"Special recognition should go to the work of Clint Mansell (composer) and Matt Dunkley (orchestrator/conductor) for adapting Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake into a dark and brooding musical landscape for Aronofsky and company to play on. Though there is much original scoring in the film, the music is so clearly defined by Tchaikovsky's seminal work that Mansell will most likely be deemed ineligible for the Academy Award; Dunkley's work orchestrating the difficult music of Swan Lake to a wide range of ensemble sizes is breathtaking and key to the success of the film."
110mb.com (Black Swan)
"Aronofsky dares to mess with a classic: in this case Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic 1876 ballet score Swan Lake, via his composer Clint Mansell and conductor/orchestrator Matt Dunkley. The cues which make up the film’s grand finale – “A Swan Is Born” and “Perfection” – contain the longest stretches of pure Tchaikovsky performance, and they are quite glorious. The powerful performance of the ravishing Danse Hongrois (Hungarian Dance) in “A Swan Is Born” is breathtaking, while the extended statement of the magnificent Swan Theme in “Perfection”, with its sweeping refrain and soaring melodramatic string writing, is simply wonderful. The music is front-and-center for a great deal of the running time, highlighting perfectly the way in which music and auditory design can be a powerful tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal."
Jonathan Broxton - Movie Music UK
"This week's highlight was the London Philharmonic Orchestra and
Metro Voices playing the music of A.R.Rahman at the prestigious Royal
Festival Hall. Needless to say, the event was sold-out.
The music conducted by the very versatile Matt Dunkley and played
by the 100-strong orchestra and choir was a truly unique experience of
Rahman's genius........"
Kishwar Desai - The Asian Age
"The Alchemy festival opened to a full house of A.R.Rahman fans at the
prestigious Royal Festival Hall at London's Southbank Centre. The artistic director
of Southbank, Jude Kelly, alongside longtime A.R.Rahman collaborator,
the orchestrator/conductor Matt Dunkley (famous for his work in movies
such as Iron Man, Couples Retreat & The Dark Knight) came together, for this
highly anticipated concert which proved to be a rousing success....."
Ashanti Omkar - Thamarai
“a sumptuously melodic and exciting orchestral score…..
a thoroughly winning composition featuring several great themes for orchestra
and choir and a number of rousing action set-pieces….
Randall Larson – Soundtrax (4 Musketeers) “a rich and entertaining score which combines cinematic tradition with modern aesthetics in a very effective way…enjoy!”
Mikael Carlsson – Movie Score Media (4 Musketeers) “a very pleasant score, easy to listen to and easy to enjoy…..Dunkley is clearly a talented composer and let’s hope he gets further opportunities to demonstrate it”
James Southall – Movie Wave (4 Musketeers) “successful in conveying a bit of heroism as well as intense romance and tragedy... a vivid mix of moods, whether it's thunderous action, passion, or rare period facsimiles..."
Mark R. Hasan – KQEK (4 Musketeers) “the key factor in the whole process was choosing the right composer for the job and Matt Dunkley was that man. From the minute I heard the theme he demoed for the project, it was clear that he had the skills to pull it off.”
Anthony Vanger (music supervisor) – The Mix Online (4 Musketeers) “to have an expert in Hollywood orchestration was a very good experience….great to have a person like that on board. Matt Dunkley is his name, and he has done a lot of films!…..”
Tuomas Kantelinen (composer) – Film Music GR (Mindhunters) “along with co-orchestrator Matt Dunkley, Craig Armstrong focuses on the mystical, as he builds emotional climaxes, ghostly interludes, and other atmospheric blankets of sound. The mix of gospel music with ethereal orchestrations is essential to the film… ”
CD Universe (Ray) “…..echoing the spirit of the late, great Georges Delerue with exquisite melodies, beautifully orchestrated – Kantelinen’s music speaks directly to the heart, but doesn’t do so in any cheap or clichéd way”
James Southall – Film Music on the Web (Mother of Mine) "our sound is always very big, but this album was really exciting because we did it with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Bond are still at the forefront but we have this massive orchestral sound, with the help of the hugely talented Matt Dunkley on the arrangements”
Decca Classics press release (Bond/Classified) “….a mix of specific ethnic music coupled with Western orchestration….expansive melodic writing and masterful orchestration, Rahman’s score is aptly performed by The Czech Film Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Matt Dunkley”
Steven A. Kennedy – Film Score Monthly (Warriors of Heaven & Earth) |
