Microsoft's taste in music

August 19, 2006 6:02 PM

Can anyone tell me the name/composer/artist of the piano music used in a Microsoft TV ad?

This is the ad (I've seen it numerous times on CNN Headline News) with the guy starting a new job. I really like the music and style. Some searching compares it to music used in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, but doesn't definitely claim it's from that soundtrack. Any suggestions appreciated!

posted by ChromeDome to media & arts (5 comments total)

Bill Conti. But that's an educated guess.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 7:17 PM on August 19, 2006

And yes, it has the same style of piano as the Thomas Crown affair. Conti is extremely well known for his sound.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 7:18 PM on August 19, 2006

Is it one of the ads on this page?

You should keep in mind that big ad agencies often hire someone to compose original incidental music for this kind of thing. So finding it as a commercially available piece of music may be impossible.
posted by smackfu at 8:36 PM on August 19, 2006

All: Thanks for the Bill Conti suggestions, I'll check out the Thomas Crown Affair and other Conti music.
smackfu: the ad is not on the page you linked to. I couldn't find it in earlier searching; maybe it'll show up later.
posted by ChromeDome at 9:30 PM on August 19, 2006

I listened to some excerpts from Conti's music from The Thomas Crown Affair, and that is definitely NOT the music used in the ad. The ad music is simpler, and sounds almost like a contemporary Bach 2-Part Invention.
The search continues....
posted by ChromeDome at 9:01 AM on August 21, 2006