Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1454722

Composed by Al Stillman and Elmer Bernstein. Arranged by John Langley / Studio Orchestrations. Film/TV,Historic,March,Patriotic,Thriller. 106 pages. Www.studio-orchestrations.com #1033795. Published by www.studio-orchestrations.com (A0.1454722).

The Great Escape (1963) is one of the great American epic war adventure films starring some of the greatest actors of the age like Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson, among many others.  

The soundtrack was composed by Elmer Bernstein who had enjoyed great acclaim for his music for the 1960 epic The Magnificent 7 (also starrring Steve McQueen).  The Great Escape March theme is regarded as one of the best loved war film themes harnessing both a British and an American patriotic flavour in its themes.  Its bitter sweet jauntiness successfully catches the mood of the film, the optimism and indominatable spirit of the prisoners always hell bent on trying to escape, and the German march theme also makes a brief appearance to reflect all the voices in the narrative of the story.  Other film composers have used a similar approach using a jaunty march theme like Bernstein does - notably The bridge over the river Kwai and A bridge too far - while other composers have tried (arguably) less successfully to encapsulate appropriate pathos alongside that optimism in the 'optimistic' themes.

This arrangement is a great bite sized orchestral excerpt appropriate for any concert of film music, or military war/historic themes. 

INSTRUMENTATION:
Flute
Piccolo
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons

4 Horns
4 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Tuba

Timpani
3 Percussion 
[Bass Drum/Cymbals/2 Side Drums]

Strings

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