UKC

As the title says !

I guess I've got too much time on my hands !

As a (modest) pianist, I do love themes with a major contribution from the piano. I give Elmer Bernstein's 'To Kill A Mockingbird' first place, followed by Michel Legrand's 'Summer of 42'.

For their sheer power, Max Steiner's ' Gone With The Wind' ; Jerome Moross's 'Big Country' and Trevor Jones' Main Theme 'Last of the Mohicans'.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

Good choices. Don't forget though that Trevor Jones shares that credit with Randy Edelman.

Big Western-style films often had stirring music even if it sometimes seems derivative.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
>

In fact, the Main Title was adapted by Trevor Jones from Dougie MacLeans The Gael, taken from the 1990 album The Search.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

I thought it was the melody in "Promontory" that used (and credited, surely?) MacLean's work. It's also used in other parts of the score, but not the main title, unless I've misremembered.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

The theme is repeated in Promontory !

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

I know. There's the big orchestral theme - which I thought was Jones/Edelman's, and the melody (also heard in "The Kiss" scene in the fort in a more traditional fiddley-diddley style). It's this melody that is MacLean's, isn't it?

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

To put it another way, my recollection - which I am testing now - is that Promontory blends "Main Title" with MacLean's melody. Let's see now:
Main Title: youtube.com/watch?v=C2FCmfKmft4&
The Kiss (from The Gael): youtube.com/watch?v=dofZpPjn9j0&
Promontory: youtube.com/watch?v=g_M_LAMaf0w&

It is absent from "Main Title". More prominent in Promontory than I had remembered. It is great stuff anyway. I hope they did credit MacLean.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

On a similar note, a less popular film than those mentioned so far but great score from Mr Edelman again, very evocative
youtube.com/watch?v=5X1yPoAaKL0&

And funnily enough, although you mention piano, some of my favourites by piano specialist Michael Nyman are not really very piano-based at all - here, strings and (I think) soprano carry it...
youtube.com/watch?v=Mb9qK-hxk-0&

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

See how you like this, been a real favourite for about 20 years.

youtube.com/watch?v=ll3tEFRaDYw&

I suppose one tends to prefer a theme if one knows the film at least, but I like to think that this one works as a standalone

In reply to Pyreneenemec:
"Gabriel's Oboe" from "The Mission." and Main theme from "Where Eagles Dare." "Burning Bridges" from "Kelly's Heroes"