Have you ever seen a movie where music composer John Williams composed the score? His film scores for movies such as Star Wars, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and so on have entertained us for more than four decades. Some of his influences for the first Star Wars soundtrack may have come from a particular work by composer Gustav Holst. Holst's most famous piece is "The Planets," which was a suite of seven movements, each named after a planet and its corresponding astrological character.
In "The Planets," the seven movements correspond to Mars (War), Venus (Peace), Mercury (the Messenger), Jupiter (Jollity), Saturn (Old Age), Uranus (the Magician) and Neptune (the Mystic). Each movement has a different character to it. For example, Mars is heavy and insistent with horns and drums, like a general marshaling his troops for a battle, while Neptune has a lighter, more mysterious feel to it using woodwinds. And each movement also is tied to the astrological character of the subject.
A new group has taken a similar approach to Holst in their new CD Eight Moons, composing songs about eight of the major moons with names of the gods - from Mars to the distant dwarf planet of Eris. Omnimi seems to seek a blend of classical, choral, and world music to evoke some of the same powerful feelings as Holst's work - from the dramatic to the relaxing.
And, like Holst, each track feels as though it should be part of a movie soundtrack. "Phobos - Mars I" with its merging of a choir and driving percussion would be at home in a film like the upcoming Conan reboot starring Jason Momoa coming to theaters in 2011. There's almost a desert feel to some of the percussion, giving it a vaguely "Arabian Nights" flavor.
Article comments
1 - Gon Nadel
I found Omnimi's music very original and cinematic. Recommended for listeners who like classical choirs. Worth listen to the tracks from their website.