor and bravery. These two tracks in some ways harken back to the great battles of antiquity. Track 1 on the other hand is beautiful and gives me this bittersweet feeling. Track 3 contains almost all of track 1 yet also interjects a sense of blood stirring action in the first few minutes.
The rest of the tracks are short yet very well done with most of the main themes established in tracks 1 to 4. This soundtrack captures perfectly the feel of the period portrayed in the TV show, in some ways almost reminescing the "good'ol days" of WWII when the line between good and evil was clearly drawn with men of honor marched the roads of Europe off to some distant battle for a noble cause.
Highly Recommended!
Free Music Review: Powerfully moving soundtrack to a spectacular epic
Hit: 5 Stars
In the Band of Brothers soundtrack, Michael Kamen has composed and arranged a work of music that testifies to the heroism and great sacrifice made by those who served in the war. He brings out the pathos and courage through beautifully simple melodic themes and deep rich harmonies that are very moving.The main theme is majestically stirring, with brass and violins stating the theme, which is complemented by an arrangement of choral voices. This soundtrack helps drive home one of the primary themes of the excellent HBO series- war is a very complex, chaotic, and harrowing experience, in which suffering and death strike suddenly and leaving lasting scars- both physical and emotional, but the courage of the human spirit, comradery and love triumph over the evils of war.
Whether you have seen the HBO series or not, you will be moved by this powerful work of music.