Thanks so much for posting this! I always thought that Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves were scored by the same person, but I never bothered to check. Now I realize (looking at the list of movies he scored) that I was quite fond of his music.
This was the music I grew up with - on vinyl, listening through headphones, and being stunned by how moving, evocative, and downright resourceful Barry was in his compositions. Beyond his remarkable talent for sheer melodic variety and power, he combined instruments and orchestra sections other composers might bristle at utilising - heavy on the brass one minute, sweet with the strings and some Mambo-based percussion the next. His themes were an absolute gift for vocalists (Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro, Tom Jones, and even Lulu all owed him a debt), but his instrumental scores were the reason film producers kept coming back for more. And you're right - there's something unmistakable about his touch. (Usually it's that distinctive major-to-minor chord shift prevalent in his work - perfect for evoking vast landscapes when accompanying, for example, aerial photography, but also more distant realms. One of my personal favourites is his soundtrack for Disney's The Black Hole which, along with You Only Live Twice and Moonraker, set the
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