SIMON FRANGLEN: "THERE’S NOT A DAY THAT I DON’T THINK OF JAMES."

I still remember very well my first and only encounter with Simon Franglen. It was just before the Titanic Live concert in London. Throughout the afternoon during rehearsals I had seen him working alongside James Horner. The depth of their collaboration was evident. On many occasions, he had climbed the railings of the concert hall to access the back of the orchestra to ensure that everything was done properly with the synthesizers. A small detail that shows the perfectionism and professionalism of a musician. Minutes before the concert, while we each waited for friends in front of the Royal Albert hall, I[...]

THE 33, JAMES HORNER'S HYMN TO JOY

Imagine that the tragic June 22, 2015 tragedy never took place. Would the response to Southpaw and The 33 by critics, listeners and fans have been different? Southpaw is about a man’s difficult road to redemption after the death of a loved one. Although Horner often tackled death scenes throughout his long and distinguished career, it was usually just that: one or two scenes. One recent example is Ben’s Death from The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), especially from 2:30 to 3:40, as the music comments on Peter’s mourning of his deceased uncle. Movies that specifically deal with death are rarer in the[...]

SOUTHPAW, BETWEEN REMINISCENCE AND RENAISSANCE

"Apart from my family and close ones, the Repertoire is the vastest memory I know and draw from. It represents the legacy of those who have managed to create an art, develop it and pass it on. It would be a tragedy for it to be forgotten or fall by the wayside. It takes strong-willed individuals, careful witnesses, men of action, creative and talented people bent on transmitting the legacy, teachers and students ... so that the memory of the brilliant ones who came before us never ever fades" James Horner Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), world champion in light to middleweight boxing,[...]