E.S. Posthumus

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Helmut and Franz Vonlichten
Helmut and Franz Vonlichten

E.S. Posthumus is an independent music group that produces cinematic style music. It is a form of epic classical that fuses intertwined drum beats with orchestral and electronic sounds. Their music is inspired by the Pythagorean Philosophy which states that "music is the harmonization of opposites; the conciliation of warring elements". The E.S. is an acronym for "Experimental Sounds" while Posthumus is a word that represents "all things past".

According to the group, E.S. Posthumus was formed in 2000 by brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten. Helmut and Franz studied piano with their mother. After graduating from high school, Franz worked in recording studios while Helmut attended and graduated from UCLA, with a degree in archaeology. However, information from the ASCAP database suggests that Helmut and Franz Vonlichten are pseudonyms for Jeffrey and Robert Pfeifer, who have composed hundreds of musical tracks [1] [2] [3].

E.S. Posthumus' music has been licensed by many movie and television production studios; being included in numerous movie trailers and television shows. For instance, the song Posthumus Zone was composed for the CBS Sports TV programs The NFL Today and The NFL on CBS. Despite their increasing popularity however, the Vonlichten brothers remain a mystery to many people. E.S. Posthumus have so far released one album, with a second album planned for release sometime in the near future.

Currently, E.S. Posthumus is the only group produced by the record company Wigshop Records.

Contents

[edit] Unearthed

Unearthed
Unearthed cover
Studio album by E.S. Posthumus
Released Limited: 1st January 2001
Wide: 3rd May 2005
Recorded  ?
Genre Orchestral
Length 58:13
Label Wigshop Records
Producer(s) E.S. Posthumus
Professional reviews

Unearthed, the first album composed by E.S. Posthumus, was originally made available for purchase online through the CDBaby website in January 2001 due to its limited release. It eventually went on to become the third biggest selling album in CDBaby's history. The success of the album prompted the wide re-release to retail in May 2005 through Wigshop and 33rd Street Records/Bayside Distribution.

A key piece to the distinctive sound of the music comes from working with the Seattle Symphony. In an interview with SountrackNet, the band said "we wanted the chance to blow an ungodly sum of cash working with a big orchestra" [4]. Other musicians performing on this CD include Pedro Eustache, Michael Landau, Matt Laug, Lance Morrison, Davy Spillane and Efrain Toro.

[edit] Track listing

In keeping with the theme of "all things past", each of the thirteen tracks on the album are named after an ancient or long-standing city.

  1. "Antissa"
  2. "Tikal"
  3. "Harappa"
  4. "Ulaid"
  5. "Ebla"
  6. "Nara"
  7. "Cuzco"
  8. "Nineveh"
  9. "Lepcis Magna"
  10. "Menouthis"
  11. "Estremoz"
  12. "Pompeii"
  13. "Isfahan"

[edit] Media usage

Many tracks from Unearthed have been featured in various movie trailers and television shows. It has been used in the trailers for movies such as Unfaithful and Vanity Fair thanks to its escalating structure, which makes it well-suited for the dramatic montages of those particular films. Since Unearthed contains tracks that vary greatly in mood and style, it remains as a popular choice for production companies to utilise in trailers; although the album has been available for a number of years. However, tracks such as Antissa, Ulaid, Estremoz, and Isfahan have hardly been used, if at all, in movie trailers or television shows.

An excerpt from the track Nara is used as the main theme for the CBS television show Cold Case, which is played during the opening title/credit sequence of every episode. A vocal rise performed by a female solo singer leads into the opening title, where one of the verses of Nara is then played for the remainder of the sequence, concluding with a short melody from a woodwind instrument. At the time Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer chose the song to be used in the show, he had never actually met the Vonlichten brothers in person. Additionally, Michael A. Levine, a musical composer for television shows and advertisements, created a reworked version of Nara that is played during the show's closing credits (the closing credits are seen in a promo/credits screen on CBS, not the original studio credits with the music).

The list below provides details on movie trailers that have utilised tracks from the Unearthed album.

[edit] 2001

[edit] 2002

[edit] 2003

[edit] 2004

[edit] 2005

[edit] 2006

[edit] 2007

    • Partition - "Nara"

[edit] Upcoming Album

Not much is currently known about the upcoming E.S. Posthumus album. It was originally given a tentative release year of 2006. In fact, on E.S. Posthumus's website, the upcoming album is still referred to as "their 2006 release." However, as of April 2007, the album has not been released and no new information has been officially announced, including the album title and a specific release date. It does not appear as if the group's website has been updated since sometime in 2005, because "2005 E.S. Posthumus" is still on the upper right hand corner of the homepage. The only confirmed announcement is that the song Posthumus Zone will be included on the new album release [5].

In a SoundtrackNet interview with Franz Vonlichten, dated May 2005, he responded in regards to the next album that "We've been writing for the last couple of years, and aren't in a real hurry to just whack something out. Hopefully we'll record later this summer". He also stated that "We want to do the orchestra in Rome and go to Liberia to work with a cool percussionist we met in Spain last year".

In an email to WigShop Records, Helmut Vonlichten stated that they are working quickly on their record and that we may see it sometime in the summer of 2007. The actual email reply from Helmut said this:

We're working as quickly as possible... sorry for the delay but hopefully it will be worth the wait.... maybe summer????

Helmut
(12:55pm EST, 2/20/2007)

[edit] Rise to Glory (Single)

Rise to Glory Single Cover
Rise to Glory Single Cover

Rise to Glory is a single released in September 2005 featuring the vocals of rappers DJ Quik and Bizarre. The song Rise to Glory is recognized as a sung remix and an extended version of the Posthumus Zone theme. It is most commonly recognized as the theme song to the NFL on CBS during the 2005-2006 season, which was heard before the game started.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Modern musical projects based on Gregorian chant and other chants
Aereda • Cantara • Divine Works • Elbosco • Enigma • E Nomine • Era • E.S. Posthumus • Gala • Gregorian • Industrial Monk • Lesiëm • Libera • Magna Canta • Mysteria • Nostradamus • Richard Souther (Vision and Illumination) • Solyma
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