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Living in the Age of Airplanes (soundtrack)

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Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
An atmospheric background with an Airbus A350 plane, above the Earth.
Film score by
James Horner
Released
  • September 14, 2016 (2016-09-14) (digital)
  • August 23, 2017 (CD)
Recorded2014
Studio
Genre
Length49:56
Label
ProducerSimon Franglen
James Horner chronology
Southpaw (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)
(2015) 		Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(2016)

Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2015 American experimental documentary film Living in the Age of Airplanes, written and directed by Brian J. Terwilliger, which showcases the benefits of aviation in everyday lives and urges people to view aviation in a more positive light. The score was composed by James Horner. It was the last film Horner scored, before his death in a plane crash in June 2015. The score released through digital download on September 14, 2016, and the CD release was by Intrada Records in August 2017. Horner's score received generally positive reviews from critics and had garnered him awards posthumously.

Production

Terwilliger wanted an A-list narrator and score composer for the film.[1][2] James Horner befriended Terwilliger in 2008 while meeting at an air show;[3] he agreed to compose the score.[1] His goal was to give the score a spiritual feeling to match the film's tone,[4] thus employing the world music genre.[5] The score mostly consists of major-key harmonies, with "History of Transportation" and "Exponential Progress" being the only minor ones. "Nearly Perfected" features an orchestra.[3] It is observed while the score has its Horner charm, there is an unexpected, soft theme in certain tracks that is reminiscent to the works of Thomas Newman.[6] Horner thought the score marries together aviation and music.[7] The score was performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall and some parts were recorded at the AIR Lyndhurst Hall.[8] Vocals were sung by the Graham Foote Ensemble.[9]

Release

The film's score was released as a soundtrack album, on September 14, 2016, the same day, coinciding with the streaming and home video release.[10] It was distributed to Apple Music,[10] where it was remastered by Peter Doell.[11] That same day, it was released on Amazon in MP3 format.[12] Four days prior, Terwilliger announced he was discussing a physical release of between 3,000 and 5,000 copies with several record labels,[13] and finally chose Intrada Records to distribute the soundtrack album. It was released on CD under the catalog number ISC401 on August 23, 2017, via Amazon.com[14] as well as their official website. The CD contains liner notes from Terwilliger.[3]

Critical reception

Album ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Celluloid Tunes[5]
Movie Wave[6]

Horner's score received universal acclaim for its ambiance and rich tone;[15][16][17] Hickman Luke of High-Def Digest said it is better than most film scores.[18] James Southall of Movie Wave noted that while it was said to be "a bit schmaltzy", it is spirited and makes a "lovely" album.[6] Reviewing the score, Pacific Science Center based Philip Cosand said "Home" is excessively dramatic but that it is appropriate in the context of an emotional scene.[19] The score was considered a good representation of Horner's style but its relative brevity compared to his other works was noted. Nils Jacob Holt Hanssen of Celluloid Tunes called "History of Transportation" the best track, with "The Golden Age is Now" being the runner-up, and "Flowers" being the most atypical and humorous.[5] The film's sound design was praised for its clarity, nuance, and balance.[18][20] HuffPost said Horner "likened his approach ... to that of a painter, with the film serving as the canvas and musical color being used to describe and support the story's emotional dynamics".[21] Ronnie Scheib of Variety and Daniel Eagan of Film Journal International, however, panned the score as excessive.[22][23]

Accolades

Award Date of Ceremony Category Recipient Result Ref.
Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards September 10, 2015 Best Original Score James Horner Won [24]
North American Film Awards November 3, 2016 Best Score Won [25]

Track listing

Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
No.TitleLength
1."Opening Sequence"2:01
2."The World Before the Airplane"2:23
3."200,000-Year Timeline"2:31
4."History of Transportation"2:51
5."Nearly Perfected"3:11
6."Portal to the Planet"1:20
7."Migration Vacation"2:59
8."Ancient Civilizations"2:48
9."Maldives"2:54
10."Antarctica"3:24
11."Flowers"3:01
12."Exponential Progress"4:20
13."Perspective"2:58
14."The Golden Age is Now"3:09
15."Home"2:02
16."End Credits"1:25
17."The Golden Age is Now (Remix)"3:05
18."End Credits (Remix)"3:26
Total length:49:56

Personnel

A headshot of a man smiling
James Horner composed the film's score.

Credits adapted from Living in the Age of Airplanes's end credits.[9]

Slovak National Symphony Orchestra

  • Peter Fuchs – engineer
  • Allan Wilson – conductor
  • Paul Talkington – contractor
  • Marian Turner – manager
  • Natalia Villanueva Garcia – copyist

References

  1. ^ a b Terwilliger, Brian J. (April 13, 2015). "Living in the Age of Airplanes". Air & Space/Smithsonian (Interview). Washington, D.C.: National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Terwilliger, Brian J. (September 10, 2016). "LIVING IN THE AGE OF AIRPLANES: Story Behind The Movie – Brian J. Terwilliger [FULL INTERVIEW]" (YouTube video). Interviewed by Film Courage. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Living in the Age of Airplanes". Intrada Records. August 23, 2017. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Terwilliger, Brian J.; Horner, James (April 9, 2015). "LIVING IN THE AGE OF AIRPLANES Interviews: Brian Terwilliger and James Horner" (YouTube video). Interviewed by Freund, Andrew. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Hanssen, Nils Jacob Holt (August 3, 2018). Haga, Thor Joachim (ed.). "Living in the Age of Airplanes (James Horner)". Celluloid Tunes (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Southall, James (September 21, 2016). "Living in the Age of Airplanes". Movie Wave. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Martin, Jean-Baptiste (July 27, 2016). "Living in the Age of Airplanes: Analysis of the Excerpts". James Horner Film Music. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Noted in the film's credits.
  9. ^ a b Terwilliger, Brian J. (2015-04-08). Living in the Age of Airplanes (Motion picture). National Geographic Films. Refer to 46:21 and 47:07.
  10. ^ a b Horner, James (September 14, 2016). "Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Terwilliger Productions. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021 – via Apple Music.
  11. ^ Soundtrack Mastering (Twitter video). Living in the Age of Airplanes. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  12. ^ Horner, James (September 14, 2016). "Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [MP3]". Amazon. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  13. ^ Terwilliger, Brian J. (September 10, 2016). "Living in the Age of Airplanes: Interview with Brian Terwilliger". James Horner Film Music (Interview). Interviewed by Hudson, Tom. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  14. ^ Horner, James (August 23, 2017). "Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Audio CD]". Amazon. Manufactured by Intrada Records. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  15. ^ Scheck, Frank (April 8, 2015). "'Living in the Age of Airplanes': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Cook, Linda (14 October 2016). "'Age of Airplanes' takes you on a fantastic flight". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa: Lee Enterprises. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Turner, Jonathan (October 13, 2016). "'Airplanes' documentary a soaring tribute to travel". The Dispatch-Argus. Davenport, Iowa: Lee Enterprises. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Hickman, Luke (December 6, 2016). "National Geographic: Living in the Age of Airplanes Blu-ray Review". High-Def Digest. Internet Brands. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  19. ^ Cosand, Philip (2015). "Living In The Age Of Airplanes: Exploring Humanity's Place In The World". Pacific Science Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  20. ^ Liebman, Martin (September 14, 2016). "Living in the Age of Airplanes Blu-ray Review". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  21. ^ Dale, Jillian (September 13, 2016). "Living In The Age of Airplanes Film Review – Narration by Harrison Ford". HuffPost. BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  22. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (April 9, 2015). "Film Review: 'Living in the Age of Airplanes'". Variety. Penske Media. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  23. ^ Eagan, Daniel (April 8, 2015). "Film Review: Living in the Age of Airplanes". Film Journal International. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  24. ^ "Living in the Age of Airplanes". Giant Screen Cinema Association. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  25. ^ We're honored to have been bestowed "Best Score" at the North American Film Awards. If you haven't already heard James Horner's magical score, you can listen to samples from all tracks here: www.airplanesmovie.com/soundtrack (Twitter video). Living in the Age of Airplanes. November 3, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
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