Superman Theme
Here is a side by side comparison:
John Williams - Superman: The Movie
John Ottman - Superman Returns
So what’s the difference?
Well, they are obviously the same piece. Ottman slices off the non-rhythmic intro as well as the extended drum roll to the end. Other than that it feels like the musical content is precisely the same.
The difference is in mix and performance. Ottman’s orchestra sounds like a bigger one (it probably is) and Williams’ sounds smaller. What this means musically is that Williams’ original features a much cleaner, vocal timpani line…you can hear almost every bang. For another, the performance in Williams’ is slightly more fun than Ottman’s, probably due to the fact that Williams is a fabulous conductor. Ottman is not.
There’s probably more so Enjoy!
