The Post - John Williams

12/23/17​
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I cannot help but hum Bill Conti's Rocky theme.
What You Will Hear:  Dark string orchestra, woodwinds, a bit of brass choir, and jazz piano.

Standout Tracks:  Welcome to the HoF!  Every track is worth your time.  Some highlights: The Presses Roll, Setting the Type, Mother and Daughter, Deciding to Publish, The Court’s Decision and End Credits

Will You Be Humming Along?  Probably not, but this isn’t a theme centric score.  It’s all about mood building and/or insistent motion.
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Not exactly a main theme, but a wonderful short fanfare.
The album this makes me want to dust off:  Saving Private Ryan – John Williams  (I adore those brass choir moments.)

Will I come back to it?  The Post is a grand mixture of John Williams’ many talents.  From Nixon to Saving Private Ryan, and Catch Me If You Can to Star Wars, there is something for every mood here.  The overall tension of the score is centered around darkness in the strings, featuring a low ostinato.  The standout energetic moments also carry this same weight (see: The Presses Roll).  But, it’s not all so dire.  A few playful woodwind moments peak through the clouds, there are a few triumphant moments in the horns (see the fanfare above) and the two jazz piano cues are about as smooth as it gets (see: The Oak Room, 1971).  Amidst all the angst and urgency, another track sets itself apart as heart achingly sensitive (see: Mother and Daughter).  The use of simple piano and light orchestra is often heard, but rarely so mastered.  It is impossibly multi-emotional.  In just moments, Williams takes us from nostalgia to worry and back again.  Mastered.
     The Post is equal parts solemn and urgent, and the balance between these two sounds is extraordinary.  I will be returning often when I want a darker sense of mission.

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