A great film music composer has passed
Maurice Jarre, composer of some of the greatest film scores of the last century, died on March 31 at the age of 84.
I can safely say that Jarre's film music was the first of its kind to enter my musical consciousness at the tender age of ten. My grandparents went to see Doctor Zhivago (con titulos en español) at the Tower Theater in Miami on Calle Ocho and dragged me along. To this day the movie remains one of my favorites because of its unflinching depiction of the barbarity of communism and the way it tries (but often fails) to suck the soul and life out of human beings. David Lean's images, as brilliant and beautiful as they are, are forever wed with Jarre's music -- especially the wistful and melancholy balalaika that evokes memories of Yuri's mother.
Check out two more scores by Maurice Jarre: Lawrence of Arabia, and unsung musical masterpiece, and the brilliant score that introduced me to Javanese Gamelan music, The Year of Living Dangerously.
RIP, Mr. Jarre, and thank you for your art.
Wow. That is really sad news, George. I, too, am a fan of Mr. Jarre and his incomparable scores. They truly were magical.
Interestingly enough, this brings to mind a "barroom conversation" I once had in the early 90's with some friends who were also, like myself, into fantasy stuff, including Tolkien. We had a debate going on about if the Ring Trilogy were ever finally brought to the silver screen, who would be the best director to do it. My consistent contention was that the only real director for the job would be David Lean (though I'm sure that even had he lived long enough, it probably wouldn't have been the kind of film he would have been interested in doing), as he would have been the only director to be able, IMO, to capture the scope necessary to bring Tolkien's stories properly to life. But another reason I advocated Lean was because I felt equally strongly that the only person who's musical composition talents would be up to the challenge of setting the mood for the actions taking place in Middle Earth would be Maurice Jarre's. And as good as Howard Shore's scores for the Ring Trilogy films were, I can't help but think even how much better Jarre's musical narrative skills would have been in them. (BTW, what do you think of Maurice's son, Jean Michel Jarre? I've liked him ever since Oxygene, and think he's a pretty decent composer in his own right.)