ATTN: JMS - Christopher Franke
Matt Ion
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I haven't seen anything about this in any FAQs I've come across, probably
because it isn't the type of question most shows frequently get asked.
I'm curious as to how the relationship with Christopher Franke came about?
Was there an audition of some sort for soundtrack ideas? Is Franke a sci-fi
fan who approached jms? Or is jms maybe an old Tangerine Dream fan? It
doesn't strike me as the kind of thing you'd get with, say, a John Williams,
who's already well-known for these types of soundtracks.
I've finally found almost all the title and credit sequences in MP3 format
(except the final credits from "Sleeping in Light"), as well as many of the
episodic tracks ("Messages from Earth" just kicks ass), and as soon as the
budget allows I'm planning to purchase the full CDs (those signature discs
would be sweet, but the price... oi!). I've also found a lot of Franke's
other work online, from _Pacific Coast Highway_ to _The Celestine Prophecy: A
Musical Voyage_.
What impresses me is the range of images and emotions his music can invoke.
Since listening to the episodic tracks, I've noticed much more clearly how
well they work *in* the show (Space just aired "Chrysalis" yesterday; the
music behind the destruction of Earthforce One works SO well). Having all
the main title tracks to play in a row, it really shows how the style and
feel progress through the series as well, and how well each fits the "mood"
of its corresponding season.
And yet, the B5 stuff is very different from most of Franke's other work;
each project does a wonderful job of "matching" its "subject matter".
Anyway, that's enough rambling from me...
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Your friend and mine,
Matt
"Reality is in alpha test on prototype hardware."
Jms at B5
>Was there an audition of some sort for soundtrack ideas? Is Franke a sci-fi
>fan who approached jms? Or is jms maybe an old Tangerine Dream fan? It
>doesn't strike me as the kind of thing you'd get with, say, a John Williams,
>who's already well-known for these types of soundtracks.
We got in a demo of his work, which I was familiar with from Tangerine Dream,
so I was already disposed toward him. We met, hit it off, and that was that.
jms
(jms...@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
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SFX Magazine)
Matt Ion
that I originally wrote almost a year ago finally made it through...
On 27 Aug 2000 14:54:45 -0700, Jms at B5 wrote:
>We got in a demo of his work, which I was familiar with from
>Tangerine Dream, so I was already disposed toward him. We met,
>hit it off, and that was that.
Short and sweet, thanks :) I haven't found any way as simple as this to
contact Franke, but if you're talking to him, do pass on my kudos for an
amazing job on the entire series.
I don't know if you'd know this, but I'm wondering if any other episodic
music is going to be released beyond what's already out there? In
particular, the piece in the opening sequence of "A Distant Star", when the
Cortez first comes through the jumpgate into B5 space, is an amazing bit of
music and backdrops the scene so well. It doesn't appear to be on any of the
existing releases, and I'd love to find it as a stand-alone recording.