MARK McKENZIE - the ultimate life (2013)

Composer Mark McKenzie tells Symphonic Tale in The Ultimate Life

In theaters now

Score Album available on Varèse Sarabande Records

Check it out here: http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1124/Ultimate-Life,-The/Detail

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 27, 2013)– Award winning composer Mark McKenzie returns to score The Ultimate Life, directed by Michael Landon Jr. Based on the novels by Jim Stovall, the film is a prequel and sequel to the film The Ultimate Gift, also scored by McKenzie. The composer recorded the score for The Ultimate Life with a full orchestra. The film is in select theaters with the score album available on Varèse Sarabande Records.

The Ultimate Life continues the story of Jason Stevens after surviving the quest he was sent on by his grandfather. Now... that gift, which includes managing a billion dollar foundation, is being challenged by his family. With Jason’s assets being seized in a courtroom battle and his relationship with Alexia growing increasingly complicated, he sets out on a quest to discover what it truly means to fulfill his destiny.

McKenzie has a reputation for delivering scores that not only service the needs of the film, but also play outside the theatre. Two years ago, McKenzie’s heartfelt and uplifting score for the faith based film, The Greatest Miracle (El Gran Milagro) was performed live in Madrid, Spain in front of thousands as part of World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI in attendance. Reviewed as one of the top scores of the year, McKenzie also received the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Score for The Greatest Miracle (El Gran Milagro).

Mark McKenzie is one of a small number of composers working in Hollywood who orchestrates every note he composes. Although McKenzie has primarily scored independent features, he has garnered a reputation for the thematic richness, beauty, and warmth of his scores. The talented composer/orchestrator has collaborated with virtually every major film composer over the past 20 years including John Barry, Danny Elfman, John Williams, and the late Jerry Goldsmith.

McKenzie’s film credits as both a composer and an orchestrator have totaled more than $6 billion in the box office. His extensive list of film orchestration credits include the films Spider-Man, Nightmare Before Christmas, Good Will Hunting and the Academy® Award- winning Dances With Wolves. He also composed and orchestrated Francis Ford Coppola's My Family / Mi Familia. McKenzie recently wrote new, original music for the opening and closing sequences for the award-winning television anthology Hallmark Hall of Fame series, the longest running television serial in history. Additionally, collaborating with composers Martin O’Donnell, Michael Salvatori and Sir Paul McCartney, McKenzie orchestrated a 50 minute symphonic orchestral piece for Bungie Inc.’s upcoming video game following Halo.

(press release official : Costa Comm)

Howard Shore's new score release for 2013: "JIMMY P"

CD version here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jimmy-P-OST-Original-Score/dp/B00E51KL3G/ref=sr_1_42?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1380257826&sr=1-42

Info: 

Jimmy P. (OST) - Original Score

Howard Shore

CD info:

Audio CD (30 Sep 2013)

Number of Discs: 1

Label: Howe Records

ASIN: B00E51KL3G

Also available as an mp3 album:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jimmy-P/dp/B00EUNLPIY/ref=mb_oe_o

Written for the Dover Quartet with chamber orchestra, Howard Shore's score for Arnaud Desplechin's Jimmy P. balances the film's themes of memory and introspection. The film is an adaptation of George Devereux's book "Reality and Dream: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian," which stars Benicio Del Toro and Mathieu Amalric, and follows a Native American soldier aka Jimmy Picard (Del Toro) who suffers psychologically in the aftermath World War II. Working together, Devereux (Amalric) and Jimmy P. form a bond of friendship amidst their professional therapeutic relationship.

ATLI ÖRVARRSON to score "Chicago Fire" season 2

COMPOSER ATLI ÖRVARRSON’S SCORE BRINGS THE HEAT TO

CHICAGO FIRE

Season 2 Premiers Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 10/9c on NBC

(West Hollywood, CA)- September 24, 2013—Composer Atli Örvarsson provides the adrenaline-pumping score for the NBC hit drama Chicago Fire, as Season 2 premiers on Tuesday, September 24. The season beings with Firehouse 51 taking on new blood and new rules, while Severide faces a dangerous arsonist. Beginning his career working with veteran TV composer Mike Post, Örvarsson contributed music to the hit dramas NYPD Blue and Law & Order. His musical contributions made an impression on Law & Order executive producer, Dick Wolf, who selected Örvarsson to score Chicago Fire. The show ended its first season with an audience of 6.9 million viewers.

To match the high-octane, high-stress world of Firehouse 51, Örvarsson crafts a score to match the tension of the show. Dark droning undertones and sporadically heavy percussion keep you on your toes while soft piano and string melodies float above the rumbling backdrop. Using both digital and analog instruments, Örvarsson modernizes the score while highlighting the frantic lives of our everyday heroes.

Atli Örvarsson’s versatility and skill combine with his Icelandic roots to produce an individualized and compelling style that contributes to his success as a musician and composer. Prior to bringing his talent to Hollywood, Örvarsson earned three platinum and two gold records as a member of the Icelandic band Salin hans Jons mins. Educated at Berklee College of Music, he arrived in Los Angeles and began working alongside veteran TV composer Mike Post on projects including NYPD Blue and the Law and Order franchise. Örvarsson soon caught the attention of highly renowned composer Hans Zimmer, who extended an invitation to Örvarsson to contribute to Zimmer’s team at Remote Control Studios. In addition to composing, Örvarsson’s credits include orchestrating and writing additional music for Hollywood blockbusters, from Iron Man and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, to Angels and Demons and The Simpsons Movie.

Bear McCreary wins his first EMMY award for "Da Vinci's Demons"

On September 15, 2013, composer Bear McCreary earned his first Emmy® Award for the Main Title Theme for DA VINCI’S DEMONS at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.  McCreary had been nominated one previous time in the same category for HUMAN TARGET.

After he won, he was quoted:

“To be nominated alongside some of the most exciting composers working in the industry was, itself, a tremendous honor.  I am totally overwhelmed by this win,” 

McCreary credits his collaboration with show creator David S. Goyer as to what led to his first Emmy Award win.

Adding:

“I must share this award with series creator David S. Goyer.  When I played him my first demo for the main title, he gave me the greatest feedback a producer can bestow.  He said the music was too short!” “The theme was so catchy, he wanted to hear more of it.  So, he re-cut his first episode and nearly doubled the length of the Main Title sequence, giving me the opportunity to expand on my ideas.  Now that the Main Title Theme and Main Title Design have both won Emmys, I think its safe to say that Goyer had the right idea!”

McCreary’s sweeping orchestral score for DA VINCI’S DEMONS was meticulously researched to accurately represent the time period, without being bound to it.  His score combines full orchestra, Renaissance instrumentation, choir and ethnic soloists with the renowned Calder Quartet and surging contemporary synthesis.

“For DA VINCI’S DEMONS, I looked to the real-life Leonardo for inspiration.  He famously wrote backwards and forwards, so I decided to do (try) the same thing with his theme!” said McCreary.  “It was a nice idea at the time, but proved rather difficult to produce anything with emotional meaning. It took a while, but ultimately, I think the end result works beautifully.  It's emotional, and fits Leonardo's character beautifully.  Yet, at the same time, it feels like a palindrome.”

It’s this sort of out-of-the-box thinking that led WIRED Magazine to call McCreary a “Secret Weapon” in a recent issue.  His unique combination of atypical instrumental background (he is a professional accordionist) with rigorous classical training prepared him to compose for disparate genres.  By the age of 24, McCreary was launched into pop culture history with his groundbreaking score to Syfy’s hit series Battlestar Galactica, for which he composed “the most innovative music on TV today” (Variety). It “fits the action so perfectly, it’s almost devastating: a sci-fi score like no other” (NPR).  Io9.com declared Bear McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of all time, listing him alongside legends John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann.

This fall McCreary’s music can be heard on the new series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. McCreary continues to write for the television show The Walking Dead.  Recently he lent his talents to Syfy and Trion World’s groundbreaking entertainment experience, Defiance, a combined launch of a MMO videogame. His film projects include Europa Report and Knights of Badassdom.  His other credits include critically acclaimed scores for series such as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Eureka, Human Target, and The Cape. His videogame credits include SOCOM 4 and Dark Void.

Check out more on his official site:
www.bearmccreary.com

Based on PR from Cinemedia

Atli Örvarsson - Colette (2013)

http://moviescoremedia.com/colette-atli-orvarsson/

MovieScore Media has a new major release out: composed by acclaimed Icelandic Hollywood composer Atli Örvarsson (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Chicago Fire), the original score for Czech/Slovakian WW2 drama Colette is a classical, thematic work for symphony orchestra that will attract fans of film music in the tradition of great and romantic soundtracks with an central european flavor, such as Schindler’s List and The Pianist.

Örvarsson’s score features several strong themes, including an unforgettable love theme. Recorded beautifully in Prague, the album also features exciting action tracks and darker material underscoring the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps.

Here's the cd info:

MMS13009/KRONCD025 • COLETTE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Music Composed by ATLI ÖRVARSSON

Release date (digital): September 10, 2013

Release date (CD): October 8, 2013

TRACK LIST

1 Colette 3:35

2 The Diamond 3:01

3 Workshop of Evil 3:10

4 Merci Mon Amour 2:18

5 Crematorium 2:44

6 Beautiful Brown Eyes 1:58

7 Free As a Bird 1:53

8 Praying for Willie 2:23

9 Triangle of Love and Hate 2:47

10 Planning the Escape 2:10

11 Kanada 2:45

12 Change of Heart 2:37

13 Cossacks to the Rescue 2:52

14 The Escape 2:41

15 Outside the Church 2:35

16 Colette: End Titles 2:44

Updated press release as of 11-9-2013

The score release (CD/DIGITAL) comes via:

moviescore media sweden
Smedjegatan 5D • 41113 Göteborg • Sweden
Web http://www.moviescoremedia.com • E-mail info@moviescoremedia.com
Tel +46-704-135113 • VAT no SE711108465801

MOVIESCORE MEDIA/KRONOS RECORDS RELEASES COLETTE
BY MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPOSER ATLI ÖRVARSSON
GÖTEBORG, Sweden, September 10, 2013 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Preview the album here:
http://moviescoremedia.com/colette-atli-orvarsson/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/colette-original-motion-picture/id695058714
http://open.spotify.com/album/5jdWC1EnGw5rwYg2gA32b7

MovieScore Media/Kronos Records has released Atli Örvarsson’s powerful score for Colette, Milan Cieslar’s film adaptation of the novella A Girl from Antwerp by Pulitzer Prize nominated writer Arnošt Lustig. The film tells the story of an unlikely love affair that blossoms between Willie and a Belgian Jewess named Colette. The torrid romance is overshadowed by the Nazi occupation even though it’s very likely that the star-crossed lovers would have never met had it not been for World War II. Colette opens theatrically in the Czech Republic on September 12, 2013, and is expected to get international distribution later in the year.

The music for Colette was written by Hollywood composer Atli Örvarsson whose other current films include The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), based on the bestselling books by Cassandra Clare, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). The Icelandic-born musician began his film scoring career at Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Studios by contributing to the soundtracks of blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2006) and The Simpsons Movie (2008); his more recent scoring credits include The Eagle (2011), Evidence (2013) and A Single Shot (2013; available from MovieScore Media/Kronos).

Although he is well-versed in the world of major Hollywood productions, Colette provided Örvarsson with the chance to write music he had never done before. “When the opportunity to score this film came about, I realized that I didn't really have a good piece to send to the director as a demo” recalls the composer. “The first thing I wrote was the so-called Birkenau theme. Milan Cieslar really liked it a lot but he wanted to hear a love theme as well and, while I've composed a few of those, I had never written one that was suitable for this film. So I wrote that as well and sent to him before I was even hired to do the film! So, in truth, I've never demoed as much for any project but I really wanted to do this film so it was all worth it!”

The result is a score that is described by MovieScore Media’s producer as an “epic, romantic score with classical music sensibilities”. “We are very proud to release a score that shows a different side to Atli Örvarsson’s musical identity, a hugely talented composer who seem to be able to pull off basically anything,” said Mikael Carlsson who also is referring to the other current release by Örvarsson, the largely atonal “A Single Shot”.

MovieScore Media and its sub-label Screamworks Records have released over 200 soundtrack albums since the launch of the company in 2006. Among the many acclaimed albums in the catalogue are soundtracks for Let the Right One In (Johan Soderqvist),Pandorum (Michl Britsch), Centurion (Ilan Eshkeri), Conquest 1453 (Benjamin Wallfisch), four volumes of Merlin (Rob Lane et al), Triangle (Christian Henson), Submarine (Andrew Hewitt), JCVD (Gast Waltzing), Black Death (Christian Henson), In a Better World (Johan Söderqvist) and The Awakening (Daniel Pemberton). In its ‘Discovery Collection’, MovieScore Media has released world premiere recordings of scores by esteemed composers such as Michael Kamen, Basil Poledouris, Patrick Doyle and Dario Marianelli.

In 2012, an album released by MovieScore Media’s sub-label Screamworks Records, The Shrine (music by Ryan Shore), was nominated for a Grammy Award in the ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media’ category. MovieScore Media has been nominated to the International Film Music Critics Association Award for ‘Film Music Record Label of the Year’ six years in a row.

Kronos Records has been releasing quality film music since 2009 and has music composed by film music legends such as Akira Ifukube, Francesco De Masi, Carlo Rustichelli, Piero Piccioni, and George Fenton in its catalogue. Much like MovieScore Media, Kronos is also active in the field of discovering and promoting new talented composers, such as André Matthias, Jorge Aliaga and Kristian Sensini.

All Moviescore Media / Kronos Records CDs are distributed by MVD Entertainment (USA), RSK Entertainment (UK), Edel (Germany) and Suburban (Benelux) as well as via soundtrack retailers worldwide. MovieScore Media's albums are available digitally from all major digital platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Google Play and Spotify.

LORNE BALFE HEADLINES FESTIVAL, WINS AWARD IN SPAIN

Lorne Earns Prestigious GoldSpirit Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack 2012 

With Assassin’s Creed III

(Sept. 9, 2013- Fuengirola, Spain) Composer Lorne Balfe (Salinger, Assassins Creed III video game) took the Spanish crowd by storm!  On September 7th he headlined the Playfest concert with a 30 minute set of his music including a sneak peak at the music for the upcoming release of BEYOND: Two Souls, and his now award winning music for Assassin’s Creed III.  After the performance, the organizers of the festival presented Balfe with the prestigious GoldSpirit Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack 2012.

"I am so proud to have won the GoldSpirit Award for Assassin's Creed III,” said Balfe.  “It means especially a lot to have been given the award by the fans and to have the game's music recognized at such a fantastic festival as Playfest with a very special concert was a wonderful experience. The score to Assassin's Creed has been a fantastic part of my life and so it was a wonderful achievement for the music to be recognized."

Balfe is not only a highly sought-after video game composer -- he is a Grammy award winning and BAFTA nominated film composer from Inverness, Scotland.  Lorne is known for composing the scores to the Dreamworks’ animation Megamind, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III.  Balfe earned his first Emmy nomination for the BBC and Sundance Channel mini-series Restless.

Balfe’s recent solo projects have kept him hard at work in the UK, composing for Ironclad, The Sweeney, and the upcoming films, Not Another Happy Ending (starring Karen Gillian of Doctor Who), Side by Side, the documentary Salinger, and The Frozen Ground, starring John Cusack, Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens. In collaboration with composer, Rachel Portman, Lorne has just completed the music for 10×10′s feature documentary, Girl Rising, directed by Academy Award nominee, Richard E. Robbins that features narration by actresses such as Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett.

When he hasn’t been composing for film, Balfe has found additional footing in the video game world. In 2011, Balfe composed alongside Jesper Kyd for the game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Music. A year later in 2012, Balfe was already hard at work composing as a solo composer for Skylanders: Giants, Assassin’s Creed III (which earned Balfe his second BAFTA nomination for Best Original Music) and Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington.

Balfe’s ability to travel between the two worlds of film and video games is a perfect fit for the upcoming Playstation® 3 release, BEYOND: Two Souls, which Playfest audience were able to hear a sneak preview of at the September 7th concert.  The game and soundtrack will be available on October 8, 2013.

(PR through cinemedia, check out his official site here http://www.lornebalfe.com/) 

World Soundtrack Acedemy's (WSA) Discovery of the Year nominees announced

Just out:

Benjamin Wallfisch for Hammer of the Gods and Summer in February

Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild

Joseph Trapanese & Anthony Gonzalez (M83) for Oblivion

Laurent Eyquem for Copperhead

Rob Simonsen for The Spectacular Now and The Way, Way Back