Film Music Reporter’s Top 3 Original Scores of 2014:
John Powell delivered a perfect sequel score for How to Train Your Dragon 2, developing themes and musical material introduced in the 2010 original film, while adding a number of new themes and reaching a level of sophistication in his orchestral writing that he rarely achieved before. The score, which at times even surpasses his Oscar-nominated music for the first movie, also includes our favorite and most memorable new theme of the year, receiving our favorite treatments in the standout cues Flying with Mother and Toothless Found on the soundtrack album. The soundtrack featuring Powell’s music is available on Relativity Music.
James Newton Howard reportedly worked almost a year on Disney’s Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie & Elle Fanning and the effort showed in the result of his score, which has to be considered one of the composer’s career-best scores. Written for big orchestra and choir, the music features numerous highlights, including some of the year’s best action cues and most impressive choral and orchestral writing. A soundtrack album featuring the score is available on Walt Disney Records. (Standout tracks on soundtrack album: Maleficent Suite, Maleficent is Captured)
Johann Johannsson who left an impression in 2013 with his score for Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners returned this year with his music for James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne & Felicity Jones. The Icelandic composer’s score is based on a four-note piano ostinato, which he developed, reassembled and mutated throughout the film. Johannsson masterfully captured physicist Stephen Hawking’s spirit, struggles and sense of wonder throughout his life from his time at Oxford University to present day. The soundtrack album is available on Back Lot Music. (Standout tracks: A Game of Croquet, A Model of the Universe)
Runner-ups (in alphabetical order):
Michael Giacchino composed the music for our favorite franchise movie of the year, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes directed by Matt Reeves who previously employed the composer on Cloverfield and Let Me In. Giacchino combined his unique musical voice with an homage to Jerry Goldsmith’s percussive score from the original 1968 film. Reminiscent at times of his excellent writing for ABC’s Lost, the composer perfectly underscored the human vs. ape conflict and the action that ensued. The soundtrack album is available on Sony Classical. (Standout tracks: The Great Ape Processional, Planet of the End Credits)
Steven Price‘s first feature score following last year’s Academy Award winner Gravity was for David Ayer’s Fury starring Brad Pitt & Logan Lerman. The composer’s unusual approach to scoring a war drama, using WWII weaponry as percussion sounds, combined with cellos, strings, piano and choir elevated the underrated movie to another level. With two highly original scores for two major Hollywood films two years in a row, Price established himself as one of the most promising composers working in the industry. The soundtrack album is available on Varese Sarabande. (Standout tracks: Norman, April, 1945)
Alexandre Desplat had another highly productive year with six movies released in the U.S. throughout 2014. In terms of its impact on the film, our favorite Desplat score this year was his music for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. The composer’s creative combination of balalaikas, zither, several eastern percussion instruments and Alpenhorns and helped create a unique sound for his third collaboration with the director following The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Moonrise Kingdom. The soundtrack album is available on ABKCO Records. (Standout tracks: A Troops Barracks (Requiem for the Grand Budapest), Canto at Gabelmeister’s Peak)
Hans Zimmer proved once again why he is on top of the film scoring game with his ability to keep reinventing himself with his score for Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi feature Interstellar. The composer’s innovative use of the church organ and his experimental choral writing are just two elements that created one of the most inspired scores of his career. The soundtrack album is available on WaterTower Music. (Standout tracks: Detach, Cornfield Chase, Mountains)
Dario Marianelli collaborated with director Paul Haggis for the first time on the drama Third Person starting Adrien Brody, Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde. The composer’s string- and piano-heavy score was prominently mixed in the film and successfully underscored and unified the three interconnected different story lines. The score is the only title on our list currently unavailable commercially and given the film’s relatively low profile upon its release has barely been heard by a wider audience.
Check out our favorite songs and movies of the year on the next page.
Great list!