Avengers: Infinity War Orchestral Medley - DPops

Avengers: Infinity War Orchestral Medley

PT. I: EARTH TO ASGARD
by Ludwig Göransson, Alan Silvestri, Christopher Beck, & Brian Tyler
arr. Linus Lu DC'19 & Chenyu Ma BF'19

PT. II: REALMS, DIMENSIONS, AND YOUR FRIENDLY
NEIGHBORHOOD
by Magic Sword, Led Zepplin, & Michael Giacchino
arr. Michael Gancz MY'21, Harry Kane BR'18, Michael Wang JE'17
Isabel Sands BF'21, & Chenyu Ma BF'19

PT. III: CIVIL WAR
by Henry Jackman, Kendrick Lamar, Black Sabbath & Alan Silvestri
arr. Michael Gancz MY'21, Kari Hustad BR'21 & Chenyu Ma BF'19

With the release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War, this arrangement celebrates 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe. Beginning with Iron Man (2008), Marvel Studios has been building up and developing complex storylines and introducing more characters into its fictional galactic universe. With die hard icons like Captain America, Hulk, and Thor as well as new inductees such as Doctor Strange and Black Panther, Marvel Studios has both enlisted an all-star cast and procured one of the most devoted fanbases. The new film, Infinity War, is apparently eyeing for a record $200 million opening box office.
While the films themselves are overwhelmingly successful, many critics and fans have complained over the years that Marvel has largely neglected the musical aspect of its franchise. Unlike similar franchises like “Star Wars,” barely anyone can hum the main theme of, say, Iron Man or Captain America. This phenomenon is largely because of two reasons. The first is the lack of musical cohesion between different composers. For example, three different composers scored the three different Iron Man films, but none of them cited each other’s work. The second is that editors often use “temp music” during editing, a practice where editors use an existing soundtrack from another film as a placeholder first before sending the edited package to the composer. This almost always results in dull repetitive themes that are largely ignored.
However, in the last three or four years, the quality of the music has improved dramatically. It appears that Marvel Studios has finally realized the significance of a memorable soundtrack. Composers began citing each other’s work and maintaining a musical integrity. In addition, directors began using innovative ways to marry the music with the film, such as the usage of pop music in Guardians of the Galaxy and hip-hop in Black Panther.
This arrangement is, in an unprecedented fashion, arranged by seven people. While it contains a wide range of genres from marches to electronic, a core “Avengers’ Theme” runs almost continuously beneath the score. Marvel music is rarely performed, so we hope you enjoy this unique experience.

Program Notes by Chenyu Ma