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    CD Reviews - Soundtracks (Jan- Jun 2002)

The reviews are arranged alphbetically by month.  Some of them are given the designation of "CD of Special Merit" for their outstanding contibution to film music production.  Each month, there is one soundtrack that is singled out as "Editor's Choice, Best of the Month."    

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Review Rundown::

The reviews are arranged alphabetically and written by Steven Kennedy and Roger Hall.

The titles are chosen to cover a broad range of new commercial, promotional and vintage soundtracks.  No bootleg CDs are reviewed. The comments and ratings are based on the whole CD package: recorded music, booklet notes and art design.   

Ratings:

*****   (Superlative - Highest Recommendation)

****1/2 (Outstanding - Highly Recommended) 

 ****     (Exceptional - Especially Worthwhile)  

  ***1/2 (Very Good - Better Than Average)

  ***      (Good - Okay)

   **1/2  (Fair - Nothing Special)

   **      (Mediocre - Barely Passable)

     *      (Poor - Save Your Money)

Each month soundtracks are selected for Best of the Month and/or Recording of Special Merit.  These soundtracks are chosen on the date of the review, and not necessarily at the end of the month, and are those felt worthy of exceptional merit.

Note:  Beginning in March 2002, all Promo CDs will receive shorter mini-reviews.

Some selected soundtracks have these headings above them:

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month

CD Release of Special Merit

CD Reviews: January-June 2002

June:

ENTERPRISE (Dennis McCarthy) - ****

MINORITY REPORT (John Williams) - ***** [Editor's Choice, Best of the Month]

ROAD TO PERDITION (Thomas Newman) - ***1/2

SPIDER-MAN (Danny Elfman) - ***

SUM OF ALL FEARS (Jerry Goldsmith) - ***1/2

36 HOURS (Dimitri Tiomkin) - ****

WINDTALKERS (James Horner) -  ***

May:

ANDROMEDA (Matthew McCauley) - ***

ENIGMA (John Barry) - ***1/2

MICHEL LEGRAND BY MICHEL LEGRAND - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

RECORDINGS OF MUSIC FOR FILM (Vincent Gallo) - *1/2

STAR WARS II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (John Williams) - ****1/2 [Editor's Choice, Best of the Month]

April:

DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (Franz Waxman/Themes from THE ROBE (Alfred Newman) - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

KING OF KINGS (Miklos Rozsa) - ***** [Editor's Choice, Best of the Month]

LUST FOR LIFE (Miklos Rozsa) - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

March:

ALI (Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke) - **1/2

KATE & LEOPOLD (Rolfe Kent & song by Sting) - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

THE LONG HOT SUMMER & SANCTUARY (Alex North) - ****

LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED (Alfred Newman) - ****

[Mini-Reviews of Promos] -

AS IF TO NOTHING (Craig Armstrong) - ***

MONSTER'S BALL (Ashe & Spencer) - **1/2

February:

BLACK HAWK DOWN (Hans Zimmer) - ****

HART'S WAR (Rachel Portman) - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

IRIS (James Horner) - ***** [Editor's Choice, Best of the Month]

THE SHIPPING NEWS (Christopher Young) - ****

TRON (Wendy Carlos) - **

January:

AMERICAN JOURNEY (John Williams) - *****

A BEAUTIFUL MIND (James Horner) - ***1/2

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (Hugo Friedhofer) - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

THE BLACK STALLION (Carmine Coppola and others/ THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS (Georges Delerue) - ****1/2 [CD of Special Merit]

FAREWELL, MY LOVELY/ MONKEY SHINES (David Shire) - ***** [CD of Special Merit]

GOSFORD PARK (Patrick Doyle) - ***** [Editor's Choice - Best of the Month]

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Howard Shore) - *****

LOVE IS MY PROFESSION (Rene Cloerec) & WHERE THE HOT WIND BLOWS (Roman Vlad) - *

Now Available!

A Guide to Film Music - Scores and Songs  (2nd revised edition, PineTree Press, 2002)

This illustrated guide was written by film music historian Roger Hall.  

It includes a timeline of film music highlights from 1926 to 2001; a chapter on suggestions for listening to film music; a complete list of Academy Award film music from 1934 to 2000; Top 100 Scores of the 20th Century; and an extensive bibliography and discography.

Throughout the guide are many illustrations of composer autographs, such as Bernard Herrmann, Alex North, Max Steiner and Dimitri Tiomkin; and songwriter autographs as well, including Sammy Cahn, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Jay Livingston, and others.

The title page of the guide has a rare score page from the end credits of E.T., signed by John Williams.

There is also an accompanying CD-R or Tape available: "Listener's Guide to Film Music."

This film music guide is a limited edition and will be numbered and signed by the author.

To order your copy now, while supply lasts, go to:

Music Titles from PineTree Press

CD Reviews - June 2002

ENTERPRISE (2002)

15 Tracks (49:30)

Music composed , conducted and produced by Dennis McCarthy.

Music sound consultant: Dennis Yurosek.  Music recorded and mixed by Rick Winquest.  Music editor: Steve Rowe. Mastered and edited by James Cruz at Sony Music Studios, New York.  Score recorded at Studio M, Paramount Pictures, Los Angeles, 9/10/01-9//11/01.

Decca 289 470 999-2

Rating: ****

The gravy train of big budgets and media hype keeps moving along for STAR TREK.  Will the millions of  ST fans ever get bored with these space travel series?  Probably not anytime soon.  This is the fifth installment in the long running series begun by the inventive mind of Gene Roddenberry back in the late 1960's.

The latest effort is the "prequel" to the original classic series.  ENTERPRISE takes place in 2151, 100 years before Captain James Kirk and his crew are introduced.  This time around the emphasis is on the pioneering efforts in space exploration and instellar travel.  This series has seven main actors and actressses, with Capt. Jonathan Archer played by Scott Bakula, formerly of the much loved TV series, QUANTUM LEAP.  

This soundtrack is being advertised as "a souvenir to Trekkies around the world...destined to become a collector's item." Well, that may be so but only time will tell.  To illustrate how much the obligatory movie song has taken over the soundtrack market, this CD opens with another of those formula Diane Warren songs, this time sung by the latest media wonder boy, Russell Watson.  "Where My Heart Will Take Me," sounds out of place and all too familiar with its trite lyrics - which really can't be understood very well due to Watson's groveling voice.  It would have been helpful to have the lyrics printed in the CD foldout, but that custom seems to have disappeared.  Watson's voice is loud and strong, but also bland and uninvolving, at least to this reviewer's ears.

But the score by Dennis McCarthy is another thing.  It's full of heroic sounding themes and robust fully orchestrated scoring, in the manner of Jerry Goldsmith's STAR TREK and the STAR WARS scores of John Williams.  On the second track is McCarthy's theme for "New Enterprise (1:42)" which is more subdued than what might be expected and has quite an appealing sound.   The next track, "Klingon Chase-Shotgunned (2:05)," opens softly then moves forward with a steady drum rhythm and a harsher more threatening orchestration.  This same type of action music is employed on other tracks as well, such as "Phaser Fight" (track 7, 5:54), and "Temporal Battle" (track 11, 8:07).  While these themes work well enough, they do sound too much alike at times.  

This is an enhanced CD which also includes a music video of Russell Watson singing the song from the movie.  It is well photographed, very sharp and chrisp.  It's too bad the song isn't a better one.  Also included on the enhanced portion are brief biographies of the cast members of ENTERPRISE.  The clever futuristic format is very cool.

The sensitive notes by McCarthy mention the irony of scheduling the recording on 9/11/01 and how important it was to go on with the project.  As he writes:  "It was without question the hardest recording session of my entire career, but the musicians turned in magnificent perpformances despite the tragedy we had just witnessed." He then dedicates the album "to those who we lost on 9?11/01 and to those men and women who rose to the challenge and showed us that the human spirit will prevail no matter what."  That same "human spirit" is echoed in the fine music composed by McCarthy for the ENTERPRISE series.

If you're a fan of the TV series, you'll surely want to get the soundtrack as a souvenir.  But even if you haven't seen the series, this soundtrack should be an enjoyable listen.

It's well worth adding to your sci-fi music library.

--Roger Hall, 4 June 2002          

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month

MINORITY REPORT (2002)

Music composed and conducted by John Williams.  Album produced by John Williams.  Supervising Music Editor: Ken Wannberg.  Music recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy.  Vocal Soloist: Deborah Dietrich. Album edited by Ramiro Belgardt. Album mastered by Patricia Sullivan FourStar.  Art Direction:  Stefan G. Buchner.  

Dreamworks 0044-50385-2

Rating: *****

How does John Williams keep doing it?  Here is another excellent soundtrack, full of high intensity orchestral themes and another unforgettable slow theme.  This is a darker Williams score.  It may remind some of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, and also last year's A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.  But it's actually neither of those scores.  It's merely the great John Williams "sound" which has continued to evolve over the decades.  This composer has proved himself time and again with some of the top grossing films of all time. Will this new Steven Spielberg film join that list?   Only time will tell.  I'm reviewing the soundtrack apart from the film.  A revision may follow later after the film opens.

As has been the custom with the Spielberg-Williams collaborations, there are some remarks offered by the director included in the CD booklet.  I'll quote a few lines because they indicate how both men work together.  Spielberg writes:

"The plot and story find their roots in the combination of American film noir and the classic 'whodunit' mysteries...John Williams and I have often marveled at the way Bernard Herrmann was able to contribute so much musical suspense to an Alfred Hitchcock picture."  

And does the Herrmann influence appear anywhere in the MR soundtrack?  It sure does.  For example, the prominent use of rhthymic strings heard on many tracks, similar to those used in Herrmann's PSYCHO.  Or in the darker passages, as on track 15: "Psychic Truth and Finale" (7:10).  But if it's intentional, surely it's more a tribute to Herrmann than a shameless "borrowing," like that of a certain film composer whose initials are J.H.

Spielberg also writes: "Unlike our other collaborations, John's score for MINORITY REPORT is not lush with melody; it is nonetheless brilliant in its complexity and forceful in its rhythms...the kind of music that start in your spine and eventually find its way to your heart in the section titled: 'Sean's Theme.'"  Actually that theme is an example of a typical JW slow theme and it's quite "lush with melody."  It's also extremely beautiful.  That theme is track 9 (1:57) on the CD, played with solo piano and mostly strings. But actually it's first heard in the opening track, "Minority Report" at about  3:30.   Then it's heard again on other tracks, such as track 4: "Sean and Lara" (4:46).  Like "Monica's Theme" from A.I., this slow theme from MINORITY REPORT stays in the mind  - at least it did in mine.  That's because it's such a memorable melody - soaring and touching at the same time.  Ironically, this lovely Williams theme reminded me a bit of Mahler's achingly beautiful "Adagietto" from his Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor.  Quite good company to be in, Mr. Williams!

There are also many menancing and dissonant passages as well, such as:  "Spyders" (track 5, 4:33).  This one has a marvelous rapid string pattern which keeps moving along, sometimes dropping out, then coming back with more intensity. Even without the film's visuals, this is a most effective suspense building cue.   Another cue which is extremely energetic is "Visions of Anne Lively" (track 12, 3:27).

This soundtrack is just chock full of dark and dramatic passages.  Besides the ones already mentioned, another example is "The Greenhouse Effect" (track 6, 5:09), a quieter but still mysterious cue with high ethereal strings and some darker sounds from the horns and a wordless female voice (Deborah Dietrich) near the end.  Then there's the obvious music for "Everybody Runs!" (track 8, 3:10), which again uses rapid string patterns to effectively keep the momemtum going.  Very exciting stuff.

I don't want to give more examples, because I believe the listener should have the pleasure of experiencing this excellent score for themselves.

The CD art design is quite pleasing to the eye.  The film stills don't overwhelm the booklet and the track titles and Spielberg's remarks are easy to read.

This is an all around top notch production.  As good as the recent STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES score is, the one for MINORITY REPORT is even better.  Even though he has been pretty consistent, on average John Williams seems to produce better scores for Steven Spielberg than for George Lucas.  Just look at the films he has scored for each director.

To my mind, this is the best film score of the year so far.  It's on the same level with last year's excellent A.I. score.

MINORITY REPORT is a superlative piece of work.

A must have for any John Williams soundtrack collector.   Buy it and enjoy some extraordinary music. 

--Roger Hall, 15 June 2002  

ROAD TO PERDITION (2002)

27 Tracks (Total Time = 70:27)

Music composed and conducted by Thomas Newman.  Album produced by Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Vacari.  Music consultant: George Budd.  Orchestrations by Thomas Pasatieri.  Music Editor: Bill Bernstein.  Orchestra recorded by Armin Steiner at the Fox Newman Scoring Stage and Todd Scoring Stage.

Soloists:  Eric Rigler (Uilleann pipes, low and high whistle); Jon Clarke (Oboe D'Amore, low pennywhistle); Steve Kujala (flute, alto flute); Steve Taglione (clarinet, ewi); George Doering (Irish Bouzouki, Bowed String Drum, Dragge Acoustic); Michael Fisher (Bodhran, Pang Glocken Wands, Timpani, Found Metal); Rick Cox (Bowed Sustains, Guitar with Glass, Maraca, Metal, Sponge); Pedal Steel Guitar (Chas Smith); Nico Abondolo (Double Bass); Bill Bernstein (Hurdy-Gurdy, Mandolin); Thomas Newman (Stroviol,Piano).

Decca 440 017 167-2

Rating: ***1/2

For some film music lovers, Thomas Newman is probably an acquired taste.  His scores are often very quirky and odd, like AMERICAN BEAUTY.  That is, his scores usually feature an unorthodox mix of instruments playing slowly changing musical ideas. And that's what THE ROAD TO PERDITION sounds like to me.  But it's also an intriguing score with a whole bunch of unusual instruments employed (listed above).  The soundtrack is also very well recorded.  I haven't seen the film yet so I'm only commenting on the soundtrack itself.

The overall mood of this score is a dark and somber one - which has become standard procedure in films lately.  The opening track, "Rock Island, 1931" (3:22), begins with one of those T. Newman sustained sounds with pennywhistle, oboe d'amore, and strings playing and then in comes those Uillean pipes. Can't film composers stay away with these ethnic instruments for awhile?   I doubt they have any strong relation to the film's story.

Many of the cues in this soundtrack feature unusual instruments.  For example, track 4: "Mr. Rance"  (1:38), with an insistent string pattern and a whole bunch of unusual instruments (I really can't determine what they are!) are thrown into the mix.   Another one is track 6, "Murder (in four parts)" (7:54), opening with percussion instruments I once again can't determine for sure.  Wouldn't it be helpful to have some indication of what these instruments are on each track?  They do provide an eerie and uncertain mood but it seems a bit much after over 7 minutes.  "Road to Chicago" (3:06) was more appealing for me beause it features just the piano and strings and has a more satisfying thematic idea.   This thematic idea reappears again later but altered, as on track 19 ("Virgin Mary" - 1:34).  On track 22, "Cathedral" (2:39), there is a soft chorus of chanting voices near the end which effectively represents this cue.

There are also several tracks with more traditional source type music on the soundtrack CD.  On track 8 there is "Someday Sweetheart" (3:06) written by Benjamin and John Spikes in 2000, and performed by The Charleston Chasers.  This is delightful dixieland style music.  Another one is "Queer Notions" (2:46), written by the great jazz musician Coleman Hawkins and performed on a 1934 recording by Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra. The title really spells out how different this jazz music really sounds.  The third source cue is "There'll Be Some Changes Made" by Billy Higgins and W. Benton Overstreet and performed by the Chicago Rhythm Kings.  These jazz numbers are really fun to listen to and are quite a departure from Newman's dark and unsettling score.

The next to last track, "Road to Perdition" (3:55), is presumably either for the Finale or the End Credits and is quite lovely with the way the strings are employed.  The last track, "Perdition" (1:39) has a new piano duet composed by John M. Williams (no, not the world famous guy!) and played by the film's two stars: Tom Hanks and Paul Newman.  It's  more of an oddity than a worthwhile piece and makes the soundtrack sound incomplete.  It would have been better to include it before "Road to Perdition."

It's a great waste of space to have a five sleeve foldout booklet filled with color stills from the film and credits for those involved in the recording.  But not one word about the score or the film.  With such a composer like T. Newman, who makes such abundant use of unusual sound combinations, it would have been helpful to have a few words from him about his score.

Even with all my reservations, I still think this is a very good score. If you prefer your film scores more traditional, with strong melodic themes, then this one probably won't make it for you.   

For me, it was mostly a mixed bag of goodies - some unusual (even strange) instrumental combinations together with more traditional ones.  

I'd say this soundtrack will probably appeal to admirers of Thomas Newman's quirky film scores.  I don't believe it's a must have for anyone else.

--Roger Hall, 16 June 2002

SPIDER-MAN (2002)

15 Tracks (Total Time: 45:02)

Music composed by Danny Elfman. Conducted by Pete Anthony. Album produced by Ellen Segal and Danny Elfman. Music recorded at Sony Pictures Scoring Stage, and mixed at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros., by Dennis Sands. Art direction and design by David Coleman.

Sony Classical SK 86681

Rating: ***

SPIDER-MAN appears to be the first true blockbuster of the year and rightly so. It has all the elements that made for a great pre-summer popcorn movie but took itself seriously enough to treat most of its characters as more than just caricatures. Of couse, it did not hurt the audience demographics to cast Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in important roles. The difference from most of these types of films is that these are two talented actors rising above a mere comic book adaptation. As the film continues to spin its magic web, the score finally managed to make it to disc.

Elfman’s "Main Title" stands as one of his finest creations. It is an interesting blend of style that mixes a bit of BATMAN, PLANET OF THE APES, and MEN IN BLACK all in one. Not since Marco Beltrami’s music for the opening of MIMIC have I seen such a great blend of visuals to music in an opening title. The music manages also to distinguish Elfman as a composer who’s style is becoming recognizable to the average theater goer, though I heard a lot of "Sounds like BATMAN" comments in those sitting around me opening weekend. The music segues seamlessly into "Transformations" which is more recalls some of the finer moments of Elfman’s previous genre scores. It is far more dissonant and multi-layered than some of his earlier efforts. It reflects a maturing that may have arisen after last year’s PLANET OF THE APES.

The "Costume Montage" returns us to a more contemporary musical world filled with electric guitars and drum set. It could easily have come from MEN IN BLACK, but for its use of the main theme for this score. It works very well in the film. This moves into "Revenge" providing for some beautiful solo trumpet and brass writing in a more lyrical vein. Soon we are back to drum machine and MIB. At six minutes, it turns out to be one of the longer cues. "Alone," with its melancholic lyricism, is a beautiful, if too brief piece.

The CD is a bit brief, but it seems as if all the music is there for the most part. If not, it manages to be a fairly good reflection of the film. Elfman fans will have heard much of this before in other places. It does not bode well for the upcoming MIB2. But what it does mean is that Elfman has discovered a new sound for himself that he plans to stick to for a while. Personally, I hope he discovers more ways to expand his orchestral ideas more fully. There is unfortunately too much of the same here. In fact, "Specter of the Goblin" could easily have come from PLANET OF THE APES.

Elfman has composed several scores for Sam Raimi of which DARKMAN is his finest, in my opinion. This is one of those times when the score works very well in a film but taken aside becomes derivative of the composer’s previous efforts.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 13 June 2002

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002)

B16 Tracks (Total Time = 49:36/ 14 score cues=43:04/King song=3:35/Puccini aria=2:57)

Music composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. Album produced by Jerry Goldsmith. "If We Could Remember" produced by Trevor Horn. "If We Get Through This" produced by Robbie Kondor. Score recorded and mixed at Todd Scoring, Studio City, CA, by Bruce Botnick. Art design by Mark O.

Elektra 62786

Rating: *** 1/2

The first of the many June blockbusters popped out of the gate with high hopes. By now it has gone the way of many others so far this season, instantly forgettable. For this latest Tom Clancy adaptation, Jerry Goldsmith has turned up all the stops on what has made many of his past few scores enjoyable to listen to overall. The opening song, "If We Could Remember", co-written with Paul Williams and performed by Yolanda Adams is a breath of fresh air in the plethora of songs written for films. It is not the greatest of songs, but it is akin to two great masters reminding the new talent that they still have it. The casting of the lyrics into Latin for "The Mission" adds more depth to this melody and places it on a completely different level. It is one of Goldsmith’s best tracks in quite some time. The exquisite choral writing stands a cut above the material at all times.

Throughout this score we get a cross-fertilization of techniques heard in the likes of AIR FORCE ONE and THE EDGE along with L.A. CONFIDENTIAL for the more human drama and patriotic sections of the score as in "That Went Well", and THE MUMMY and THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR for sections like "The Bomb." The latter cue could have easily have been lifted from the other scores. "Snap Count" has some of the remnants of HOLLOW MAN, but still manages to stay within the parameters of this score. Others have commented on "Rambo-esque" themes in places as well. However, this ends up translating into a rather unique and very enjoyable listen. This easily becomes a much more interesting CD to listen to because it is tracked well providing enough variation to hold your interest. The sound is very clear though mixed a bit low.

Some minor carps are the bookending of the title song. There is another song by Carole King, "If We Get Through This," which is altogether fine if not entirely forgettable. The important thing to be thankful for is that both songs are not so completely eclectic from the surrounding music. Tabitha Fair manages to sing in a kind of lite-jazz that owes a bit to Boyz 2 Men and a million other similar styles. What appears to be a specifically recorded excerpt from Puccini’s TURANDOT also appears and is excellently sung by Bruce Sledge. The excerpt is produced by Goldsmith, but conducted by Lawrence Foster and is a curio with its altered ending. It is commendable though that rather than relying on library material the effort was made to re-record the piece.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 21 June 2002.

36 HOURS (1964)

26 Tracks, TT: 66:41 (Main score- 23 tracks: 57:08; 3 Bonus Tracks: 9:33)

Music composed and conducted by Dimitri Tiomkin.

Film Score Monthly Vol. 5, no. 5 (limited pressing of 3,000 copies)

Rating: ****

FSM continues its exploration of the MGM/Turner vaults with their first release of a Dimitri Tiomkin score. 36 HOURS is a suggestive film of intrigue and early cold-war espionage, though the story is firmly rooted around the invasion of Normandy. James Garner is an Army Major captured by the Gestapo, drugged, and made to think that he has been in a coma for the past six years. The Nazis hope to discover enough about future Allied plans by getting Garner to share what was "next." The cast is filled with actors who would populate American popular television throughout the next decade.

Tiomkin’s score was released as a separate album in 1965 and it was among one of the more popular successes of this otherwise forgotten film. Tiomkin collaborated on the song "A Heart Must Learn to Cry" with lyricist Paul Francis Webster. The studio singer recorded here does an admirable job and the tune is quite catchy. One of the highlights of this disc is an extended bonus track of three separate piano demos. It serves to show the subtle possibilities composers attempt for tunes before settling for something that is liked by the producer, director, or their lyricist.

Tiomkin’s theme, as it appears in the "Main Title" is explored here in numerous guises, but taken as a whole, the score plays like an extended piano concerto. The theme is obsessive and unrelenting and at times hints back to many film noir scores. I was reminded of some of the other great piano scores like Rosza’s SPELLBOUND or Addinsell’s music for SUICIDE SQUADRON (i.,e. the "Warsaw Concerto"). Fans of Rachmaninov’s music will also not be disappointed. Out of the many Tiomkin scores I have heard, this one instantly moves to the top of my favorites list. Playing this score in my office, I even had several people ask what this music was that I was listening too. Imagine their surprise to hear who and where!

The variety that Tiomkin uses to explore his material continues to provide interest as the CD progresses and the occasional forays into lush romantic music, or popular dance, as in the "Lisbon Cha Cha," provide great diversion from the relentlessness of the total score. The combination of pizzicato strings with the lower range of the piano, and a military snare part, add to the tension and whenever they appear that ostinato pattern is instantly captivating.

Jeff Bond and Lukas Kendall continue to excel at providing detailed and informative notes about the music that are instantly accessible and assist in the enjoyment of the music. This one may slip under your radar, don’t let it!

--Steven A. Kennedy, 30 May 2002

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

WINDTALKERS (2002)

11 Tracks (Total Time = 66:55)

Music composed and conducted by James Horner.  

Orchestrations by J.A.C. Redford, Randy Kerber, James Horner, Steven R. Bernstein, Carl Johnson.  Music editors: Dick Bernstein, Phillip Tallman, Joe E. Rand. Assistant music editor: Barbara McDermott.  Music Scoring Supervisor: Julyce Monbleaux. Music Preparation: Bob Bornstein. Music recorded and mixed by Simon Rhodes.  Assistant Engineer: David Marquette.  Album edited by Chris Landen and Simon Gibson.  Music recorded at Todd Scoring Stage, Studio City, California.

BMG/RCA Victor 09026-63867-2.

Rating:  ***

I don't need to emphasize the fact that James Horner has been running running hot and cold with his scores over the past few years, certainly since his Oscar winning score, TITANIC.  For instance, earlier this year Horner had two much better scores to his credit:  A BEAUTIFUL MIND (reviewed below under January) and IRIS (reviewed in February).

Sorry to say that his latest score for WINDTALKERS left me feeling mostly unsatisfied and unmoved.  The soundtrack is arranged in a series of longer cues and is more dissonant sounding than Horner's previous war scores.  It starts off well enough with "Navajo Down" (7:54).  This features subtle use of woodwinds and trumpets, which unfortunately remind me too much of  several John Williams scores: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.  Then about 2:50 into the track there is the unmistakable motif "borrowed" from Prokofiev's classic Russian score, ALEXANDER NEVSKY (1938).  In fact it seems that Horner is obsessed with Russian music by Prokofiev and Shostakovich whenever he scores war films, such as last year's ENEMY AT THE GATES (reviewed  in March 2001).  Why this is I have no idea but it seems very unimaginative on Horner's part.

To represent the Navajo "windtalkers"  in this World War II film, there's the use of Indian flutes (skillfully played by Phil Ayling), as in "An Act of Heroism (4:38) and especially in the somber "'First Blood' Ceremony" (2:09).  There are also some harmonia solos by Tommy Morgan.  These instruments add aprrorpiate color.  But the score as a whole seems rather bland and repetitious.  I did enjoy some of the quieter cues, particularly the last track: "Calling to the Wind" (10:33).  This track begins with a distant poignant Indian call and moves slowly along with the trumpets echoing the main theme once again, and then repeated in the Indian flute and eventually the full orchestra.  For some strange reason, parts of this theme reminded me of Copland's "Quiet City" concert work.  Another coincidence I suppose.  

The CD itself is mixed too low and I had to turn up the volume quite a bit to hear it.  This is the other extreme of those ear bleeding screaming action soundtracks.

The skimpy booklet offers nothing from the composer or director, only some film stills and track listings.

Considering the total soundtrack, I found it another so-so Horner soundtrack.  Whether it will appeal to you depends on how much his "borrowings" will annoy you.  Even without those objections, I believe the soundtrack is not very good.

Overall,  I believe the WINDTALKERS soundtrack is a just okay.  For devoted Horner fans only. 

--Roger Hall, 4 June 2002

CD Reviews - May 2002

ANDROMEDA (2002)

Music composed and arranged by Matthew McCauley.  Series One Theme by Alex Lifeson.

25 Tracks (64:49)

Produced by Matthew McCauley.  Executive Producer for ANDROMEDA: Allan Eastman.  Executive Producer for GNP-Crescendo: Ford A. Thaxton.  Music Editor:  Leo Marchildon. Engineer: Jeff Murad. Digitally Edited & Mastered by James Nelson.  Track Notes by Matthew McCauley.  CD Art Direction: Mark Banning.  Recorded and mixed in The Cave, Santa Monica, California.

GNP-Crescendo GNPD 8077

Rating: **1/2

After reading Executive Producer's Allan Eastman puffy introduction in the CD booklet I expected something really memorable.  Unfortunately, as with so many sci-fi TV series these days, the music is okay but it lacks sufficient melodic interest, as least to my ears.

I'm quite tired of reading the glowing statements by the director or producer of a TV program.  Naturally they are biased. Allan Eastman, for example, writes in the CD booklet: "listen to Matthew's 'High Ground Theme' and you hear the power and majesty of the mighty Commonwealth."  Well maybe I missed something, but I didn't hear that much power or majesty in the theme which lasts less than one minute.  This theme was composed as the Main Title for the Second Season.  Another example is mentioned by Eastman in the CD booklet: "there is the serene tranquility and beauty of "The Rev Bem Wayist Theme" (track 9, 3:03).  It does have a tranquility to it but sounds rather predictable in the overused exotic mood heard too often in scores today.  

To illustrate the dependence on electronics, in the CD booklet it reads: "Samples courtesy of Spectrasonics.  Additional Samples provided by East West, Roland, and Akai."  When watching the TV program, this sort of music works fine.  But as a listening experience I don't find it very appealing.  It fades quickly from the mind after its heard.

Matthew McCauley's music for the First Season of ANDROMEDA won a Leo for "best musical score in a dramatic television series." He is apparently highly regarded for his film and television work.  But I'm sorry to say, this music leaves me mostly cold.  As for his other interests, they include:  Egyptology, study of self-organizing systems, and the use of Artifiical Intelligence in the financial markets. Is this a joke or what?  A.I. in the financial markets?  Well, perhaps listening to this CD will help in its own "financial market!"      

If you're a fan of this series or sci-fi electronic scores then this CD may be worth your money.  The track notes by the composer are a nice addition.  The CD booklet design is also well laid out and easy to read. But I wish the music were more involving.  Fans of more traditional scores may not care much for ANDROMEDA.  But judge for yourself.  It is worth a listen.

--Roger Hall, 29 April 2002     

More information, go to: www.gnpcrescendo.com 

ENIGMA (2002)

Music composed and conducted by John Barry.

22 Tracks (57:01)

Produced by John Barry.  Executive Producers: Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman. Score recorded and mixed by John Richards.  Music Editor: Cliff Kohlweck.  Source music research: Matt Clifford. Recorded at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 27-30 November 2000 (tracks 1-19).

Decca/UMG Soundtracks 289 467 864-2

Rating: ***1/2

John Barry is one of those film composers who has proven himself over many decades.  His popular scores range from the early James Bond films to such Oscar winners as BORN FREE, OUT OF AFRICA and DANCES WITH WOLVES.  But those films are largely grand outdoor stories. ENIGMA is more of an interior suspenseful film and so Barry has naturally added a darker sound to it.  Is it as good as those Oscar winning scores?  No, I don't think so.  But it's still  a John Barry score, and he can always be trusted to deliver a listenable soundtrack.  Or as the film's director, Michael Apted, writes in the CD introduction:  "John Barry was born to score this movie.  Whichever way you look at it, he's paid his dues." How true.  

The opening Main Title (3:41) has a lovely bittersweet and appealing Barry theme.  The next track asks an odd question: "Where Does One Go To Pee?"  Barry treats in a suspenseful way.  The third track, "Police Chase (1:16)," picks up the pace a bit with an insistent rhythmic figure being employed.  The Main Title returns for the next track, "The Quarry" (2:50).  Many of the tracks have a leisurely pace to them and proably won't grab the fast action film score fan.  But I especially enjoyed hearing that memorable Main Title theme reappear for various cues, such as "Tom Goes to Cottage" (track 10, 1:26).  This theme doesn't wear out its welcome because Barry knows when to use it and where to use it for greater effect, such as in final cue: "London 1946" (track 18, 2:26) and then again in the more extended treatment for the End Credits (track 19, 4:58).

According to Michael Apted, this is the first time that John Barry has recorded with the world famous Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amerstdam.  They play extremely well under his direction.

There are three source music tracks at the end:  "The Black Bottom" (played by Bunny Berigan and His Orchestra)(track 10, 2:54); "You'll Never Know" (a Harry Warren-Mack Gordon song sung by  Anne Shelton with Amrose and His Orchestra)(track 21, 3:23); and a classical piece by Vaughan Williams: "Dives and Lazarus" (The New Quuen's Hall Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth)(track 23, 2:49)

Other than the director's brief introduction, the CD booklet is taken up with the usual unnecessary film stills.

This is another first class Barry score which ably serves this filmed "enigma."  Recommended especially to John Barry's many fans.

--Roger Hall, 30 April 2002

CD Release of Special Merit

MICHEL LEGRAND BY MICHEL LEGRAND (2002)

Music composed, arranged and performed by Michel Legrand.

14 Tracks (70:04)

Executive & Recording Producer: Clive Bennett.  Balance Engineer: Roland Guillotel. Assistant Engineer: Rodolphe Plisson.  Recording and editing facilities: Studios Guillaume Tell, Paris.  Recorded 25-27 October 2000. Production Coordinator:  Alice Fields.  Art Direction: Jeremy Tilston. Album notes by Don Heckman.

Decca 289 468 512-2.

Rating: ****1/2

This is a terrific CD, especially if you love jazz.  Composer Michel Legrand plays 14 of his movie themes on the piano and its really a great ride.  It's both softly caressing and swinging in its jazzy piano runs.  Legrand has worked for 70 years as a composer, arranger, conductor, pianist and singer.

The opening track features his memorable theme, "I Will Wait For You" (5:41) from UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. He begins very quietly and slowly builds up the dynamics until he is stating the theme in all its glory.  It's a great opener. Next he moves on to his Oscar winning song (lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman): "The Windmills of Your Mind" (5:39) and begins with swirling piano figurations until he states the familiar song theme, then moves on to swing it in a breezy fashion.  Another winner.  The third track has the wistful theme, "The Summer Knows" (4:49), from his Oscar-winning score, SUMMER OF '42 from 1971.  Yet another winning track.  

Other memorable tracks include two popular song questions: "How Do You Keep The Music Playing? (3:53) from BEST FRIENDS; and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" (6:04) from THE HAPPY ENDING.

Just about every track has something worth hearing.  Two others I especially enjoyed are: "The Hands of Time" (3:28) from BRIAN'S SONG; the uplifting "Ordinary Man" (3:48); and the "Yentl Medley" (5:55) with 3 themes from his 1983 Oscar-winning song score.

If you're someone who listens only to orchestral or electronic soundtracks, then the wonderfully accomplished playing by Michel Legrand should be quite a revelation.  As he comments: "What I tried to do with this record is to have fun, and really entertain the public with brainwaves and ideas on every piece, just to breathe a bit of fresh air." He succeeded.

The CD flyer has a brightly colored abstract drawing of Legrand which could be hung as a poster.  It's very noveau chic looking.  There are also some very fine and appreciative notes by Don Heckman, jazz critic of The Los Angeles Times.

I highly recommend this CD to not only jazz fans or Legrand fans, but to anyone who wants to hear a multi-talented composer and arranger  performing his own music in "le grand" manner.  

Viva Legrand!

--Roger Hall, 30 April 2002

RECORDINGS OF MUSIC FOR FILM

Music composed, performed and produced by Vincent Gallo.

29 Tracks (Total Time: 59:21)

Remastering by Bernie Grundman, LA. Cover drawings by Stephanie Brewster.

WARP CD 96

Rating: *½

Vincent Gallo, director and star of 1988’s "Buffalo ’66," may be familiar to those interested in underground filmmaking of the 70’s and 80’s. The four films that are represented here are taken mostly from three films scored between 1979 and 1983. Being mostly unfamiliar with these films, and with limited information in the promo disc presented to me, it is somewhat difficult to get a handle on exactly what kind of films these may be here. The materials note that the CD will have "the full story of the creation of this record and the films behind the tracks." That was not available here. Perhaps that would have provided enough context to be at least somewhat sympathetic to what the listener is subjected to here.

The music from 1983’s "The Way it is Recorded" opens with a guitar and clarinet duet in "Her Smell Theme." We hear really a little over one minute snippet or so that abruptly fades. The music contained here is fairly eclectic. With unusual percussion mixed with sitar-like sounds in one cue, and an almost Morricone-flavored piano and synthetic keyboard background in cues like "The Way it is Waltz." In some cases this really is a "promo" CD of samples from these films. It demonstrates the versatility of scoring within limited means that Gallo is able to accomplish. Unfortunately without extended cues to see how things are fleshed out, they fall short of creating much of a unified picture for the listener.

There is some comment on the source material that these cues were derived from in the materials received. Some of the sound is really not good at all. In one cue, "Brown Storm Poem," it is unclear if the sound is warped on purpose or comes from poor source material.

In short, this is some rather rough music for some strange films, initially poorly recorded. The re-mastering is excellent as can be given the source material and that is to be commended. It is not a CD to be listened to in one sitting, if at all. There is not much new here in the way of what Gallo is after. No doubt the music enhances the stories of the films for which they were intended. For me, it really was not an easy thing to sit through.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 13 May 2002

STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002)

Music composed and conducted by John Williams.

13 Tracks (Total Time: 73:16+ dependent on which version you purchase) - Target version (SK 89965) includes untitled "bonus track" following the listed track; Wal-Mart version has a screen saver.

Music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices. Album produced by John Williams. Music recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy at Abbey Road Studios, London. Album mastered by Patricia Sullivan Fourstar at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA. Art direction and design by Roxanne Slimak.

Sony Classical SK 89965 (multiple catalogue numbers dependent on "features").

Rating: ****

First, I want to pass along an apology to regulars of this site. I have been listening to this latest installment from the STAR WARS cycle for some time. By now, most folks have had their say for this score. One more weighing in on either side will not sway detractors or ravers. My initial hesitancy in reviewing the score came from the multiple versions that Sony inflicted on the market. Personally, I find this practice abhorrent but what are we to expect in an industry that must be run by people who have no interest in music. Granted they want to sell CDs. They will too if comments by some of the teens I know are any indication. One wanted to know if they could have my booklet because it features the "hot" Hayden Christensen. Have we gotten to this point where people are willing to pay $15 or more for a CD booklet? (Well, maybe just teenagers with their parent’s money in hand.) So, I enter the fray here already realizing that the release of ATTACK OF THE CLONES is not about the music, any more than the film will probably be about story and characters. Remember the days when we rushed to buy the two-disc set of STAR WARS music!

All that diatribe aside, ATTACK OF THE CLONES is more music than Williams’ fans might have hoped for at all. I actually enjoyed THE PHANTOM MENACE score a lot. It must have played for two days straight. Ultimately, I think the new themes present in the score made for fascinating listening in their referential development and forward looking to the music we already knew. THE PHANTOM MENACE though did not require much careful attention to be enjoyed. The complete opposite approach seems to have been taken for this CD release of music for the latest installment. There is really so much to admire in the music here on its own terms that one can forget what it will ultimately accompany. This may not be the kind of score that will be loved by those who enjoyed TPM.

Unlike the EPISODE I CD, ATTACK OF THE CLONES feels more like a semi-orchestral multi-movement orchestral piece. There are some thematic fragments heard within the various cues. Some of the battle music from TPM returns as does a snippet of "The Duel of the Fates." There is one truly identifiable theme, which is getting its share of sarcastic commentary, the "Love Theme." This last theme is really Williams at his finest and most inspired. It is also the only real standalone piece included on the CD. The lack of these "pieces" will make some toss the CD aside quickly. They will lose out in this case.

What I have discovered the more I live with AOC is that it is one of Williams most intimate and artistic achievements. It is an amazing extension of what we heard in last year’s A.I. without all the magical syrup that made HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE instantly likeable but less interesting in repetition. Here, Williams has put together an album that is close in resemblance to his music for STEPMOM while combining some of the orchestrational ideas of A.I.. STEPMOM featured a very identifiable theme that became clearer in the other tracks only over several careful repetitions of play. This is the kind of approach generally taken here and as a listening experience it works excellently. There are also a few surprises that occur including the addition of an electric guitar (in "The Chase Through Coruscant") in the orchestral texture at one point hinting to some of the experimenting heard in A.I. The percussion palette expands as well in likely representations of the Sith, or "dark side" warriors.

The other thing that will likely be the next phase of film score whining will be when we all discover that the titles of the tracks for this CD are likely not at all for what scenes they accompany in the film. An indication that this is likely appears in the very first track containing music, following the main title, is similar to the music used in TPM for the opening Naboo scene. Yet, the second half of the track is called "Attack on Coruscant." So, perhaps by the time the third installment appears all these matters will be mostly settled.

The bottom line is that this is one of the first great scores of 2002. It is also one of Williams’ finest efforts in the series probably coming in a close second to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 13 May 2002

Another review...

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month

Rating: ****1/2

Let me say at the outset that I heartily agree with Steve Kennedy's review.  I also believe it's one of the best scores in the STAR WARS series.  It is hard to believe that Williams has kept the same high quality from score to score in the SW series.  Naturally not every one of them is of equal greatness - I was disappointed with THE PHANTOM MENACE. But all of them have something worthwhile to hear.  

I suppose many SW fans will be complaining once again that the soundtrack is out of sequence with the film.  So what if it is!  They are two separate commodities.  I don't believe the CD and film have to coincide.  It's what you hear on the CD that matters more than what order it's presented.   Some will think it's unfair to review this score before having seen the film, which has already received some negative reviews from the critics.  But I expect it will be difficult to get in to see the film anytime soon to see this latest in the George Lucas saga of myth and fantasy.  So I'll be commenting just on the soundtrack.  

ATTACK OF THE CLONES contains a wealth of orchestral colors and a richness of sound that was missing in some of the other SW scores, such as RETURN OF THE JEDI and THE PHANTOM MENACE.  As expected, the very familiar STAR WARS Main Title is heard in the opening track (3:36) of AOTC and then the music slides smoothly into new territory in the "Attack on Coruscant" cue (at about 1:27), establishing a mood of uncertainty typical of most Williams SW scores.  The second track (5:33) has the beautiful "Love Theme," introduced by harp arpeggios and a solo oboe playing the melody.  This is taken up by the full orchestra and embellished in a most satsifactory fashion with special emphasis from horns, trumpets and strings.  I believe this is the best track on the soundtrack CD and another one of those appealing themes that Williams writes so well.  The harp is even given a brief solo passage at the end of the track.  

The mood switches dramatically with the next track (11:07 - the longest on the CD), with its dissonance and driving rhythms.  But what else would you expect with such a track title as "Zam the Assassin and The Chase Through Coruscant"?  This is extremely active music, with prominent drumming and other percussion instruments. I wonder how much of it will actually be heard on the film soundtrack.  Another enjoyable cue is track 4 (3:55): "Yoda and the Younglings."  This cue repeats a portion of the Love Theme.  There is also subtle use of a humming chorus (London Voices).  This is another very satisfying track.  Continuing with the quieter cues, there's track 6 ("Anankin and Padme" - 3:56), with the budding romance softly echoed with another statement of the "Love Theme."  There's also a few quotes from previous SW films, such as the brief quote from "Duel of the Fates" on track 10: "Return to Tatooine."

What would a STAR WARS flick be without the chase and battle scenes?  This one takes place with such tracks as: "Bounty Hunter's Pursuit" (track 9 - 3:23), and "Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale" (track 13 - 10:44), with the eerie use of voice, a quote from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, the return of the beautiful "Love Theme," and the Main Title reprise.

Even with all the excessive fan mania and commercial merchandising of the STAR WARS phenomenon, ATTACK OF THE CLONES is another excellent Williams score.  It can stand apart from the film and still provide a grand listening experience.  My only real complaint is the overly glitzy CD foldout with lots of film stills but only a paragraph from George Lucas about John Williams.  But that shouldn't be surprising since most fans probably want to be reminded more of the film scenes rather than the great Williams score.   

One of the best STAR WARS scores yet and another triumph for John Williams.  Highly recommended.

--Roger Hall, 15 May 2002  

Sony web site:  www.starwars.sonyclassical.com

Official STAR WARS web site:  www.starwars.com

CD Release of Special Merit

DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (Franz Waxman)

Themes from THE ROBE (Alfred Newman)

Film Score Monthly Vol. 4, no. 19 (limited pressing of 3,000 copies)

29 Tracks, 61:51

[Main score = 19 tracks: 45:39; 9 Bonus Tracks: 11:06; THE EGYPTIAN: Hymn to Aton (Newman): 5:04]

Rating: ****1/2

FSM's latest Waxman release closes out their 2001 Golden Age Classics series. For DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS, Waxman connected this sequel to THE ROBE by using some of Alfred Newman's themes. So it is an interesting mixture of that score along with Waxman's style. Waxman tends to expand upon the main themes from THE ROBE adding a couple of his own that seem to grow out of his source material. This is achieved tellingly in the opening "Prelude/Night in the Palace." There are themes for Messalina and Caligula, the latter the more interesting of the two.

DEMETRIUS for me was less interesting musically than THE ROBE. The appeal lies in hearing Waxman use themes from another film composer and also in the interesting orchestrational decisions. The great irony is to compare this exploration with the more recent JURASSIC PARK III. It may seem a strange leap to make, but there is much to compare between the way those familiar John Williams' themes are interwoven with the style of Don Davis, or at least the parts of his style that were allowed to be used. Perhaps therein lies the clue to how things have not changed terribly much because the sense in DEMETRIUS is that there was an attempt to make sure the two pictures were connected. Like Williams and Davis, Newman and Waxman come from similar traditions, but had very unique ways of saying things musically. The result is that DEMETRIUS is a strange hybrid curiosity.

FSM continues to live up to its standard of booklet information and the best reproduction of source material. There seems to be a bit more deterioration of sources here than in some previous releases, but this is not to fault anyone. As an added bonus, a remixed (i.e., corrected) version of Newman's "Hymn to Aton" from THE EGYPTIAN rounds off the disc. There is also a track of various fanfares Newman composed to use for the film.

--Steven A. Kennedy 30 March 2002

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month

KING OF KINGS (Miklos Rozsa)

Music composed and conducted by Miklos Rozsa.

2 CDs (Disc One = 29 tracks, 77:38 /Disc Two = 14 tracks, 56:49)

Produced for release by George Feltenstein. Project supervisor: Patrick Milligan. Mastering & Engineering: Doug Schwartz.  Art Direction: Hugh brown & Rachel Gutek.

Rhino Movie Music/Turner Classic Movies Music R2 78348.  

Rating: *****

Thank goodness we have outfits like Rhino & Film Score Monthly.  I agree with what Steve Kennedy wrote in his review for LUST FOR LIFE.  Both record labels have done an excellent job of re-releasing worthwhile soundtracks over the years by Golden Age film composers, including: Hugo Friedhofer, Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, Miklos Rozsa, Max Steiner, and Franz Waxman.  Rhino alone has re-released such classics as Max Steiner's KING KONG and Miklos Rozsa's monumental Oscar-winning score for BEN-HUR.  Now there is another one to add to that distinguished list.

KING OF KINGS was released in 1961 with a deluxe box set of LP and book with film stills from the film.  But as George Feltenstein mentions in his notes to the Rhino CD set: the LP "contained only about 40 minutes of the nearly 140 minutes of music Miklos Rozsa composed for the film, and it did not feature the performance of the score as recorded by Rozsa and the M-G-M Studio Orchestra."  Later, in 1992, a Sony CD was released with more music, including some unreleased tracks, but was still far from complete.  Now we have the complete score conducted by Rozsa with over 2 hours of music in glorious sounding stereo.  In addition, there are 28 previously unissued tracks and cues unissued within a medley.

As far as the film itself, I must confess that I've never liked Jeffrey Hunter's portrayel of Jesus in KING OF KINGS.  He just didn't have the dignity required to carry the role.  But the rest of the cast is top notch and the screenplay is also well written.  But towering above all is Rozsa's magnificent score.  I believe it's one of his best for a religious epic.  I wouldn't say it's quite as good as BEN-HUR, but it shares some of the same ideas, such as dark brooding themes and bold brass statements.

Besides the wonderful music on 2 CDs, there is the added value of having the original notes written by Miklos Rozsa.  He explains that naturally the film's main subject is Jesus or the "Prince of Peace."  Rozsa writes that when his KING OF KINGS Theme appears, it is usually "accompanied by female voices sustaining soft harmonies."  To illustrate his musicological research, he explains that the "Hebrew themes are fashioned after examples of ancient Babylonian and Yemenite melodies, and the Roman music (as no original Roman music of the period has survived) is my own interpretation of it."  One example of this music is heard in track 3, "Roman Legions," with its heavy insistent march accented by brass.   This is similar to music Rozsa used for BEN-HUR and other earlier epic films.  But it remains very effective so there's no need to quibble about it's originality.  In Rozsa's time composers thought nothing of using the same style for a film, especially if it conveyed the proper mood.  One example is heard on track 6. "Road to Bethlehem" begins with a dark and somber mood but changes to a lighter and more peaceful mood with female voices for the second cue of "The Nativity."  This technique of using darker and lighter instrumentation and themes is used extremely well by Rozsa.  This is illustrated on a track like "Joseph & Mary" (one of the previously unissued tracks), which opens with a bold brass outburst but then quiets down to a softer theme, featuring woodwinds and strings.   

The album design for KING OF KINGS isn't as elaborate as BEN-HUR, with the long box of CD and booklet which I thought was quite distinctive.  But having the booklet enclosed within the CD box makes more sense for today's film music lover, who needs lots of shelf space for their vast collection.  The 42 page CD booklet design is very attractive. In addition to the producer and Rozsa's original notes, there are lots of film stills, information about the cast, the production itself, and the people behind the production (producer, director, writer, composer). Unfortunately there are several pages (with Rozsa's original notes!) which have photographs printed underneath the text.  Why do album designers insist on doing this and making the text so hard to read?  Especially in this case, when the notes were written by the composer himself. But that is really a minor fault in this outstanding booklet presentation.  At least the notes are detailed enough to give you a good background about the film.  This type of booklet doesn't seem to be produced for many of today's blockbuster scores,  such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS.  

With so much memorable music, Rozsa has composed a truly great film score.  George Feltenstein summarized it well when he wrote that Rozsa's score for KING OF KINGS "conveys the awe required for a production telling one of humanity's most sacred of stories." Indeed, it does that extremely well.

Special kudos to Doug Schwartz for his excellent mastering work on this historic release. As mentioned in the CD notes, there is a slight bit of distortion here and there, especially on disc two, but it's not really bothersome considering the amount of excellent music which is now available for the first time.

I highly recommend the KING OF KINGS CD set to anyone interested in hearing a superb score from one of the greatest film composers from Hollywood's Golden Age.

It doesn't get much better than this magnificent soundtrack!   

--Roger Hall, 2 April 2002

For more information, go to the soundtrack section of  

www.rhino.com      

CD Release of Special Merit

LUST FOR LIFE

Music by Miklos Rozsa

Film Score Monthly Vol. 5, no. 1 (limited pressing of 3,000 copies)

39 Tracks, 68:57 (Main score- 33 tracks: 58:16; 6 Bonus Tracks: 10:41)

Rating: ****1/2

2002 has begun well for Rozsa fans with Rhino's release of KING OF KINGS, and then Film Score Monthly's release of the Van Gogh biopic LUST FOR LIFE. Again the production values are up to the high standards that we have come to expect from FSM. And this is a surprising release from the Turner vaults instead of the more common Fox scores that FSM has been faithfully restoring.

LUST FOR LIFE makes a great companion to KING OF KINGS or BEN-HUR because in it one hears some of that majestic sound many associate with Rozsa, but LUST FOR LIFE also has moments that stand outside of those more familiar epics. The opening "Prelude" sets the stage for the main theme of the score. If you have the Varese reissue of the suite Rozsa arranged and recorded for Decca in 1958, hearing the full score will help see why Rozsa held this score in high regard. There is that full romantic sound one comes to expect in other historical pictures such as IVANHOE, or JULIUS CAESER, or EL CID. Unlike the set pieces of those historical scores, this tends toward a more theme with variations that move from the more Romantic to the just slightly Impressionistic as the film progresses. The latter being implied in smaller cells that move together creating singular color, though Rozsa'a palette is a bit darker than the composers one often associates with the flourishing musical impressionism, and reminded more of early Stravinsky in places.

None of that is to say the score is "derivative" in any way. Rozsa sought here to create a sound world that both came from within the period while trying to hint at the advanced visual artistry that was ahead of its musical counterparts. Anytime the main theme appears, though, we are in full-blooded Rozsa territory.

FSM's release of LUST FOR LIFE allows film score fans to experience a Rozsa of a more typical Hollywood picture apart from film noir, and the historical epics that he is more known for by general film music fans. It is a worthy addition to your library and bodes well for another year of great re-mastered scores from this source.

--Steven A. Kennedy 30 March 2002

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

CD Reviews - March 2002

ALI (2001)

Music by Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke (plus songs by various musicians)

11 Tracks = 40:19

Soundtrack Producers: Jon Peters and James Lassiter.  Scoring Engineers: Dan Wallin, Dennis Sands and Lia Vollack.  Score recorded and mixed at Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California.

Decca 440 016 967-2

Rating: **1/2

This is another of those odd mixtures of songs and score tracks which usually don't work too well together and this soundtrack doesn't.

Of the eleven tracks, five are devoted to songs and one instrumental theme, and the remaining five to the score by Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke.  The five songs are: "Set Me Free" (Dungeon East & Whild Peach); "As The Years Go Passing By" (Mighty Joe Young - I didn't know that big gorilla could sing!); "That's How It Feels" (Soul Clan); ""Papa" (Salif Keita); "Sanni Kegniba" (Salif Keita).  

Turning now to the score tracks, Gerrard and Bourke have done their job in a difficult assignment yet much of their music sounds rather lackluster.   For example, "Sleeper" (track 4), just sort of rambles along with no real direction.  The next track brings us to the very exotic and ethnic song,"Papa," by Salif Keita.    It's quite an abrupt change between the score and song tracks.  Then in track 6, the score returns on "Time Flies Away," with an earthy vocal by Gerrard but very annoying repetitious accompaniment.

One of the strangest tracks is "Ceremony" (track 9) by Martin Tillman.  It features a series of disjointed electronic sounds.  And it goes on and on over four minutes.

I've never understood why the score and songs aren't separated on different segments of the CD.  That way you can listen to the songs if you like, or just the score tracks by themselves. On these combo soundtracks, the scores get a very small portion of track time. That's true with this one as well.  

If you like the songs, you'll probably want this soundtrack.  They are well recorded. I don't think it's worth the cost to get a few score tracks, which aren't very memorable anyway. 

--Roger Hall, 8 March 2002

CD Release of Special Merit

KATE & LEOPOLD (2001)

Music by Rolfe Kent (2 songs: "Until" by Sting; "Back Where I Belong" by Rolfe Kent and Courtland Connor)

Orchestrations by Tony Blondal.  Orchestra conducted by William Stromberg. Recorded and mixed by Michael Farrow.  Mixed at Signet Sound Studios, Los Angeles.

20 Tracks = 42:02

Milan 73138-35982-2

Rating: ****1/2

It seems that fewer and fewer good romantic scores are being written today.  Too much attention has been paid to the blow -em up action and fantasy flicks.  Romantic scores are still being written, but primarily by French and Italian composers.  

First and foremost among the Italians is Ennio Morricone, who in addition to the very popular CINEMA PARADISO, also did a marvelous romantic score for CANONE INVERSO (Making Love).

John Williams has also done a few romantic scores, including STEPMOM and SABRINA, which includes two beautiful songs he co-wrote with Alan & Marilyn Bergman.  One of these songs, "Moonlight," was chosen for a Sammy Award back in 1995.  Coincidently, that song was sung by Sting (real name: Gordon Sumner), who also sings on KATE & LEOPOLD.

Sting not only sings the song but he also wrote it.  Titled "Until," it's the opening track (3:08). The song is very beautiful and accompanied by just a few instruments (guitar, piano, violins) it establishes the romantic tone of this time travel story of Leopold from the past (Hugh Jackman) arriving in the modern world and falling for Kate (Meg Ryan).  "Until" is just the right song for this rather far-fetched but charming story.  I chose "Until" for the Sammy Award as Best Original Song of 2001.  It proves that rock singer-songwriters can write sultry romantic songs too, at least Sting can do it quite well.

The remainder of the score is by Rolfe Kent and it's a very atmospheric score.  Just listen to track 2, "A Clock in New York" (1:24), with rapidly bowing strings and percussion which sets the stage with a full statement of the main theme.  Then the next track, "I Want Him Resplendent" (1:24), has a delightful tuba accompaniment bubbling along while above it play the woodwinds and strings.  The music is a mixture of old-fashioned majestic themes and newer, more jazzy ones.

One example of the jazzier themes is heard on track 8, which offers up "You Did So Great (Kate's Theme)"(1:17) - a light hearted theme for sax, celesta, flute and other instruments.  Then there are slower tracks too, such as a lovely statement of the main theme, "Dearest Kate" (2:12), for primarily strings and solo clarinet. Another one of these memorable romantic themes is track 12, "Charlie Wins Patrice, Leopold Wins Kate" (3:39), making use of a solo mandolin and bassoon.  It's a very easygoing theme.

There are a number of delightful waltzes.  One of them is on track 16, "Kate Goes to the Awards" (2:22), with a heavily accented waltz tempo which is quite infectious.  Then there's track 19, "Back in 1876 - Waltz" (2:10), which evokes the 19th century of Johann Strauss.

The last track has another song, "Back Where I Belong" (2:48).  The lyrics are by Courtland Connor and the music by Rolfe Kent.  The song is based on the main theme from track 2. While it's far more lounge-like than "Until," it doesn't quite hold up as well, even though nicely sung by Jula Bell.  Still it does provide a fitting conclusion to this appealing soundtrack.

Both the songs and the score are well worth having and make for an especially relaxing listen, either just for yourself or for you and your loved one.

There are no background notes on the score or the songs.  Just the usual long list of credits.

But that doesn't matter so much when there is such a wonderful music to hear.

I highly recommend this soundtrack for the romantic in heart and mind.

--Roger Hall, 12 March 2002 

For more information, go to:

www.milanrecords.com

THE LONG HOT SUMMER (1958)/ SANCTUARY (1961)

Music by Alex North

29 Tracks = 77:07 (LHS, 16 tracks = 44:02/S, 13 tracks = 33:03)

Mixed by Michael McDonald at Private Island Trax, Hollywood, CA.

Varese Sarabande 0202 1005 (Limited Pressing of 3,000 copies)

Rating: ****

Varese's Alex North doubleheader includes two scores that continue in the musical territory explored by North in classics such as A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and THE SOUND AND THE FURY.

In THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (1958), North adapts the current mainstream jazz and blues sound into something that one takes for granted on a 50s Mancini album. As such, there is much to admire along the way as we move from the bigger numbers to the more relaxed balladic sound of tracks like "Two Butterflies." North mixes elements of this with beautifully orchestrated tracks from the more typical Hollywood tradition of the 50s. "Easy Living" is a miniature example of this approach that hints a bit at Newman's underscore style in this decade. There is much to admire throughout this amazing music that it is no wonder that the musicians were "captivated" as Townson points out in his fine notes. The title song is included as well as sung by Jimmie Rodgers. The original sources must have been saved in the nick of time as there is some distortion (duly noted in the booklet), especially in "Encounter." But generally, the remastering is excellent.

SANCTUARY (1961) falls more into the romanticized jazz scores that would influence the likes of Henry Mancini, and a young John Williams. The title song, and early Alan and Marilyn Bergman effort, is sung by Julie London. What is fascinating in this score is how far North had already come in his dramatic scoring using this general style of music. If one knows the likes of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S or HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, you realise just what a debt those works and others like them owe to the North. Where THE LONG, HOT SUMMER is a bit harder-edged and jazzier, SANCTUARY looks ahead to North's exemplary work on WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFF? There are wonderful juxtapositions of these two styles in places like "Sleep Little Lunch" which has some awesome harmonic punctuations that make one realize how much Jerry Goldsmith owed to North as well.

With this release, Varese has provided a real gift to film music afficionados. Taken together, these scores manage to help you fill in some of the transitional holes in what was beginning to shape Hollywood film music as the 60s began and a new group of composers began to be heard. More importantly, these are two extremely enjoyable scores that will bring much pleasure to those who take the time to delve into their wonderful themes, rhythms, and orchestrations.

Robert Townson's notes for this issue are indicative of the high regard he, and many film music fans, hold Alex North. Once you listen through this remarkably lengthy disc, you will also likely begin to realize North's importance to music.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 6 March 2002

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com.

Available through their website at www.varesesarabande.com

LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING (1955)

Music by Alfred Newman

20 Tracks (62:59)

Mixed by Michael McDonald at Private Island Trax, Hollywood, CA. Edited and mastered by Daniel Hersch at DigiPrep, Hollywood, CA.

Varese Sarabande 0202 1006 (Limited Pressing of 2,000)

Rating: ****

Alfred Newman's score to LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING was one of only two completely "original" scores for which he received an Oscar [Editor's Note: Newman won seven more Oscars for music adapting or arranging, making a total of nine].   How bittersweet this must have seemed at the time in the midst of major changes coming to Twentieth Century Fox. The title song, by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster, is perhaps the most well-known part of the film's music. Newman uses this theme as a starting point for much of his dramatic underscoring.

For me, Newman's scores from the 1940s are the more interesting works while the 1950s have flashes of genius that would return in grander style in some of his last work in the following decade. This score is a grand example of Newman's mature, and assured, style. If anything it illustrates the evolving contrasts in music that are heard in the other Varese CD Club concurrent release of Alex North's THE LONG, HOT SUMMER and SANCTUARY.

"Destiny" is one of the more impressive cues at 9:09. It is actually two cues that bookend a scene but overall is an amazing example of romantic scoring for the period. Newman's orchestrational decisions for the Asian locales and characters may seem normal by now. Bernard Herrmann's ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM recreated an "oriental" sound world through unique instrument combinations. Newman tends to underline the drama and romance in a more European fashion. "The Moon Festival" is a track that manages to juxtapose those sounds worlds in a way Bernard Rogers' concert piece, "Three Japanese Dances" (from this same period), would do as well. The more traditional Hollywood style appears in "Give Me Your Hand." It manages to briefly quote Borodin's "Polovitsian Dances."

There are hints of other themes too. Listen to the opening of "Destiny" or in "The Eurasians," for example and you may recognize an allusion to "I Have Dreamed" from THE KING AND I. Debussy's "La Mer" (especially in "Mark and Han Suyin") can also be heard. It is perhaps to that great master that Newman owes his starting point for much of what is in this score.

Varese features an extended booklet for this release similar to their other entries in their "club CDs." Nick Redman's notes make good use of the space given. There is some film history, a little about Newman's career and output, information about the actors and studio, as well as a cursory musical overview of the scenes. The sound is really exemplary and does not show its age at all. That is a great testament to the folks at Fox who preserved this, but is also the result of much attention in the remastering process. An excellent release!

--Steven A. Kennedy, 6 March 2002

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com.

Available through their website: www.varesesarabande.com

Mini-Reviews of Promo CDs

AS IF TO NOTHING (2002)

Music by Craig Armstrong

15 Tracks (69:03)

Rating: ***

For the many fans of Craig Armstrong and his work on MOULIN ROUGE, which I'm still at a loss to determine just what he did on that so-called "musical," this new CD should have some appeal.  

Armstrong has described this album as having certain key musical and harmonic threads that provide cohestion: "Almost every track acts as a microcosm of the first one, 'Ruthless Gravity.' That gives it a certain symphonic quality. It hangs together and has a kind of collective truth rather than just being a succession of unconnected pieces."

This CD truly repesents a World Music view.  Nine of  fifteen tracks feature guest performers. American Evan Dando sings "Wake Up in New York" (track 2); Indian singer Swati Natekar does "Miracle" (track 3); German artist Antye Greie-Fuchs talks her way through "Waltz" (track 6); Photek and Baroque singer Katie Bott perform on "Hymn 2" (track 8); David McAlmont does "Snow" (track 9);  King Crimson 1974 does "Starless II" (track 10);  U2's Bono sings "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)(track 11); Wendy Stubbs from Alpha performs "Sea Song" (track 13); and Steven Lindsay of the group Big Dish does "Let It Be Love" (track 14).

Of all these tracks, I liked the Bono song.  But it's Steven Lindsay who gets the best track on the album.  His singing of "Let It Be Love" is really wonderful!  Armstrong's "Choral Ending" is very good but it comes at the end and is too short.   A shame it's not longer than the other less interesting instrumental tracks.  

Is this album worth your time and money?  Yes, if you like the guest musicians and songs.  No, for its lack of really good instrumental tracks.  Of course he has also done the arrangements for the songs, but only a few of them grabbed my attention in any real sense.   

A mixed bag of rather strange instrumental and song tracks.  

Note: This is due to be released on a Melankolic CD on 2 April 2002.      

MONSTER'S BALL (2001)

Music by Asche & Spencer

13 Tracks (39:24)

Promo CD

Rating: **1/2

When listening to this short soundtrack, the first thing that comes to mind is the music of Thomas Newman in film scores like AMERICAN BEAUTY.  

But then MONSTER'S BALL has music by Asche & Spencer Music and Sound Design Company.  That tells you a lot about this score.  It features more "sound design" and less really memorable "music."  Yet there are some rather striking sounds created.  For example, track 3 has "Night Into Day," with electronic crickets chirping along while the theme is played.  

Still, most of this score is merely soundscapes without much melodic or harmonic interest.  

Unusual to be sure but should appeal only to the sound effects lovers.

Note:  This CD due to be released by Lion Gate Records on 12 February 2002.

CD Reviews - February 2002

BLACK HAWK DOWN (2002)

15 Tracks (67:03) (3 songs included )

Music composed by Hans Zimmer. Features performances by the BHD Band. Ambient music design by Mel Wesson. Album produced by Hans Zimmer, Bob Badami, and Pietro Scalia. Score recorded by Alan Myerson, Greg Townley, Mal Luker, and Big Al Clay. Score mixed by Alan Myerson. Album mixed by Big Al Clay. Art direction and design by Carla Leighton at Gloo Design.

Decca CD 440 017 01-2

Rating: ****

Ridley Scott's latest film has been getting raves from critics, even managing to make some top 10 lists. The film is like a contemporary SAVING PRIVATE RYAN with all of that film's benefits and problems. The characters are not filled out much though there are some gripping moments. I was more despondent over the whole situation in Somalia during this film than over the often futile military machinations of our soldiers. All the same, the film comes at a time to remind us that there are men and women putting their lives on the line daily.

Hans Zimmer has had the opportunity to provide music for several recent films that deal with war. He has managed to find a way to humanize in a generally understated way the images that appear on screen. If you've seen the film, you will realize that there is very little score that is audible in the picture. Other than the opening of the film, Zimmer's score gets buried under the extensive foley effects. I was surprised that there was to be a release at all. However, as you listen through the disc, you realize that there was more there than you realized as track after track serves to recall distinct moments in the film.

The opening track, "Hunger," is very similar to Harry Gregson-Williams' score to SPY GAME last fall. Zimmer highlights the Muslim roots very well managing to move us into the drama and place quickly. It serves to remind us that this is not the "tribal" Africa of the past, but a place filled with conflicts that transcend its location. It allows us to feel the potential reality of these events taking place in other hot spots of the Muslim world. Therein lies the appeal for those trying to make some sense over our recent military engagements.

"Barra Barra" creates an urban Arabic feel. The piece, written by Rachid Taha (who performs it) nd Steve Hillage, is easily discernible in the film where it works well. The other two songs included here also receive more presence in the film proper.

"Vale of Plenty" has a melancholy feel that places the irony firmly in front of us. "Chant" is a kind of hybrid of the urban rock from "Barra Barra" mixed with a kind of PRINCE OF EGYPT sound. That description does not really do the cue itself justice however. The track, "Still," is a real masterpiece of place setting. It has a sense of religiosity through the chant performed by Baaba Mul and is a kindred spirit of Zimmer's fine score for THE THIN RED LINE. The ebb and flow of the CD from rock to orchestral elegies works fairly well.

Overall, BLACK HAWK DOWN plays like a more contemporary version of THE THIN RED LINE with its mix of traditional instruments, orchestra, and urban rock sounds. The notes list "additional music" by the BHD Band--a group made up of mostly percussionists. It is a score that manages to extend Zimmer's art and remind us that when given the opportunity, Zimmer is one of our modern masters of matching music to film.

The booklet includes an excellent musical discussion by Daniel Schweiger regarding the film and Zimmer's music. There is also an extended series of sketches for a sequence in the film that folds out. Text translations for "Hunger" are also included. All around this is an excellent production.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 5 February 2002

CD Release of Special Merit

HART'S WAR (2002)

14 Tracks (45:12)

Music composed and produced by Rachel Portman.  Orchestration: Jett Atmajian. Orchestra conducted by David Snell. Mixed by Chris Dibble.  Mastered at Lansdowne Recording Studios.  Cover Art Director: Diane Reynolds. Design: Rebecca Waterfall/ Skouras Design.  

Decca CD 440 016 886-2

Rating: ****1/2

Rachel Portman continues to turn out high quality scores.  In 1997, she was the first female composer to receive an Osca for Best Score for EMMA.  Other notable scores of hers include: CHOCOLAT, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES  and THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE.  She has also recdeived multiple Grammy, lobe Globe and Academy Award nominations.

Based on a novel by John Katzenbach, the film's story concerns Col. William McNamara (played by Bruce Willis) who with Lt. Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell) plan an escape from a brutal World War II German POW camp. But it's more than a war escape film. As director Gregory Hoblit, describes it in the CD flyer, the film is "fundamentally about captured Americans finding grace, dignity and honor in the face of extremely difficult and deadly circumstances in a stark and hostile environment in 1944-45 Nazi Germany."

To accompany this intense film, Rachel Portman has composed one of her most emotional scores to date.  The first track, "Final Salute," begins with a lonely trumpet playing, which is then joined by the orchestra.  It's a very noble sounding main theme.  This simple theme is beautifully developed within the remainder of the score.  The next track, "Hart Captured and Interrogated," uses Portman's trademark fluctuating strings moving along underneath a strong melodic statement, which then changes to a slower and darker passage with piano accompaniment and a few woodwinds.  It's very economical scoring and very effective.

This same technique is used throughout this beautiful score.  For example on track 4, "Visser Testifies," with a solo clarinet and strings leading the way, while underneath an arpeggio figure is played on piano.  Once again with the simplest of devices, Portman manages to underscore the scene perfectly.  Gregory Hoblit explains her scoring this way: "Off of her uncommon ability for understanding text and and subtext, and her gift for melody, I trusted she would add levels of unexpected texture and mood and emotion to a decidely masculine and edgy movie, while elevating it to a place unattainable without her intellectual and musical sensibilities."

This can be heard on a track like "Visser Finds Tunnel," where the music gets more excited as SS Major Wilhelm Visser (played by Marcel Iures) discovers the excape route.  

In addition to the great score, the sound is extremely well mixed and the album design is also quite attractively done.

Gregory Hoblit ends his comments in the CD flyer by writing: "I am grateful."  We should be grateful too that Rachel Portman has composed  such a beautiful score.

Portman's HART'S WAR score is well worth adding to your collection.  You won't be sorry with such an outstanding soundtrack as this.

--Roger Hall, 7 February 2002

For more information, see:  www.universalclassics.com

                                          www.hartswar.com         

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month

IRIS (2002)

8 Tracks (49:58)

Music composed and conducted by James Horner.  Joshua Bell, solo violin. Synthesizers: Ian Underwood, Randy Kerber.  Orchestrations:  James Horner, Randy Kerber, J.A.C. Redford.  Music preparation: Vic Fraser. Album produced by James Horner and Simon Rhodes.  Executive Album Producers: Robert Fox and Scott Rudin.  Music Supervisor: Julyce Monbleaux. Supervising Music Editor: Jim Hendrikson.  Music Recorded and Mixed by Simon Rhodes. Art Directtion & Design: Laura Torres.

Sony Classical/ Sony Music Soundtrax SK 89806

Rating: *****

This score is similar to Horner's recent A BEAUTIFUL MIND [see review below].  IRIS is a tender score, with a minimum of  Horner "borrowings."  It's also different from other scores in that the arrangement of tracks are divided into 8 parts and not given separate titles.  As in ABM, Horner has chosen a classical artist to be soloist. In ABM it was Charlotte Church.  For IRIS, he has chosen the highly accomplished violinist, Joshua Bell, as his soloist.  

The film was written by Richard Eyre and Charles Wood is based on the memoirs of John Bayley, who was married to the writer, Iris Murdoch.  Both of these central characters in the film are played by two actors.  Iris Murdoch as an older woman is played by Judi Dench, and a younger one by Kate Winslet.  John Bayley is played as an older man by Jim Broadbent, and by Hugh Bonneville as a younger man.  The film was directed by Richard Eyre. 

[Warning - SPOILERS AHEAD!] - Proceed only at your own risk of learning too much about this film story...

Part I (3:42) features the Main Titles and "an underwater sequence introducing Iris and John, both young and old, as they enjoy a swim."  This is nicely set up with fluttering strings and Joshua Bell's prominent violin solo.  The next part (3:24) is concerned with Iris and John meeting for the first time and so is naturally quite soft and romantic in its treatment, especially with the use of French horns and strings, a combination which Horner has used before. When Horner accompanies the heartbreaking knowledge of Iris's illness in Part III (4:46), it is quite poignant, with the reoccurence of the main theme from Part I, played by solo violin and other instruments in the orchestra.

The two longest tracks are Parts V (11:00) and VII (10:57).  Part V starts off with solo violin playing in combination with other instruments such as clarinet and French horn.  The scenes in this part move from romantic young love making to old age fighting.  Horner keeps the same soft dynamic throughout these scenes, as if to indicate that this couple are meant to be together from youth and old age.  Then in Part VII, there are the scenes where Iris has a mental breakdown after her firend, Janet, dies.  Later on, Iris herself dies with John at her bedside.  These scenes are among the most touching of all and Horner does an excellent job of accompanying them. This music brings to mind the tender finale of COCOON, especially with those often used rolling chords.

The last track (4:47) opens with a simple folk song, "A Lark in the Clear Air," sung by Kate Winslet. Following that are the End Credits music.  Joshua Bell's adds some birdlike fluttering on his violin and the rolling chords come back again in the orchestra and the piano play an important role as well.  It ends with high notes played on the violin, perhaps symbolizing the final rest of Iris after her years of mental anguish and Alzheimer's disease.    

The CD flyer has mostly film stills, but there are also descriptions for each part of Horner's score.  Being that the music is mostly very soft, the sound mixing never seems to overwhelm like it could in other hands.

This soundtrack is far superior to those "ear bleeders" available on the market today.  In other words, you don't need to put cotton in your ears when you listen to this score.  There are no crashing drum beats or electronic super-duper techno sounds.  Just comforting music presented in a soothing format.

IRIS is even better than Horner other recent score for A BEAUTIFUL MIND.

I highly recommend IRIS as a score that will give you a sense of peace and tranquility.  And what more can you ask for in these days of terrorism and violence?

--Roger Hall, 8 February 2002

For more information, see:  www.irissoundtrack.com    

                                          www.sonyclassical.com

THE SHIPPING NEWS (2002)

16 Tracks (46:12)

Music by Christopher Young

[Note:  This review is based on a promotional copy and does not include evaluation of performers or CD design from the commercial release on Miramax Records]

Rating: ****

This is a score that deserves to be heard, especially by fans of Christopher Young.  He was recently named President of the Film Music Society in California.  Born in Red Bank, New Jersey, he studied film composition at UCLA under David Raksin, known for his classic film noir score, LAURA.  Since then, Young has scored over 70 films in almost every genre.  His more recent scores include:  BANDITS, SWORDFISH, THE GLASS HOUSE and SWEET NOVEMBER.  

For THE SHIPPING NEWS, Young has composed a very flavorful score appropriate to its setting.  The film stars Kevin Spacey, Cate Blanchett, and Judi Dench.  It was directed by Lasse Hallstrom.  

Christopher Young's score has a definite Celtic feel to it.   That's not by accident, since the film's story takes place in Newfoundland, Canada, which has a strong Celtic culture.  This type of music can be heard on the first track [4:06], with use of penny whistle, drum and orchestra blending seamlessly as the main theme is stated.  And a glorious theme it is too - full of the same sweep and openness as in the Newfoundland seascape.  The next track, "The Gammy Bird"[2:20], has another memorable theme, this time played by a solo concertina, joined by tin whistle and other Celtic instruments.  The tempo is slowed down for the third track, "Weather Rhymes" [2:02), with beautiful rich string writing.  

Besides the instruments already mentioned, other instruments employed are:  fiddle, uilleann pipes, irish bones, Celtic harp, light shaker, hi-lo skin drums, hurdy gurdy, psaltery, and strummed dulcet.  Most of the scores makes use of these instruments together with an 80 piece orchestra from London.

This is simply a very pleasant score to listen to because it evokes so well the Celtic culture common to Newfoundland.

Even though I can't comment on the CD art design, I can recommend this soundtrack to all who wish to have a well constructed score.

It's the best score to date by Christopher Young and definitely worth adding to your soundtrack collection.  A real winner!

--Roger Hall, 8 February 2002  

TRON (1982)(20th Anniversary Edition)

21 Tracks (58:59)

Music composed by Wendy Carlos.  Music performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra, condcuted by Douglas Gamley. The UCLA Chorus. directed by Donn Weiss. Orchestrations by Jorge Calandrelli.  GDS and Moog Synthesizers performed by, arranged, mixed and produced by Wendy Carlos.  "Only Solutions" (song by Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry, Neil Schon). "1990's Theme" (music by Jonathan Cain and Neil Schon).  Cue and Sync preparation by Jeffrey Gussman.  Synchronization Technician: Paul Blank.  Album Art Direction and Design: Steve Sterling.

Walt Disney Records 60748-7

Rating: **

This score by Wendy Carlos is famous for being the first prominent use of synthesizers with the orchestra.  It set off a flurry of such combinations which are still being used used.  Carlos had worked on scores for Stanley Kubrick, like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and THE SHINING.   Back in the 1960's, her first big success was for a non-film score:  "Switched On Bach."  She was then "Walter" Carlos.  The sex change was her decision and she has since become quite defensive about the mean-spirited remarks by some web morons.  Good for her! That change was her business and happened long ago.  The first "Switched On Bach" LP became the first classical album to go Platinum.  It has now been issued on CD and in a special box set with other similar albums [see www.wendycarlos.com]

Now on to TRON.  This is the latest is the Disney Original Soundtrack series, which also includes such scores as: ALADDIN and TOY STORY.  

I didn't like TRON when it came out in 1982 and I must say that I'm not a fan of the score either.  I agree with the Maltin Movie & Video Guide which called it a "disappointing Disney production."  It all sounds to me like a lot of synth ramblings with occasional loud orchestral and choral outbursts thrown in to make it appear more dramatic, I suppose.  Over all it sounds mostly gimmicky.  Just to pick out one example, there's track 6, "Water, Music and TRONaction."[2:25]  It starts off with a repeated figure on synthesizer, then a sudden choral outburst comes in before it switches to another uninteresting passage.  Having done some synthesizer composition myself back in the early 1970's, I know how difficult it is to make it sound warm and appealing.  I think that's why a lot of classical composers stopped using it.  

This 20th anniversary edition - the first time the score has been available on CD - includes three bonus tracks: "TRONaction (Original Version)"[1:29]; "Break In" (For Strings, Flutes and Celesta)[5:34]; and "Anthem" (For Keyboard Solo)[1:09].  Are these tracks worth having? Well, if you like synth and creepy sounding cues, then you might like these.  I found them all pretty monotonous and unoriginal.

And that pretty sums up the way I felt about much of the TRON score.  Lots of uninteresting synth and orchestral effects, with almost no trace of a melody. One of them is on track 10, "Theme from TRON" [1:37].  The theme is too brief and insignificant to matter much. Even the "Love Theme" [2:07],  with its almost impressionistic, Ravel-like writing isn't very memorable, including the added chorus. Oddly enough some of  TRON'S music reminded me of the unusual sounds heard in Benjamin Frankel's score for the 1951 comedy, THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT.  One cue that had this similarity is track 9, "Magic Landings" [3:44], with a repeated passage beginning at 0:44 that puts me in mind of Frankel's music for the clever English comedy starring Alec Guinness.

The song, "Only Solutions," performed by Journey, is just plain forgettable.

In the CD flyer, there are comments by Wendy Carlos titled: "Looking Back on Tron." Actually, I didn't find found her opening remarks rather surprising. She writes the following:

"It was a kick to compose the music for the first CGI (I'm a big fan of computer graphics) feature film. Initially, they asked me if I'd be willing to provide electronic music portions for the TRON world inside the computer. But, hey, I'd studied composition...then unfortunately became pigeon-holed as a 'synthesist' of Baroque music of all things!  I wanted the fun of writing 'real' music again...They agreed and so I signed on."

What's she saying, that Baroque music isn't 'real' music? Does she really believe that the enormous popularity with "Switched On Bach" and later releases of Baroque music made her "pigeon-holed"?  Well, Ms. Carlos, then why have you worked so hard on getting the Baroque albums re-released on CD?  

Sorry to say that her work on the Baroque albums is far superior to her score for TRON.  

Perhaps this 20th anniversary edition will appeal to fans of the film or to synth lovers.  

For me, it sounds badly dated and very uninspired.

--Roger Hall, 8 February 2002

CD Reviews - January 2002

AMERICAN JOURNEY (2002)

15 Tracks (60:55)

Music composed and conducted by John Williams. Features performances by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Utah Symphony; the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles; and Boston Pops ("Summon the Heroes"). Album broduced by John Williams & Ken Wannberg. Album mastered by Patricia Sullivan Fourstar at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA. Art direction and design by Giulio Turturro.

Includes:

Call of the Champions (2002 Olympic Winter Games Theme); American Journey* (6 movement work); Song for World Peace*; Jubilee 350*; The Mission Theme*; For New York*; Sound the Bells!*; Hymn To New England; Celebrate Discovery*; Summon the Heroes

* Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles

Sony Classical SK 89364

Rating: *****

The Winter Olympics are just around the corner and with them comes this new CD from the master of Olympic fanfares, John Williams. Much was made last year when it was revealed that Williams was writing a new piece for the Utah games, especially when he arrived in Salt Lake City to record "Call of the Champions" with the Utah Symphony and massive Mormon Tabernacle Choir. While there, the orchestra also recorded "Hymn to New England" which is the second appearance of the piece. The premiere recording was with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on "American Visions" (BMG Music/RCA 68786).

The new Olympic piece owes a lot to Leonard Bernstein's "Olympic Hymn" which appeared on Williams' SUMMON THE HEROES CD for the Atlanta games. It begins with the choir singing "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (swifter, higher, stronger) followed by the typical fanfare gestures that are inverted from Williams' previous Olympic fanfare. Perhaps he will some day piece these all together to form a kind of Olympic symphony. The works seem to have an ebb and flow that would work well that way. The orchestra does a great job with this music and the accompanying "Hymn to New England." The latter feels a bit crisper than the Boston recording, but they both time in within a second of each other.

The main work of interest to film music fans will be the "concert" version of "American Journey." This piece was recorded back in 1999 and was then called "The Unfinished Journey" as part of the millennial celebrations. It would be good to have a version of this with the spoken texts some time in the future. Williams has created a suite of music to rival the finest American music compositions of Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, and Roy Harris who are kindred spirits. In watching the production, I was struck by the amazing sense of music-to-film synchronization. This concert version deserves a place in the annual patriotic performance canon alongside similar compositions of the aforementioned composers. It pulls together a lot of the sound of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and even THE PATRIOT along with the kind of pastoral Americana sound heard in places like Copland's THIRD SYMPHONY. It is excellently recorded and performed here.

The remaining "minutiae" should not be lightly dismissed as each is a fabulous achievement. "Song for World Peace" has to be among the most heartfelt compositions in the master's oeuvre. The Leonard Bernstein birthday present, retitled "For New York," does homage to both that great composer and, in lieu of more recent events, to the great city that he was intimately connected to throughout his career. "Sound the Bells!" has been used as the Boston Pops "theme" for their PBS broadcasts. It is another of those great miniatures that has been eagerly awaited on disc.

The other fanfares are equally engaging and it is good to have them recorded finally. This disc almost covers a number of Williams' brief concert pieces and at almost an hour, there surely was room for a couple more. But this is a great release and really supersedes the Atlanta games disc from 1996, though both contain essential works for collectors. The CD is well-programmed with a wonderful musical sense to its selection and arrangement.

My only real complaint is the "bonus track" which is an appendage lifted from the 1996 CD. It is not a "bonus" to include something that recent again on a release, but this is becoming a common practice on classical releases. (Evidently the pop producers, most of whom seem to have little or no musical knowledge, are infiltrating the whole production market.) A new recording would have been interesting to hear of this work. Surely the Utah Symphony was up to the task. Early press releases had a couple of pieces listed that did not appear here so this addendum must have been a last minute substitution. What is interesting about the CD is that it is devoid of Williams' patriotic film music, of which there is an abundance. Only the music for NBC News is an exception and was likely recorded to avoid licensing the older Phillips performance. This version is a much cleaner recording than that earlier one which it now supersedes.

This will no doubt be one of the better CDs released this year in the crossover classical market, if not in the general classical market!

--Steven A. Kennedy, 18 January 2002

A BEATUTIFUL MIND (2001)

16 Tracks (71:36)

Music Composed and Conducted by James Horner. Album Produced by Simon Rhodes and James Horner.  Executive Album Producers: Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Vocals Performed by Charlotte Church.  Orchestrations: James Horner and Randy Kerber.  Music Recorded and Mixed by Simon Rhodes at Todd Scoring Stage, Studio City, California

Decca CD 440 016 191-2

Rating: ***1/2

James Horner has recieved so much bashing from reviewers and soundtrack hounds that it would be easy to give this score another swift kick.  But I'm not going to do that.

First, the film itself.  It's the compelling story of John Forbes Nash, Jr., who was a paranoid schizophrenic mathematician.  He is brilliantly portrayed by Russell Crowe.  His wife is played by the beautiful and talented Jennifer Connolly.  The film was directed by the vastly underrated Ron Howard.  

Unlike ENEMY AT HE GATES and BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS & HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, A BEAUTIFUL MIND shows some real strengths on Horner's part, even though there are touches of music from such previous scores as SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER and BICENTENNIAL MAN.  

This score demonstrates more imagination from Horner than he has shown in the past few years.

The opening track, "A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics," has a very appealing theme with the sweetly humming voice of young Charlotte Church.  She is also featured on other tracks where this main theme appears.  As Horner describes her in the enhanced CD interview, she adds a "human dimension" to the music.  I'm not quite sure what he means by that.  Are the other musicians not "human"?  If anything, she provides an otherworldly presence, an angelic voice.  

There are long stretches of this score that are quiet and subdued.  I was reminded of Alan Silvestri's excellent score for CONTACT, but mostly in mood not from any borrowed themes.  Horner has managed to keep this score moving along at a comfortable pace.  Yes, there are those rolling chords that he loves to use.  But in this score they fit nicely with the somber mood of the film.    

The obligatory song "All Love Can Be" is pretty much forgettable.  As with the Oscar winning song from TITANIC, the lyrics are by Will Jennings.  Strangely, this is one place that Charlotte Church's voice seems really out of place.  She is just too bland and unconvincing in her interpretation. It also would be nice to have the lyrics printed in the CD foldout, instead of those pin-up film stills of the actors.  What a waste of good space!  I have downgraded my rating because of this emphasis on color film stills over the lyrics and something about the score.  

This is an enhanced CD so there is a brief video segment with James Horner, who looks rather sloppy with his scruffy face and disheveled hair.  He doesn't offer much to explain his score. There are also printed interviews with Horner and one with the director, Ron Howard. Then there's an unnecessary photo gallery.  All in all the enhanced CD features are not worth much.  

Leaving aside the unimpressive CD art design and enhanced format, this is a very good score.

If you're a fan of James Horner you're sure to enjoy this soundtrack.  I imagine Horner bashers will be on the lookout for some "borrowings."  I don't care.  It was worth my listening time and that's saying something in these days of bloated over-the-top film scores.

This is a very appealing Horner score, well worth adding to your CD soundtrack library.  

--Roger Hall, 3 January 2002

For more information, go to:

www.universalclassics.com

www.abeautifulmind.com    

CD Release of Special Merit

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (1956) and SOLDIER OF FORTUNE(1955)

30 Tracks (73:00)

Music Composed by Hugo Friedhofer.  Conducted by Lionel Newman. Album Produced by Lukas Kendall.  Executive Producer: Nick Redman.  Music Score Remix: Michael McDonald.  Project Coordinator for 20th Century Fox: Tom Cavanaugh. CD Art Design: Joe Sikoryak.  Liner Notes: Lukas Kendall.

Film Score Monthly, Volume 4, Number 9

Rating: ****1/2  

At a time when there are probably more mediocre soundtracks of new films than ever before, it's a genuine pleasure to hear wonderful two soundtracks by a master from Hollywood's Golden Age.

Hugo Friedhofer won an Oscar for his nostalgic classic of the post-World War II era, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES .  He was an expert orchestrator as well and worked on films for Erich Wolfgang Korngold and others.  His skill in orchestration is amply in evidence in this CD containing two soundtracks from the mid-1950s.

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL is a small scale war film.  The cast includes Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, Broderick Crawford, Buddy Ebsen, Robert Keith, L.Q. Jones and Frank Gorshin.   Hugo Friedhofer weaves a rich tapestry of orchestral music.  This is illustrated in the first track, "Sam and Jenny's Theme," (2:08) a beautiful bittersweet expression of love between Sam Gifford (Robert Wagner) and his wife, Jenny (Terry Moore).  The Main Title is presented on track 2 (2:23), with the military drumming leading to the announcement in the brass of the famous "Dies Irae" (song of the dead) often used by both film and classical composers.    

Also worth mentioning is how Friedhofer suggests the conflict between "Heaven" (pre-war flashbacks featuring the love theme) and "Hell"(war song of the dead).  As pointed out in extremely well-written notes by Lukas Kendall: "it is clear that the entire score is following a thematic logic, however subtle.  Friedhofer's magic is the seeming ease with which these gestures, without resorting to cliches, fit into a transparent, easily absobed lexicon, while retaining their dramatic originality."  This originality is heard especially convincingly on track 6 ("Stragetic Sam/ Scared" - 7:27), the longest track on the CD.  It moves with great ease and creates quite a bit of tension, especially with the "shakes" motive of piano and percussion which Friedhofer has developed for Sam and his frayed nerves.  The motive was recorded separately and dubbed in over the orchestra.  The next longest track is number 15 ("Don't Argue/ Desparate Journey" - 4:44).  This is a harrowing depiction, once again using the "Dies Irae," and featuring drums, strings and brass depicting the fight with the Japanese and the long chase through the jungle.  This track contains the climax of the film and the score.  After that comes the brief triumphant End Title.

According to the CD notes, Friedhofer reportedly said: "It's a very strong picture...here was a, comparitively speaking, unassuming little picture, that didn't have an intermission in it, and yet I managed to snag an Academy nomination for the thing.  Of course, in the final shuffle it got lost, but I felt that the nomination was an accolade...I'm enough of a ham to enjoy these things."

SOLDIER OF FORTUNE is just as memorable a score, but with a more conventional sort of music.  The 1955 adventure/romance film from 20th Century-Fox starred Susan Hayward and Clark Gable.  As Kendall writes in his CD notes:  "The real hero of the picture is Friedhofer, who composed a gorgeous romantic theme for Gable's character that sums up everything the actor represented onscreen.  This theme is on the first track (1:25) played on a solopiano played by Fox musician, Urban Thielmann; then its bursts forth in full bloom from the full orchestra on track 2 (3:11).  It's as lush and sumptuous a theme as Friedhofer could produce and its serves the set the scene very well.  

Friedhofer has composed some very exotic and mysterious themes as well.  One of these is heard on track 21 ("Inquisition," 3:12), where as Kendall writes:  "The cue is an excellent example of 'less is more' and how a whisper can be more suspenseful than a scream." A few tracks had to be deleted due to deterioration, such as the cue on track 20 ("Lee's House" which has a segue to - "Restaurant").  I didn't hear any disruption between the two cues and the flow was a smooth one.  The End Title (track 27, 1:36) has unfortunately not survived very well and is included with the word "damaged" attached to it.  Even so, it's still worth having because it brings the film to its conclusion like most film scores of this era did.  

There are three bonus tracks (28-30): "Hong Kong" (source montage, 1:22); "Tweedie's" (s