tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2008:/blog/music//2 2008-01-15T18:14:01Z This is my blog where I will be sharing my thoughts on all things music. Movable Type 3.33 tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2008:/blog/music//2.55 2008-01-15T17:20:36Z 2008-01-15T18:14:01Z

Blogs are more and more proving to be a thing of great value to me. I LOVE Michael Ruhlman's blog on the food world. And Alex Ross' music blog is a must. So I was delighted to see a...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Blogs are more and more proving to be a thing of great value to me. I LOVE Michael Ruhlman's blog on the food world. And Alex Ross' music blog is a must. So I was delighted to see a fascinating discussion blossom on our beloved Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra blog, that above all others, proves to me what a real and useful medium this is becoming. The discussion is started by esteemed composer Kevin Puts, who relays a comment uber-esteemed composer John Adams made at a lecture. The comment is almost less significant than the discussion it sparks, which to me is really interesting. It concerns many things about being a concert composer in today's climate, but begins with a debate about the dilemma a composer faces, in whether to write in a calculated way to please today's audiences. The discussion is a little spread out over many different headings, so to make it easier to navigate I'll put links to it here in order. Excellent comments abound from some really interesting thinkers, including music director Jeffrey Kahane. I am having my students at USC read and discuss this and Kevin mentions he is doing the same at Peabody. Check it out! 1. A Climate of Fear 2. Re: A Climate of Fear, A response from Jeffrey Kahane 3. On Audience Perceptions of 'modern and contemporary' 4. A Life Changing Epiphany 5. Continuing Discussion on John Adams]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2008:/blog/music//2.54 2008-01-10T01:00:25Z 2008-01-10T01:04:19Z

Well, the straws have been counted and the results are in. Mind you, I did a very rough counting, and I'll only list multiple votes, mainly to reveal trends in what would be most popular. It goes something like...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Well, the straws have been counted and the results are in. Mind you, I did a very rough counting, and I'll only list multiple votes, mainly to reveal trends in what would be most popular. It goes something like this: Rozsa was the big winner with: Quo Vadis 14 Sinbad 12 Jungle Book 8 Thief of Baghdad 4 Double Life 2 Herrmann in second with: On Dangerous Ground 7 Beneath the 12 Mile Reef 4 Obsession 4 Man Who Knew Too Much 3 Bride Wore Black 3 Devil and Daniel Webster 3 Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 Hangover Square 2 Walter Schumann: Night of the Hunter 7 Gold: Exodus 4 Waxman: Tarus Bulba 8 Newman: Wuthering Heights 3 Williams: Black Sunday 2 Family Plot 2 So, there it is. Rozsa seems to be what you all want most. I was really surprised not to see more requests for North or Jerry Goldsmith. Why do you think that is? And now I have to learn the Schumann score to Night of the Hunter, because I do not know it and so many of you voted for it. THANK YOU all for taking the time to vote here, and as well for supporting classic film music. Your input was informative and valuable. Happy New Year! Joel]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.53 2007-12-07T00:24:14Z 2007-12-07T00:40:27Z

All right you guys. Time to engage. I'm going to take a little informal poll here. I thought about posting this on one of the highly trafficked message boards, but that can get a little overwhelming. I figure the...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ All right you guys. Time to engage. I'm going to take a little informal poll here. I thought about posting this on one of the highly trafficked message boards, but that can get a little overwhelming. I figure the folks who show up here have good taste, good looks and plenty of discretion. (blogger brown-nose alert) So, here it is; I'm trying to decide what score to tackle next in our series of rerecordings. What film scores would absolutely make your year to have rerecorded? Let's limit your choices to 5 each. Leave off Spartacus. Unless some fan wants to finance the project, it simply isn't financially doable, due to the gigantically massive orchestral forces needed. Now don't misunderstand, the decision is ultimately not up to me. Bob Townson is the producer and he makes the calls (which I'd say he's done a pretty phenomenal job of, don't you agree? 2001 North...hello?) But I thought it would be interesting to take a straw poll, to take the pulse of those of you who buy and collect scores, to see what you are longing for. And who knows, if we get a strong consensus for something, we'll see what can be done. Now let's hear from you. Don't be shy. Cheers, Joel ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.52 2007-12-04T17:58:39Z 2007-12-04T18:03:09Z

Okay, today some levity. First off, a spoof that is so great, so completely dead on. And the music is all North By Northwest. When we were in Bratislava, Bob Townson got a call to provide the sheet music...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Okay, today some levity. First off, a spoof that is so great, so completely dead on. And the music is all North By Northwest. When we were in Bratislava, Bob Townson got a call to provide the sheet music for the on-screen musicians to fake to. He didn't know what they were going to do with it, but he provided it.(It is after all Scorsese) I just love this, right down to the chubby conductor, looking confused most of the time. (I'm sure this is just what I must look like to my orchestras!) And then, a jewel. Dudley Moore, whose technique rivaled most concertizing pianists. This just makes me smile so much. Enjoy!]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.51 2007-11-19T23:51:18Z 2007-11-19T23:58:22Z

Today, Varese Sarabande announced our recording of Bernard Herrmann's brilliant and classic score for the film North By Northwest. I've been sitting on this since July. Couldn't breath a word of it. Happy to be released from the bonds...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Today, Varese Sarabande announced our recording of Bernard Herrmann's brilliant and classic score for the film North By Northwest. I've been sitting on this since July. Couldn't breath a word of it. Happy to be released from the bonds of prerelease silence! I'm really excited about this recording. We went to Bratislava to work with the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra. (Until currency exchange rates simmer down, our days in Glasgow with the RSNO will remain a memory.) An enormous amount of work went into this recording. Christopher Husted painstakingly reconstructed many cues and recopied ALL of the parts (a Herculean task.) Robert Townson set up the recordings to be right after my Lyon concert and before he had to go to Ubeda for the festival there. We had TWO days to record the whole thing, over 65 minutes! I spent a huge amount of time immersed in the original recording and while it is simply impossible to reproduce over an hour of music perfectly from a tempi standpoint, that was at least the goal. This is a fantastic, fun, rollicking and unconventional score. A Spanish fandango written in 3/8 is the basis for most of the action sequences. In this (and most) cases, a bar of 3/8 is conducted as one beat, so imagine trying to keep your place as the bars one beat long are literally FLYING by. Not for the faint of heart. Herrmann was a gutsy guy, no question. Jonathan Allen from Abbey Road did a wonderful job recording the orchestra and I remixed the record here at my studio with help from my colleague and friend Rich Breen. The result is a record made with an enormous amount of care and energy, made with the respectful intention of preserving and promoting this great composer's work. Robert Townson deserves a world of credit in his devotion to the great masters of film music and creating recordings that will well represent the music for generations to come. And hopefully this recording is one worthy of the music and one you will all enjoy!]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.50 2007-10-19T01:02:55Z 2007-10-19T20:09:32Z

A funny thing happened today. Just one of those great coincidental confluences that set you to wondering if there are in fact any such things as coincidences. Maybe it's all part of the grand design. Like running into a...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ A funny thing happened today. Just one of those great coincidental confluences that set you to wondering if there are in fact any such things as coincidences. Maybe it's all part of the grand design. Like running into a friend you haven't seen in years sitting next to you in an airport lounge. Well, whatever, this isn't the time nor the place to get metaphysical. Okay, so I was mountain biking up in a nature preserve near here. It was a long slog mostly up hill but at the end, the reward is to come barreling down these huge beautiful hills into a meadow with thick prairie grasses. I had been listening to the soundtrack to Hook by JW, which is something of a masterwork (the score, not the film) for the whole ride. Just as I crested the rise of the last hill and came flying over (think The Sound of Music) the cue where Pan realizes he can fly swelled and exploded in fanfares and emotional soaring melodies precisely as I came flying down the hill. A perfect cinematic scoring moment, one that couldn't have been edited to be any tighter. I threw my hands in the air and cheered. Then I almost crashed, so I got back to business. It was great. I'm teaching now at USC in the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program. I've been enjoying it so far. There are 20 students in the program. This term I'm only teaching master classes, the last one about writing for brass and woodwinds. Next semester I'll be teaching a regular class on composing for film, plus a few private lessons. It's a funny thing to try and teach someone what you've done your whole life. It makes one really bore down and think about the process, think about what you believe, think about how you do what you do, rather than just doing it. It's quite interesting. ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.49 2007-09-29T17:26:33Z 2007-09-29T20:02:35Z

It's been a while since the last blog. Been busy. I took a trip to northern Michigan last week that is worth mentioning. The Interlochen Arts Academy is a four-year boarding high school for the arts, where I went...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ It's been a while since the last blog. Been busy. I took a trip to northern Michigan last week that is worth mentioning. The Interlochen Arts Academy is a four-year boarding high school for the arts, where I went to school many years ago. Many. It's always been a very special place for me, a place that helped launch this musical adventure I've been on. Interlochen is one of those magical spots, set on a lake, ringed by pine and birch trees and just plain drop dead beautiful. I've been on the Board of Trustees at the school for some time, which keeps me connected with the place. Several years ago, Interlochen Center for the Arts (more than just a high school, a huge summer camp, a radio station, an arts festival, and arts adult education,) was blessed with a new president, Jeffrey Kimpton, who is a man with bold ideas and a lack of fear in implementing them. Just the right guy at the right time. Jeffrey decided that a motion picture arts program would be a perfect fit for the school and has made it happen in a blindingly short period of time. There now sits a gorgeous new film school building with a sound stage, Final Cut Pro editing suites and a projection theater and great gear, etc. 22 high school filmmaking majors inhabit it. ( the above picture is of the new Deroy Motion Picture Arts building.) Cool. So in the context of all this, Andrew Davis, a fine director that I was lucky enough to work with on Holes agreed to come up and work with the kids for a day. I went with him and we showed Holes and then talked about it for a while. The kids asked probing and interesting questions. Andy showed his first film the next day, which was really interesting for the kids, so they could see he didn't start out making $100m movies. This week I went to Edmonton, Alberta. Seeing how far north on the map it was, I pictured mountains or at least foothills, dense with trees and wildlife and unspoiled Canadian glory. Wrong, dumb American. As I flew in, I thought we had taken a wrong turn and were landing in Kansas. It was flat (and I mean flat as in see all the way to the horizon without a bump, flat) farmland. Parceled furrow fields stretching out into infinity. Consequently, with nothing to stop it, the wind is never-ending. The city is lovely as was the nearly 100-year-old hotel that overlooks the river. I was there to meet up with Loreena McKennitt, a singer and songwriter who I am working with on The Tinkerbell Movie. She was mid-tour making her way across Canada before heading south to the states next month. I caught up with Loreena and her amazing band at their sound check. She has some extraordinary players in her group. Almost all of them play at least 3 instruments. There was a fantastic hurdy-gurdy player, a Greek lyra player (tiny violin) a brilliant cellist and violinist, great ouds, balalaikas, etc. And Loreena is the world's most expressive and in-tune singer ever. For those who have worked with singers, (sorry) you know that it can be a major struggle sometimes to get a performance in tune. Software repairs now make everyone a perfect singer these days, but when you hear someone do it for real, it's a little freaky. Anyway, thank you to Loreena and to all of the band for letting me step into your tour bubble and bask in your wonderful music. Finally home yesterday, sitting on the porch of my studio having a coffee and happy to be home in this quiet normal setting. And then a woman came trotting by on horseback, (my yard is ringed with horse trails) leading another horse, all while cradling her cell-phone on her shoulder yakking away as she took her ride. She must have ridden back and forth 4-5 times only a few feet away from me, and never acknowledged my presence. A beautiful day, a bucolic setting, a neighbor to wave hello to, all obscured by 'the devil's walkie-talkie'. Only in LA. Normal, schmormal.]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.47 2007-08-30T21:08:30Z 2007-09-13T02:08:06Z

My rule about reviews is that you can't allow the bad ones to get you down. Therefore, you mustn't listen to the good ones either. It's all about the work. I always try my very hardest and hope that...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ My rule about reviews is that you can't allow the bad ones to get you down. Therefore, you mustn't listen to the good ones either. It's all about the work. I always try my very hardest and hope that the music reaches someone. But these two reviews seemed to get what I was attempting on my last soundtrack really well, so hey, rules are for breaking right? I'll admit they made me smile. http://ifmagazine.com/review.asp?article=1948 movie-wave review I like that they picked up on the role of the piano in this score, which I'll talk a little about. Since it's disappeared from the theaters by now, (SPOILER ALERT) I think it's okay to say that the bad guy is the piano teacher. By way of clues to this effect, every time the killer appears, what you are hearing is some sort of messed up piano. And since the Chopin A minor Waltz is played in the very beginning, I use small quotes of that throughout whenever the baddie is around, a little trail of musical breadcrumbs. The one review mentioned the little jack-in-the-box crank sounds. I was happy he picked up on this because those sounds took forever to make. I took piano tuners' rubber mutes and muted the strings. I then hit them with wooden mallets, which made that little sound. I also took handfuls of little erasers and threw them at the strings with the sustain pedal down. As they bounced around randomly they created a great creepy effect. I knocked on the sound board, I plucked strings, I put dimes in between the strings, I stroked them with a feather, I took a butter knife and scraped up and down the strings, I banged on the low strings with my palms, and on and on. Then I played them through guitar amp modeling software to really mess and distort them up. So, the majority of what sound like bizarre samples and synths are really just my trusty Yamaha grand. Once again, thanks to Varese Sarabande for putting out my soundtrack!]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.45 2007-08-05T18:42:54Z 2007-08-05T21:16:37Z

Here is a plug, no, a tip, a really good tip, for those who love jazz, or those who love creative instrumental music, or for that matter, anyone who has come to this blog because they trust me enough...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Here is a plug, no, a tip, a really good tip, for those who love jazz, or those who love creative instrumental music, or for that matter, anyone who has come to this blog because they trust me enough to take my recommendation. My dear friend Maria Schneider has a new record out, called Sky Blue, which if you are remotely in any of the above categories, you simply must get. Maria's ensemble is a fairly standard big band configuration, however I don't think many would hear this music as anything approaching conventional big band music. To my ear it's more orchestral. Anyway, the compositions are long-form, 10-22 minutes in length. Don't go in looking for the standard intro A,A,B,A long improvising sections and then the whole thing over again with a coda tacked on. These are fully developed compositions, which often require slowing down one's expectation mechanism and settling in for a journey. I won't review piece by piece here, (they're all great) but for me standouts are Rich's Piece, which is like dark, dark bitter chocolate, delicious with a lingering bite and redolent of something distantly melancholy and Cerulean Skies which reminds me of Ravel. Also, for you music heads, try, just try and figure out the meter (meters) on Aires de Lando. Lot's o luck. The playing is superb. One of the things I love about Maria's writing is that she seems to know her players so deeply and she so often finds a way to feature them in a way that sends them soaring. Rich Perry and Donny McCaslin, the two tenor players, blow my mind. And I love the addition of the accordion. It's an unexpected strange color, which by the end of the record feels integral. Lastly, if you're smart enough to take me up on this tip and get this record, go for the expanded version. It has two beautiful booklets, one with a diary of the compositional process and thematic sketches, and the other, a photo journal of the recording process. Maria finances her recordings herself, eliminating record company intervention in her creative process, another reason why this project is so extraordinary and deserves support. We need artists like this to keep going, to keep writing and playing, and to keep making our world a more beautiful place.]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.44 2007-07-23T19:39:34Z 2007-07-24T00:29:31Z

Of course the idea that recorded music is in and of itself destructive, is not one I hold to. But one thing that I take away from Stravinsky's amazingly prescient writing is how much the over saturation or availability of...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Chris Thile and his merry band of virtuosi choose to make a record of the most incredibly complex and difficult music, standing around two microphones, playing live with no editing, my heart soars. Because the music is phenomenal and yes, the fact that they can play it live with no mistakes makes it even more phenomenal to me. Knowing that the notes haven't been tweezed to be perfectly in line or in tune makes that recording that much more special. ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.43 2007-07-19T18:45:05Z 2007-07-19T18:50:46Z

From 1935, to perhaps spark discussion, these words from one of the greatest composers who ever lived: "The propagation of music by mechanical means (for instance, the disc) and the broadcasting of music - that represent formidable scientific conquests,...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ From 1935, to perhaps spark discussion, these words from one of the greatest composers who ever lived: "The propagation of music by mechanical means (for instance, the disc) and the broadcasting of music - that represent formidable scientific conquests, which are very likely to spread even more - merit close examination as for their importance and their effects in the domain of music. Of course, the possibility for both authors and performers to reach the masses, and the fact that these masses are able to make themselves acquainted with musical works, represent an unquestionable advantage. However, it cannot be concealed that this advantage is dangerous at the same time. In the past, someone like Johann-Sebastian Bach had to walk ten leagues in order to hear Buxtehude perform his works. Today, any inhabitant of any country simply has to either turn a knob or play a record in order to listen to the piece of his choice. Well! It is in this very incredible easiness, in this very lack of effort that lies the vice of that so-called progress. In music, more than in any other branch of art, comprehension is only given to those who actively contribute to it. In itself, the massive reception is not enough. The listening of certain combinations of sounds, and the automatic growing accustomed to them does not necessarily involve the fact of hearing and grasping them, for one can listen without hearing, the same way one can watch without seeing. What renders people lazy is their lack of active effort and their developing of a liking for this easiness. People no longer need to move about as Bach had to; the radio spares them the traveling. Neither do they absolutely need to make music themselves and to waste time studying an instrument in order to know the musical literature. The radio and the disc take over. As a result, the active faculties, without which music cannot be assimilated, gradually atrophy among the listeners who no longer train them. This gradual paralysis leads to extremely serious consequences. Overwhelmed with sounds, the most varied combinations of which leave them indifferent, people fall into a sort of mindless state, that deprives them of all ability to judge, and renders them indifferent to the very quality of what they are served. In the near future, such disorganized overfeeding is more than likely to make listeners lose their hunger and their liking for music. Indeed, there will always be some exceptions - some people within the hoard will be able to select what they like. However, concerning the masses, one has all the reasons to fear that instead of generating love for and understanding of music, the modern means involved in spreading music will lead absolutely to opposite results; it is to say, they will lead to indifference, to the inability to recognize them, to be guided by them, and to have any reaction of some value." Igor Stravinsky - "Chronicles of My Life" - 1935 ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.41 2007-07-09T16:09:42Z 2007-07-19T20:13:54Z

Imagine a 2000-year-old Roman amphitheater, made from thousands of stones (by slaves no doubt,) that was discovered only in 1933 buried under an apartment building perched on the highest hill overlooking Lyon. As they dug, they found two magnificent...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Imagine a 2000-year-old Roman amphitheater, made from thousands of stones (by slaves no doubt,) that was discovered only in 1933 buried under an apartment building perched on the highest hill overlooking Lyon. As they dug, they found two magnificent amphitheaters, the larger holding 4500 people and the smaller 1500. Imagine stone pillars the size of a refrigerator, strewn around the grounds like discarded cars, all with intricate Latin text carvings on them, which looked brand new, literally hundreds of them. This was the setting for my concert in Lyon last Friday with the Lyon National Orchestra at the Les Nuits de Fourviere festival. We begin our concert of Hitchcock/Herrmann traditionally with recordings of birds from The Birds. This quickly became redundant as the swallow's feeding time coincided with twilight and our concert and they put on a wonderful show just before we began. It is difficult to put into words how wonderful being in such a spot, on a perfect French summer evening is. And then to step out on stage and conduct 2 and a half hours of some of the greatest music ever written for film was something I will never forget. The orchestra was tremendous, playing passionately and with great attention to detail. Greg Cohen and the jazz quintet were fantastic, providing new and exciting interpretations and colors. Many thanks to all at Les Nuits de Fourviere for being so gracious and to the orchestra for such fantastic playing. Just before the last piece, Taxi Driver, an epitaph is shown on screen with Herrmann's death date. As we began Taxi Driver I wondered how he would react if he could, to seeing two thousand people sitting in an ancient place in the south of France, on a spectacular evening, more than 30 years after his death, reveling in his beautiful music. And then this last moment, which cemented for me, what a rare evening it was. The concert began at 9:30 and ended at midnight. After that they showed the movie Vertigo! I had gone to the after-party in a gorgeous villa that used to be a convent, next door. When returning to gather my things, I walked through the moonlit garden around the ancient pillars, hearing first a whisper and then the full strains of the passionate music from the Scene D'Amour sequence from Vertigo, soaring through this beautiful hillside. I peeked into the amphitheater, and a full 800 people had stayed past the concert to nearly 2 am to see Vertigo! No more guessing, I KNOW Herrmann would have loved this. ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.40 2007-06-30T20:36:15Z 2007-06-30T20:39:17Z

"I Know Who Killed Me" is in the can. Done. I had a really good time with it. It was a real change of pace for me. There were some interesting plot points involving music, that I took advantage of...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ "I Know Who Killed Me" is in the can. Done. I had a really good time with it. It was a real change of pace for me. There were some interesting plot points involving music, that I took advantage of in the score. I'll give more away later, but the score is loaded with clues, most which I'm the only one who'll ever get, but they're there. It's a very piano-centric score but much of the time you won't be able to recognize what you are hearing as piano. The director, Chris Sivertson, had so many details and clues established and organized, that it was fantastic fitting into his world and trying to have the score function the same way. I'm really happy Varese Sarabande is putting out the soundtrack. Thanks Bob! It looks to be around 44 minutes of music. Look for the film and the CD to be out the last week of July. I'm deep into preparing Herrmann scores for my concert in France next week. (Contrary to what one poster said on another site, I DO in fact, prepare like crazy.) Every time I reunite with these scores, I find something new, something undiscovered. And I now feel free to experiment. Since the recordings are there, which attempted to be as true as possible to the films, why not take the concert experience as an opportunity to reinterpret and reexamine? Why not try and bring out new things in the music? After all, how interesting would it be if La Mer were played precisely the same at every performance, by every conductor? I look forward to working with the Lyon National Symphony. I expect them to be a passionate group and as such, perfect for this passionate music. Au Revoir for now. ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.39 2007-06-09T18:36:39Z 2007-06-09T18:43:45Z

I internalize the emotions of the films that I am scoring. At the end of a 10-hour day of writing my two minutes of music (yup, it takes that long if you do it right) I am left with...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ I internalize the emotions of the films that I am scoring. At the end of a 10-hour day of writing my two minutes of music (yup, it takes that long if you do it right) I am left with a lingering hangover of whatever emotions were contained in that two minutes. Lately, I've been composing the score to a horror film, which contains graphic and jarring violence. The director has been really thoughtful and careful about his use of image and subtle clues and has inspired me to strive for the same. I'm really enjoying writing twisted f...ed up music, as out there as I can manage, that is as dark and hopeless as I can manage, but I have not been Little Mary Sunshine lately. Not that I'm a method composer. I'm not running around slicing off the limbs of my neighbors as they sleep, so that I can really get in touch with that emotion, but after a full month of being as musically diabolical as I can, I think I'm starting to become a bit unrecognizable to those that know me. And this, the film, which largely takes place at night is visually very dark. (at least the work print I have) So in order to really absorb what the frame holds, which always gives up nice clues about how to musically treat it, I have had to close all my drapes and blinds and work in the dark. The other day I went to a meeting for my ongoing project at Disney, The Tinkerbell Movie. Being suddenly thrust into the visually spectacular, colorful world of fairies and children's imaginations, after being submerged in the depths of human torture was quite a contrast. A wonderful contrast. If I did nothing but fairy movies or nothing but horror movies, heck nothing but aerobics videos, that would be difficult. But I love having a dark and twisted story to sink into and go deeply to 'the dark side', knowing that when I come out, something entirely different is waiting. That's why writing music for film is constantly challenging, never boring and fun as hell. ]]> tag:web1.joelmcneely.com,2007:/blog/music//2.38 2007-06-05T20:13:54Z 2007-06-05T20:15:30Z

Happy news. Our concert Nightmare Romance: Bernard Herrman and Alfred Hitchcock, will be performed by one of the world's great orchestras. None other than The Chicago Symphony Orchestra! I've been a fan my whole life and to conduct that...

Joel McNeely http://www.joelmcneely.com/ Happy news. Our concert Nightmare Romance: Bernard Herrman and Alfred Hitchcock, will be performed by one of the world's great orchestras. None other than The Chicago Symphony Orchestra! I've been a fan my whole life and to conduct that great orchestra will be an honor and a thrill. Growing up a little north of there, some of my earliest concert memories were with the CSO. What brass, what Mahler. Priceless memories. And Margaret, my wife who lived up the road in Rockford, won their Young Artists competition when she was 13 and soloed with them. It's not until next April, but not too early to talk it up!]]>