Monday, March 30, 2009

Maurice Jarre (1924-2009) A Great Composer




Three-time Oscar winner Maurice Jarre died today in Los Angeles. Although mainly known to the public for his classic scores for the films of Sir David Lean, he also composed directly for orchestra and did dozens of other film scores, far removed from the romantic "Lara's Theme" from "Doctor Zhivago". He was also the composer on the hard-as-nails Lee Marvin-Burt Lancaster western "The Professionals" (1966) as well as the World War II classic "The Tin Drum" (1979) , and the post-apocalyptic "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" (1985) .

Here he conducts one of my favorite scores from his prolific works--the overture to Lean's adaptation of E.M. Forster's "A Passage to India" (1984).
The occassion was a 1992 tribute to Lean, and portions of a documentary on his last motion picture are interwoven with the French-born Jarre and the orchestra.
Next to John Barry and John Williams, Jarre was one of the giants of international cinema, and a creative artist who made one appreciate music all the more for its power to inspire every emotion necessary for great drama.


10 comments:

  1. I like so much of Jarre's work. The world has been lucky to have him.

    Thank you for this lovely clip Doug.

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  2. I second that Iri Ani. I'm always glad to find a video that shows the composer himself conducting his score.

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  3. Sorry Doug, not my cup of tea at all. Although film music adds immensely to the enjoyment of watching in the cinema, when removed from that environment its always sounds bland, and not a whole thing in itself . Of course there are some great themes like "Lawrence of Arabia" and Dr Zhivago but overall its just what it is ... incidental to what`s happening on screen.

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  4. Along with the visual side of things this is brilliant. Of course, the two were meant to go together.I always think how amazing it is that the composers so often get it right. Maurice Jarre, so talented.

    Thank you Doug.

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  5. Personally I would have preferred the theme from Dr Zhivago myself Doug, this one has a very Edwardian flavour to me, but I liked the visuals a lot.

    Orchestras are like music factories.. which is a natural attraction to anyone from Birmingham, they are a symbol of co-operation and harmonious coordination....they should have been banned really (I think Oliver Cromwell may have done that?)...but fascinating to watch anyway.

    As I watched the guy roaming ecstaticly around the Indian hinterland I couldn't help thinking that in reality his sojourn would be interupted every 10 steps by someone wanting him complete his mystical journey in their rickshaw, at a price comparable to a first class ticket on the Orient Express..

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  6. Oh how sad that such a great composer has died. Tributes, such as yours, make them live again in our hearts. Thank you, and big hugs to your day, my friend. Cheers

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  7. I think that is very often the case, Jeff, but for me their are certain film composers like Jarre who are exceptions to the rule. In some cases, its the music of an Elmer Bernstein or an Anne Dudley that is well above the par of many of the pictures or television productions they are scoring. But, yes, I have to admit the idea of listening to the score of the ordinary yeoman composer for a comedy or drama would be a dull affair without the imagery.


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  8. I am too, Cassandra. It seems to me the whole idea of creating a proper musical background to a scene is rife with difficulty--how not to draw attention too much to the music itself? At least in the incidental scoring.
    But still giving one a feeling of being drawn into a unique world of creative fiction (story-telling) that lifts you at times into a sphere that words and pictures alone cannot bring you. I've always enjoyed collecting film scores since I was a teen and Jarre's work that I've listened to never disappointed.

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  9. I could have easily put up some selection from "Zhivago" AA. This score has a special place for me because when I heard it in the cinema for the first time I immediately thought "this is what a musical score should be!"--at least in this type of literary adaptation. The Edwardian part I can understand; you probably heard a lot more of this type of orchestration growing up than I did.

    I knew Cromwell banned theatricals, but music too? He would not have been a fun guy to sit next to during a Christmas Pantomime. I can imagine him grinding his teeth--or his sword--from the very first act.

    Your rickshaw mention reminds me of a friend and his wife recalling for me their extended sojourn traveling around India. While visiting one Indian city--I forget which--they were hounded by a fellow my friend Richard called "The Wily Shankar" (the driver's last name) who was always asking an outrageous initial price for his services and had to be bartered down every day of their ventures. Rather exhausting I would think---I imagine the great man Dave Lean had the services of a chauffeur.

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  10. Cheers to you, Red, for your kind remarks! I glad you could stop in for the music.

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