My top 5 favourite orchestral scores in film soundtracks
Having been interested in music for as long as I can remember, a genre that’s never failed to move me is the Classical genre. However, I’ve also been a huge lover of film soundtracks throughout the years, so I thought why not combine the two and rank my personal top 5 film scores from the films I’ve seen, starting from least of the best to best of the best. Not confusing at all!
Of course, I haven’t seen every film on earth, so this won’t be the fairest list out there. Despite this, it’s a very good list (obviously in my opinion) so I invite you to read on…
5. Tennessee – Hans Zimmer (Pearl Harbor)
When I first watched this film years ago, one of the things I took away from it was the romantic soundtrack and I just couldn’t get this song out of my head for days. It recurs throughout the film two or three times and adds to the cinematographic slow-motion shots of fighter jets, flying in the sunset. It’s all very Ben Affleck-meets-Michael Bay.
The score was written by Hans Zimmer and performed by an orchestra, who also worked on the other songs on the soundtrack for the film. You can instantly tell it’s him from the way the orchestra sounds, especially the strings that are similar to those heard in other Zimmer scores e.g. the work he did for ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Blue Planet II’.
4. Married Life – Michael Giacchino (Up)
Now I have to be honest, even thinking of this song makes me feel sad. Not just because of the music, but the scene that accompanies it. If you watch the first scene of Up closely enough, the music almost runs parallel with the characters’ emotions, making it so much sadder and pushing the need for a box of Kleenex to be next to you.
Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the film but the music in this first scene is just gold. It adds a lot of emotion to the animation, with Giacchino capturing the emotions brilliantly. I just love the way the rhythm picks up and slows down depending on the mood, with the strings acting jolly and the piano acting sad. The solo at about 3 minutes is just enough to finish me off.
3. Come Back to Us – Thomas Newman (1917)
This is a film I went to see twice at the cinema and let me tell you, both times this score was played, I choked up. ‘Come Back to Us’ is played in the last scene of the film, when the task has been *almost* successfully carried out and they’re looking on at the rest of the War in hope. Thomas Newman also admittedly appears on my Spotify repeat playlist. Just saying.
The music definitely carries a sense of hope and accomplishment, as horns are played within the string section. I think this song is very fitting for the film and more especially this scene, ending the film in a bittersweet manner, leaving viewers speechless I can imagine.
2. Time – Hans Zimmer (Inception)
‘Time’ is a controversial one in my opinion, as I feel like it would be number one on most people’s lists. However, it’s just so mellow and takes so long to get to the dramatic section I figured it would sit nicely at number 2. Again, it’s another masterpiece conducted by Zimmer and is well-known due to its presence in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’.
The piece works extremely well in the film and adds a great feel to what is going on in the scene, as it’s all about discovering something new and remembering things that have happened through time. Deep. But yes, it’s one of my favourite film scores and think it will go down in history as being one of the best to come out of any film.
1. Victoria and Albert – Ilan Eshkeri (The Young Victoria)
I have no words to describe how beautiful this piece of music is. Again, in my opinion. When I first watched this film, I just remember loving this soundtrack and as an amateur Violin player, had dreams of playing it in an Orchestra when I was older. I love the string section and how the harp in the background compliments all the instruments included.
The reason this was top of the list is because the whole soundtrack for the film is so nice, not just this one song. They all add to the style of the film and the time period in which its set, having a major effect on the cinematography and romance captured within the film. I would definitely recommend listening to the soundtrack, if not watching the film!
