Inspired by the new trailer for Spider-Man 2, which features a particularly lively choral piece for the soundtrack, I’d like to ask…what are some good and lively choral/choir pieces?
And by “lively,” I mean “bombastic, or thereabouts.” Works that are wistful, mournful, or can put you to sleep don’t count…I’m looking for music that practically conjures up images of berserkers charging into battle under blazing torchlight. Stuff like that.
My picks, so far…
Modern:
•“Escape” from the Plunkett & MacLeane soundtrack.
Y’all have probably heard this one in any number of movie trailers, even though you probably don’t know it by name.
•“Charging Fort Wagner” from the Glory soundtrack.
Oddly enough, this was called "Charging Fort Sumnter" on the cassette I bought, many years back. This song was used in a trailer for the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault video game.
•In The Eyes of Truth, by Enigma
The actual choir bit from this one is pretty brief…but it’s what they used in the trailers for the original Matrix movie. (1999…it was a simpler time, wasn’t it?)
•Parts of “Riders of Doom,” and most of “Battle of the Mounds” from the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack.
'Nuff said.
•“Hiroshima/Nagasaki Requiem” from the Trinity and Beyond soundtrack.
Classical:
•Many of the songs, especially “O Fortuna,” from Carmina Burana.
Carl Orff, and a bunch of debauched medieval monks…a better combination than Elton John and Tim Rice.
There should be many more in the “classical” column, but my brain is worn out right now.
Therion has done a lot of pieces that should qualify. In particular, “To Mega Therion” from Theli, “Wine of Aluqah” from Vovin, and “Muspelheim” from Secret of the Runes stand out.
Another vote for Verdi’s Dies Irae. There’s nothing quite like standing smack-dab in the middle of a full orchestra and 100-person choir belting that one out at the top of their lungs. ::sniff::: I miss choir!
I’m also fond of the first movement of Francis Poulenc’s Gloria. I’d probably be able to think of more in the classical vein, except now my brain is full of Verdi. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to hum in four-part harmony?
Whenever I hear the Rex Tremendae from Mozart’s Requiem, I think of a man wandering the streets of Vienna at night searching desperately for his lost dog.
“REX!”
“REX!”
“REX!”
And I feel your pain, Eva Luna. I quit singing with my symphony choir when my daughter was born (five years ago!!) and haven’t gotten back into it yet.
Lots of tracks on LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. The other two movies don’t have hardly as much choral music
[aside]I’m not sure if any of these are choral, but if you’re into ironic-bombastic, a lot of Danny Elfman scores are a bit over-the-top bombastic.[/aside]
Ohhhh, and i third Mozart’s Dies Irae. I also second the person who thinks of a person looking for a dog during “Rex”
I’m aware that some folks find his stuff banal (I don’t) but Randall Thompson can sure cause a choir to sound like it’s rearranging the pillars of creation. I’d recommend “The Last Words of David” and “Have Ye Not Heard / Ye Shall Have a Song”.
For a more modern texture, check out the works of Scandinavian (Norwegian? Swedish?) composer Knut Nystedt, which unrolls from chanting into weird and majestic 8 part pseudopolyphony. Also Jean Berger’s The Magnificat, which varies between shimmery-textured and bombastic.
There’s the “Danse guerrière” at the beginning of the second act of Ravel’s ballet “Daphnis and Chloe”. It’s about 5 minutes long, but the chorus only sings during the last minute. And it’s a wordless chorus - they just sing “ah” and “oh”. The bacchanal at the end of the ballet is similar.
Oh, and in a more contemporary vein, some of Enya’s material falls into this category, too. Of course, most of her work is the “wistful, mournful, or can put you to sleep” category, but “Cursum Perficio” and “Tempus Verbum” definitely come to mind as bombastic.
