# Alan Silvestri



## lux (May 21, 2010)

Testing headphones i just opened my Alan Silvestri's folder to hear a few mp3's. It didnt happen from a good time.

I remembered in a few minutes why i always considered him to be my favourite movie composer. He's one of the most intense and sensitive melodist i've ever happened to listen to. He's perfect to screen at the same time too.

I really think he's mentioned usually (and awarded as well) only a fraction of what he should be.


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## JohnG (May 21, 2010)

you are right, Luca. The one time I thought he was acclaimed at something like the level of his talent came after the release of Forrest Gump, which I thought was quite a popular score.

His score for "A Christmas Carol" I thought was exceptional.


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## JT3_Jon (May 21, 2010)

100% agree! I still remember as a kid riding around on my skateboard singing the Back to the Future theme! I have to be careful with the score now; listening to it will driving inevitably leads to speeding tickets 

It also helps that he is an amazing guy as well! Met him after an SCL event once as a student, and he was an extremely nice, down-to-earth guy and even joked with my brother, who is a film maker, to not use me as his film composer but instead hire him! LOL! 

For sure one of my favorite film composers by far!


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## Justus (May 21, 2010)

Back to the future was one reason I started to love film score. I can't imagine a better music for these fantastic films!


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## bigdog (May 21, 2010)

Don't forget Roger Rabbit. Always has been one of the best


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## Ed (May 21, 2010)

Mouse Hunt was also an awesome score. I love that theme.

Also, say what you will about the Super Mario Bros. movie his score was great fun :D

To me he is classic cinema.


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## sadatayy (May 21, 2010)

i personally loved his haunting cast away score the most apart from forest gump (similar wistful style and melodies, i guess tom hanks evokes certain types of emotions in a composer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4ov_YIfi4s


who doesn't think that's one of the most beautiful things ever written?

-Tarik


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## choc0thrax (May 21, 2010)

Don't forget these two great scores:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf4RJxR1SpA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzBbueRK7v8


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## Narval (May 21, 2010)

I have always considered Silvestri the master of understatement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q60x_5W ... re=related
(check out the 1:50 and 4:10 moments)

Oh, and the loss theme in Cast Away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-zaO-hU ... re=related

One of the finest and most effective scorers out there.


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## Marius Masalar (May 22, 2010)

I'm a huge Silvestri fan, I just wish his recent work reflected his abilities a bit better. GI Joe was painful to me, especially knowing he was responsible, so I'm hoping it was just a fluke.

I guess we'll see what he does with The A-Team.


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## SvK (May 22, 2010)

I gotta give it to CONTACT.

Silvestri is not afraid to be utterly sappy, because he understands that it WORX and people love it!

i know I do 

SvK


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## MacQ (May 23, 2010)

I love Silvestri's scores for the exact reason that he writes a GREAT melody. Melody is king for me ... I don't like wallpaper music.

The "Back to the Future" scores in particular are an amazement to me. The way he deftly incorporates the same themes all through the movies, in entirely different contexts ... hitting action in a way that seems totally effortless and writing some of the most beautiful love music.

Yeah, he's definitely under-appreciated.

~Stu


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## lux (May 23, 2010)

SvK @ Sat May 22 said:


> I gotta give it to CONTACT.
> 
> Silvestri is not afraid to be utterly sappy, because he understands that it WORX and people love it!
> 
> ...



me too gotta give it to Contact, which is plain fantastic and my favourite.


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## handz (May 23, 2010)

Predator and Back to the Future scores are TOP - of course, Yeah those were the days when great scifi movies were made and music was still music. Nostalgic tear dropped.


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## re-peat (May 23, 2010)

"The Abyss" was pretty good too.


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## handz (May 23, 2010)

Yea! Abyss - I watched it yeasterday on local TV - great theme! Wait - (searching my collection) Judge Dredd! - some GREAT MUSIC - in extended bootleg version.


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## lux (May 23, 2010)

he's my favourite composer as he's "in the movie" and not "on the movie". His music shows the intent to contribute to the lecture and narrative flow of the movie itself, with a lovely way to translate a story in music using his own sensitivity.


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## Rob Elliott (May 23, 2010)

SvK @ Sat May 22 said:


> I gotta give it to CONTACT.
> 
> Silvestri is not afraid to be utterly sappy, because he understands that it WORX and people love it!
> 
> ...




Couldn't agree more Svk (Contact - just works and brings it from Sci-Fi to a human experience of discovery). Also - He gets the A gigs cause he just has a deep well of ideas - for many occasions. Directors and producers expect and in most cases get what they pay for with him. Perhaps one of the great melodic writers of our time. Big fan.


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## Dave Connor (May 23, 2010)

Beowolf may be the best of it's kind. It's very informed writing along with brilliant integration of choir and orchestra. His use of the lower register of the choir is brilliant, effective and even innovative. Great score.


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## Rob Elliott (May 23, 2010)

Dave Connor @ Sun May 23 said:


> Beowolf may be the best of it's kind. It's very informed writing along with brilliant integration of choir and orchestra. His use of the lower register of the choir is brilliant, effective and even innovative. Great score.




Good to know Dave - I was so uninterested in that film as a 'film' - I never really listened to the score. I'll now go back and listen - per your comments.

All the best,


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## interoctave (May 23, 2010)

Silvestri is certainly one of the greatest...and a master of the lost art of melody.


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## Dave Connor (May 23, 2010)

Rob Elliott @ Sun May 23 said:


> Dave Connor @ Sun May 23 said:
> 
> 
> > Beowolf may be the best of it's kind. It's very informed writing along with brilliant integration of choir and orchestra. His use of the lower register of the choir is brilliant, effective and even innovative. Great score.
> ...



I almost commented on the poor quality of the film Rob but limited my remarks to the score. Which is truly great imho.


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## SvK (May 23, 2010)

"What Lies Benath"

hehe I would say that ...

SvK


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## mjc (May 25, 2010)

I grew up with watching the Back to the Future trilogy (even though the first one came out before I was born  )...that and JW Superman definitely left a mark on musical DNA as I was growing up (sorry that must sound silly coming from a 22 year old lol).

Listening to BTTF as I'm typing this...thematic development and orchestration is about as good as it gets! Brilliant stuff!

Oh yeh definitely Who Framed Roger Rabbit too. Very cool! :D


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## synthetic (May 25, 2010)

I took the Scott Smalley Orchestration class this weekend and we spent a lot of time looking at some of his Judge Dredd cues. Amazing stuff.


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## dp_audio (May 26, 2010)

Alan Silvestri is one of my major inspirations for studying music and aspiring to become a composer. It's good to see him get some love on here, because I have always adored his scores.


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## handz (May 26, 2010)

synthetic @ Tue May 25 said:


> I took the Scott Smalley Orchestration class this weekend and we spent a lot of time looking at some of his Judge Dredd cues. Amazing stuff.



Yes it is - I must say it again - if you can, get the bootleg version, there are only few tracks on the original release.


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## Narval (May 26, 2010)

On the animation side, I think Polar Express and A Christmas Carol are both delicious. A bit cheesy, of course, but done tastefully. Real treats!


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## lux (May 26, 2010)

Narval @ Wed May 26 said:


> On the animation side, I think Polar Express and A Christmas Carol are both delicious. A bit cheesy, of course, but done tastefully. Real treats!



Yup, not to mention Lilo & Stich. You Can Never Belong is one of my favourite tracks.


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