A few pertinent comments before you listen to the mp3:
1. It's a very short -- barely a minute and a half -- orchestral piece and it's thrilling.
2. It is, deliberately, a sideways re-write (down to the identical closing organ chord) of a very famous classical work that everybody on the planet would recognize.
2. The first time anybody but a handful of the composer's friends and colleagues heard it was in 1993, when the score was first recorded and premiered on CD. The piece itself had actually been written nearly two decades earlier, though.
3. I reviewed the album at the time in the Magazine Formerly Known as Stereo Review, and I got a major fact wrong.
4. Whatever you do, don't listen to it on ear buds -- plug it into your stereo and PLAY IT LOUD!!!! Or if you have good computer speakers, at least, crank it that way.
5. What are you waiting for?
In any case, a coveted PowerPop No-Prize will be awarded to the first reader who correctly identifies the thing.
9 comments:
1812 Overture
From the "2001" soundtrack, isn't it?
A sideways tribute to "Zarathustra", possibly dashed off by John Williams on a napkin for the opening credits of "Supercar" or "Fireball XL5".
Holst's "The Planets"?
And Ms. Madrak gets the No-Prize.
It's Alex North's main title theme for Kubrick's 2001. North knew that Kubrick had been using "Thus Spake Zarathustra" on the temp track as he was making 2001, so he wrote him a piece that was almost identical in structure. He also wrote and recorded an entire score for the film, and didn't find out till the premiere that Kubrick had decided to use the now familiar "found" classical stuff on the soundtrack.
This is from a new (1963) recording conducted by his friend Jerry Goldsmith....
Got here too late, but the last chord was the giveaway.
My second choice was Dueling Banjos;>
1993, not 1963.
I regret the error.
I am quite glad that no money or limbs were at risk in my attempt to identify that piece of music. It flew over my head fast enough to require me to find a comb.
Trey
Four black "Wild Psychedelic" (actual)Brothers and a rather fey white drummer saw them in San Diego in 69(?) opening for Donovan at the SD Sports Arena.....been a fav ever since!!
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