E.S. Posthumus

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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.

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

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 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Unearthed, the first album composed by E.S. Posthumus, was originally made available for purchase online through the CDBaby website in January 2001 due to its limited release.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 SoundtrackNet, the band said "we wanted the chance to blow an ungodly sum of cash working with a big orchestra" [2]. Other musicians performing on this CD include Pedro Eustache, Michael Landau, Matt Laug, Lance Morrison, Davy Spillane and Efrain Toro.

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"

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.

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Not much is known about the upcoming E.S. Posthumus album. It was originally given a tentative release year of 2006, but no album was released at that time. Franz Vonlichten suggested May 2005 in an interview with SoundtrackNet that they are not overly concerned with deadlines, stating, in part, that "[the band has] been writing for the last couple of years, and aren't in a real hurry to just whack something out." He also suggested that "[the band wants] to do the orchestra in Rome and go to Liberia to work with a cool percussionist [they] met in Spain last year."

A preview of "Cartographer," a song in their unnamed album, was made available through the official website early July 2007. It was previously confirmed that "Posthumus Zone" will also be in the next album.

In an e-mail to WigShop Records, Helmut Vonlichten indicated that they are working quickly on their record and that it may be released summer 2007. The reply stated:

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)

As of July 2007, an addition to their website contains the following news:

According to ancient legend, the tiny island of Numa was completely destroyed by natural disaster in the Southern Indian Ocean. Its inhabitants had been highly civilized and advanced seafarers. They traded with peoples from every corner of the Earth and developed a language that incorporated all known tongues from that era.

On our next release, "Cartographer", we imagine what this language sounded like and combine it with compositions that are uniquely those of ES Posthumus.

"Cartographer"
ES Posthumus
featuring Luna Sans

A moderator wrote a post on the E.S. Posthumus Yahoo group on 23 September 2007:

"A double CD disc will be released by year's end by ES Posthumus. It will be available on CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon." More info about this release will surface in early November! :)

On 27 November 2007, a reply email from Wigshop Records said:

"The new CD should be released around the first of Jan '08...

Calvin"

It is thought that the sender of the above email refers to Calvin Sondheim, who is referred to on esposthumus.com for business inquiries.

In an Email to one of the group's distributors, CD Baby, inquiring about a release date, the following reponse dated 24 Dec 2007 was recieved:

"Hi! That album is going to be available on CD Baby as an MP3 download only. It should be up for sale on CD Baby soon. Check back in a week or so. Best wishes~ "

As of late evening December 27, a search on CD Baby for "posthumus" would yield a result for the cd "Cartographer". However, any attempt to click on it would simply open the "New Releases" page. By the 28th of December this apparent glitch had been removed.

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.

v • d • e
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
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.S._Posthumus"
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