John William’s score for the 1993 action-adventure blockbuster is a theme that is very hard to forget. It’s soaring melody mimics the flight patterns of pterodactyls, and its heavy reliance on brass instruments reminds us of that scene where the child-phobic Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neil), passionate Dr Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and flirtatious Dr Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) take their first safari drive through the brachiosaurus enclosure. However, with the Jurassic Park franchise being revitalised, cast and all, it seems that even the lead composer must be renewed.
Introducing Michael Giacchino, an Oscar-winning composer with 113 composer credits under his belt, who has composed for many mainstream movies and TV shows, some you might’ve not even expected (see; Tomorrowland, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Lost, Super 8, Up, and Cars 2). The shoes John Williams has left to fill are bigger than the head of Indominus Rex, and how exactly does one pay tribute to one of the greatest composers of all time, while trying to create one’s own music?
Well, it helps if you’re already part of the franchise. In 1997, Giacchino was asked by one of his friends who was a producer at the DreamWorks Initiative to create a score for the Jurassic Park: The Lost World video game. It was one of his first projects and, shortly after, Spielberg met with him and asked him to compose for and record with a live orchestra because he loved the score so much. This favour lead him to compose for the Warpath: Jurassic Park video game, and for Jurassic Park the Ride: The Show.
However, being an Oscar-winning composer doesn’t keep you from doubting yourself and your role…
“I was instantly sort of terrified and was questioning my sanity for even saying yes to it, but my excitement for working with [director Colin Trevorrow] and working on a Jurassic movie after so many years sort of overtook that [fear] and got the better of me”- Giacchino to Entertainment Weekly
Two pieces from the movie’s soundtrack have been released on Entertainment Weekly‘s SoundCloud account- ‘Nine to Survival Job‘ and ‘The Park is Closed‘- and just hearing the first few bars of each brings you back to face the magnificence of this famous franchise. The first piece seems almost reverent in mood, as if you were in church, but instead it is where the family come together, as well as Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas-Howard). The second piece is a homage to William’s original Jurassic Park score, which you can hear bleeding through.
“In our initial conversations, Colin and I talked about where are we going to put John Williams’ theme because we both love that music so much and that music, to me, is Jurassic Park”- Giacchino, on how they were going to place the original theme within the new movie
Giacchino has had Williams’ support from day one, and believes that it is important to do the movie justice with its new score, for the fans of the franchise, John Williams, and for the film itself. Jurassic World is to be released in the UK on the 11th of June this year, and in America on the 12th of June, and featuring the talents of Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Jake Johnson (New Girl, 21 Jump Street), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Spiderman 3), and BD Wong (Jurassic Park).
The soundtrack is available for pre-order on iTunes from the 2nd of June, and will be released on the 9th.
(source)