29
January 2010
||
1 Comment
|

Cue of the Week: “Snow Running”

This week’s selection is an oddball cue that’s a bit hard to categorize. It’s perhaps best described as a rhythmic/minimalist groove with an eclectic instrumental set. The driving sleigh bell brings winter associations, but the eastern-sounding musical scale makes the tone tense rather than jovial. You can probably listen to it more quickly than I can come up with a meaningful description. 🙂


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Snow Running
 

22
January 2010
||
1 Comment
|

Cue of the Week: “Walking”

This week’s music selection is from the short thriller Dead Line. Detuned piano, fiddle drones, and exotic bells create a disquieting atmosphere to accompany the image of lone figure walking through the Nevada desert at dusk.


(Click on the play button to stream.)

Walking
 

15
January 2010
||
1 Comment
|

Cue of the Week: “Against Time”

We kick off the new year with one of my own personal favorites, the opening titles to the feature film Against Time. In the film, a teen whiz kid (Ean Mering) is accosted by a seemingly deranged old man (Robert Loggia) claiming to be his future self, here to stop a terrible mistake his past self is about to make. The clincher: time travel has supposedly disoriented him so much that he can’t remember what the mistake is.

Music written for opening titles tends to be an emotional synopsis of some element of the film. Here I was trying to capture a sense of passion and yearning, both of youth and old age, as well as a touch of the supernatural flavoring of time travel.


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Against Time
 

04
December 2009
||
1 Comment
|

Cue of the Week: “Morituri Te Salutant”

This choral and orchestral piece opens up Empire Earth 2 with a healthy serving of sturm und drang. Chorus and orchestra both recorded in the beautiful renovated Magyar Radio studios in Budapest.

One problem facing composers writing the archetypal “chanting chorus” piece is what to do about lyrics. One school of thought is to not bother – after all, you’re mostly going to hear the vowels. But not wanting to give the chorus a stream of nonsense syllables, I took it upon myself to cobble together a miniature Latin war poem. Finding words that both made sense and rhymed turned out to be quite an effort, even with the generous assistance of some Latin scholars I reached via the Internet. To those who’ve learned this intricate language: I salute you!


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Morituri Te Salutant
 

Morituri Te Salutant // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  1. Morituri Te Salutant // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  2. Emerald, Texas // Highlights
  3. Mythic Battle // Highlights
  4. The Yard Sale // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  5. Investigations // Highlights
  6. Home Room // Highlights
  7. Sands of Arabia // Highlights
  8. Spider Cult // Highlights
  9. Poker Night // Highlights