Pawn Sacrifice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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EP / film score by | ||||
Released | September 11, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
Genre | Film score | |||
Length | 23:30 | |||
Label | Lakeshore | |||
Producer |
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James Newton Howard chronology | ||||
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Pawn Sacrifice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score soundtrack / extended play composed by James Newton Howard for the 2014 biographical psychological drama film Pawn Sacrifice directed by Edward Zwick based on the life of chess grandmaster and 11th world champion Bobby Fischer, and starred Tobey Maguire as Fischer. The film score was released through Lakeshore Records on September 11, 2015, five days ahead of the film's theatrical release.
On May 6, 2014, it was announced that James Newton Howard would compose the musical score for Pawn Sacrifice. Howard had previously worked with Zwick on Blood Diamond (2006), Defiance (2008) and Love & Other Drugs (2010). [1] The score was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London during 2014–2015, orchestrated by Pete Anthony and conducted by Gavin Greenaway. [2] The orchestral portions reflect the psychological nature of Fleischer's mind. [3] The score was released under the Lakeshore Records label on September 11, 2015; the album consisted of eight tracks running for 23 minutes. [4]
Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter called it as a "workable score by James Newton Howard". [5] Justin Chang of Variety called it as a "moody", [6] and Vaughan Grey of Rain Man Digital described it as an "uplifting score". [7] Richard Brody of The New Yorker described it as "melancholic". [8]
The score was shortlisted as one among the 118 contenders for Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 88th Academy Awards. [9] [10] At the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival held in Czech Republic, where Howard was honored with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, he cited the film's score which he was particularly proud of. [11]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "There's Usually One Right Move" | 3:09 |
2. | "Bobby Plays Carmine" | 1:58 |
3. | "Ping Pong" | 3:35 |
4. | "Boris Spassky" | 1:51 |
5. | "Reading About Spassky" | 1:29 |
6. | "Forfeit" | 4:37 |
7. | "Bobby Plays Boris" | 1:05 |
8. | "Bobby Wins" | 5:46 |
Total length: | 23:30 |
Credits adapted from liner notes [12]
James Newton Howard is an American film composer, orchestrator and music producer. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards.
The soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released on 30 October 2001. The film's score was composed and conducted by John Williams. The soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Score at the 74th Academy Awards. The film introduces many character-specific themes (leitmotifs) that are used in at least one sequel as well, although most of the themes are only used again in Chamber of Secrets. These themes include two themes for Voldemort, two themes for Hogwarts, a Diagon Alley theme, a Quidditch theme, a flying theme, two friendship themes, and the main theme. This main theme was reprised and developed in all eight of the main Harry Potter films, as well as the spinoff films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequels, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
The Last Airbender is the soundtrack album of the fantasy adventure film The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The score was composed by James Newton Howard. It was released on June 29, 2010, by Lakeshore Records.
"Where the Dream Takes You" is a song by American singer Mya. It was written by songwriter Diane Warren and composer James Newton Howard to promote Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Produced by Jay Selvester, Robbie Buchanan and Ron Fair, the song was released as the only promotional single from the film's soundtrack on June 5, 2001.
The Hunger Games (Original Motion Picture Score) is the score album to the 2012 film The Hunger Games. The score was initially intended to be composed by Danny Elfman in his collaboration with T Bone Burnett, however, James Newton Howard replaced Elfman as the composer. It was released by Universal Republic Records on March 26, 2012.
Pawn Sacrifice is a 2014 American biographical psychological drama film about Bobby Fischer, a chess grandmaster and the eleventh world champion. It follows Fischer's challenge against top Soviet chess grandmasters during the Cold War and culminating in the World Chess Championship 1972 match versus Boris Spassky in Reykjavík, Iceland. It was directed by Edward Zwick and written by Steven Knight, and stars Tobey Maguire as Fischer, Liev Schreiber as Spassky, Lily Rabe as Joan Fischer, and Peter Sarsgaard as William Lombardy. It was released in the United States on September 16, 2015.
"The Hanging Tree" is a song by American composer James Newton Howard featuring vocals from American actress Jennifer Lawrence. It was written by Suzanne Collins and composed by Howard, Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz from the band the Lumineers. The song was released by Republic Records on December 9, 2014, as the second single from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014). It was first included in the film's score album but was later added to the digital extended edition of the film's soundtrack. "The Hanging Tree" is a folk ballad that features orchestral strings and a choir.
Jungle Cruise (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2021 film Jungle Cruise, featuring original score composed by James Newton Howard. In addition to the score, a re-written film version of "Nothing Else Matters" performed by Metallica, from their 1991 studio album Black Album, was featured in the film and in the soundtrack. It was released on July 30, 2021, along with the soundtrack album distributed by Walt Disney Records. The score was recorded at Sony Scoring Stage in February 2020 and concluded in late-2021, despite sessions being halted due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Los Angeles Master Chorale choir also provided vocals for the track. The score received positive response, with praise directed towards Howard's composition, ethnic instrumentation and orchestral sounding.
Maleficent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album composed by James Newton Howard for the 2014 film Maleficent, based on the Disney villain character Maleficent from the animated film Sleeping Beauty (1959). The film is a live-action spin-off of Sleeping Beauty, and is loosely inspired from Charles Perrault's original fairy tale. Directed by Robert Stromberg, the film stars Angelina Jolie in the titular character.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album composed and produced by James Newton Howard for the 2018 film of the same name. The film marked Howard's second score for a live-action Disney film after Maleficent (2014). Howard, about the film score, described it as "The score is very traditional – a big orchestra score – with lots of woodwinds and strings, plus tinkle bells and celeste and chorale music".
The Scream slasher franchise has generated several soundtrack albums. American composer Marco Beltrami composed the film scores for the first four films in the series, while Brian Tyler has composed the film series since.
Nightcrawler (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the film of the same name composed by James Newton Howard. The score consisted of moody electronic and synth music in contrast to his large orchestral scores he had composed for big-budget films, that made his career. As per Gilroy's suggestions, Howard composed a subversive music that fits into the mind of the protagonist. The score consisted of subtle electronic music throughout the film, whereas few orchestral sounds were created to underline the protagonist's character. The album was released by Lakeshore Records on October 17, 2014, while a vinyl edition was released in January 2016 by Invada Records.
Scream VI (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film Scream VI, the sixth instalment in the Scream franchise and the sequel to Scream (2022), directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Featuring musical score composed by Brian Tyler and Sven Faulconer, the score was released by Paramount Music on March 10, 2023, alongside the film. It was preceded by two singles—"Still Alive" performed by Demi Lovato and "In My Head" by Mike Shinoda and Kailee Morgue.
Snow White and the Huntsman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2012 film Snow White and the Huntsman directed by Rupert Sanders. The film's original score is composed by James Newton Howard, who recorded the score at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California. The album was released by Universal Republic Records on May 29, 2012, featured 19 tracks.
The Bourne Legacy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Bourne Legacy, which is the fourth installment in the series of films adapted from the Jason Bourne novels by Robert Ludlum and Eric Van Lustbader. The musical score is composed by James Newton Howard, becoming the first film in the series not to be composed by John Powell, who provided music for previous Bourne installments, due to his interest in scoring animated films. The album was digitally released through Back Lot Music on August 7, 2012, and a physical release by Varèse Sarabande on August 21, 2012. The album featured a new version of Moby's "Extreme Ways" subtitled with "Bourne's Legacy" released as a single on July 31. The music received mixed critical response.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the score album to the 2013 film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. James Newton Howard who scored the predecessor, returned to score Catching Fire in October 2012. The score was released by Republic Records on November 25, 2013, which includes twenty-nine tracks from Howard's score. A cue from the album, "We're a Team" was co-written by members of the British rock band Coldplay—Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin. The band also performed the song "Atlas" which released as the lead single from the soundtrack on September.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is the score album to the 2014 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. James Newton Howard who composed music for the previous installments, returned to score for Mockingjay – Part 1. The soundtrack was released by Republic Records on November 24, 2014, three days after the film's release. It includes Howard's score along with the original song "The Hanging Tree" performed by Jennifer Lawrence.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is the soundtrack album to the 2015 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. The film is scored by the recurring franchise collaborator James Newton Howard. It was released on November 23, 2015 through Republic Records, complimenting Howard's original score and the song "Deep in the Meadow" performed by Jennifer Lawrence that originally appeared in the predecessor, and again re-appeared in the film's end credits. In the album, it is accompanied by two suite pieces: "There Are Worse Games to Play" and the Hunger Games suite as a medley. A remixed version of the song, produced by Baauer was later unveiled separately. Unlike the predecessors, there is no additional pop companion album inspired by the film.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the score album to the 2023 film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. James Newton Howard composed the film's score, whose album consisted of 40 tracks and featured pianist Yuja Wang in three of them. The soundtrack was released by Sony Masterworks on November 17, 2023.
After Earth (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2013 film After Earth directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Jaden Smith and Will Smith; the film's score is composed by James Newton Howard whose inclusion was confirmed in July 2012. After Earth is Howard's seventh and final collaboration with Shyamalan, who worked on all of the films beginning with The Sixth Sense (1999). Sony Masterworks released the 28-track score album on May 28, 2013.