MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS

Original Review by Craig Lysy

Star Trek VI was envisioned by Paramount executive Frank Mancuso as a rebound from the disaster that was the Star Trek V film, and a hand off the franchise to the Next Generation crew. As such he again hired Leonard Nimoy to write a script that would bring a memorable final adventure for our legendary crew. Drawing upon Gorbachev’s Glasnost initiative that catalyzed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Nimoy fashioned a classic morality play, which dealt with the issues of racial prejudice, revenge, mistrust and humanity’s eternal search for “The Undiscovered County” – a lasting peace. The film begins dramatically with a cataclysmic explosion on the Klingon moon Praxis. The moon’s destruction fatally cripples energy production and the Klingons face the inevitable depletion of their ozone layer in 50 years, which will bring an irradiating end to their civilization. Chancellor Gorkon resolves to forge peace with the Federation and so bring to an end 70 years of unremitting hostilities, which he understands they can no longer sustain. Captain James Kirk and his crew are called upon by the Federation Council to escort the Chancellor to Earth, however reactionary elements on both sides jointly conspire to covertly sabotage the peace mission by attacking Gorkon’s vessel and assassinating him. Since the Enterprise appears to be responsible, Kirk and McCoy are remanded to Klingon authorities where they are tried, convicted and sent to certain death at the penal colony on Rura Penthe. A daring escape allows Kirk to regain the Enterprise and again save the day. He defeats the traitorous General Chang in battle and foils a second assassination of Klingon emissaries by Federation officers. The movie restored the franchise’s vitality, received critical acclaim and was a huge commercial success.

Director Nicholas Meyer relates that composer Cliff Eidelman’s tape caught his ear from the dozens he had screened and so brought him in for an interview. He advised that he did not want to reprise the usual main title approach of employing bombastic anthems for his film given its much darker narrative. Meyer recalls instructing Eidelman “the opening of Stravinsky’s Firebird as the sort of foreboding sounds I had in mind.” Two days later Eidelman returned with a tape bearing a synth version of a truly dark and foreboding main title, which exceeded Meyer’s expectations and so he was hired. He was provided a massive 86-piece orchestra with all sections significantly enlarged, a men’s chorus as well as an expansive array of exotic instruments. For his score, Eidelman provided several extraordinary themes. For our aging heroes we have four. First there is the Enterprise Theme, a bright and noble major modal statement carried by horns eroica. The theme is emblematic of both Captain Kirk and the Enterprise. Second there is the Battle For Peace Theme, a four-note statement on heraldic horns that is propelled by militaristic snare drums. Its restatement by strings with horn counters and sparkling percussion inspires and speaks to the film’s primary narrative – the battle for peace. Third, there is Spock’s Theme, a mystical and ethereal statement carried by a JD-800 synthesizer augmented with low register strings and a suspended cymbal. Lastly, Eidelman infuses Alexander Courage’s iconic Star Trek Theme, thus ensuring thematic continuity with the franchise. For the Klingons we have only two themes, but what a tandem! First we have the mysterioso “Firebird” inspired Enemies of Peace Theme, an ominous minor modal six-note repeating statement carried by celli and bass, which rises and falls like dark waves as militaristic snare drums and wordless male chorus amplify its menacing narrative. The theme speaks to nemesis General Chang and his Bird Of Prey’s lethal predator power that allows it to fire while cloaked. Arising from this theme is the Klingon Attack Theme, a fierce aggressive power anthem that draws inspiration from Holst’s Mars. Carried by horns barbaro and propelled by militaristic snare drums, this ferocious statement speaks to the hunter-warrior archetype of the Klingon species. Lastly, we also have the Conflict Theme, an aggressive presto paced piece driven by syncopated horns bellicose, which speaks to the critical urgency of the Enterprise’s pursuit and battle with the renegade Bird of Prey.

“Overture” is a score highlight and one of the most powerful and dramatic opening statements of the franchise. It is a ternary cue, which features interplay between three of the primary themes. We open darkly with the menacing and ominous power of the Enemies Of Peace Theme. At 0:58 ferocious horns barbaro declare the Klingon Attack Theme, which aggressively amplifies the foreboding opening narrative. We hear at 1:05 the four-note Battle For Peace Theme ascents on horns and propel the music with dramatic urgency. Militaristic snare drums amplify the melodic line and create a rising tension. A diminuendo ushers in the concluding Conflict Theme, whose fierce blaring horn line swells to a shattering crescendo that culminates on screen with the cataclysmic explosion of Praxis.

The following eight very short cues all provide brief thematic or underscore ambiance for their attending scenes. With “The Incident” Eidelman provides a dark and ominous narrative as Captain Sulu and the Excelsior crew attempt to absorb the aftermath of Praxis cataclysm. For “Spacedock” two dark repeating chords underscore the tension between Kirk and Spock as they shuttle to the Enterprise. With “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” harsh dark dramatic horns and militaristic percussion emote the Enterprise crew’s trepidation and revulsion as the Klingon Chancellor and his entourage board the Enterprise. In “The Trial/Morally Unjust Evidence” the ominous Enemies of Peace Theme ushers in a dark and uncertain fate for Kirk and McCoy who stand trial. In “Sentencing” ominous dark tonal bass and muted horns illustrate the certain death that awaits our heroes at Rura Penthe. With “Alien Fight” we experience driving primal percussion as Kirks fights for his life against a massive alien assassin. In “The Mirror” we hear percussive driven fight music as Kirk exposes Martia’s treachery and fights her. Lastly, in “The Undiscovered Country” the Khitomer conference attendees applaud Kirk and the crew for their heroism in saving Chancellor Azetbur from assassination. Kindred lyrical string lines join in a beautiful synergy from which rise the opening bars of the Enterprise Theme. We conclude with a fragment of Spock’s Theme as the Enterprise is seen in orbit with the Excelsior.

“Clear All Moorings” introduces the Enterprise Theme as the Enterprise again sets forth on another adventure. We open at 0:19 with sparkling chimes and sprightly woodwinds, which usher in the theme on trumpet. An inspiring reprise of the theme by strings leads to a segue into the Star Trek Theme nobly carried by French horn. We conclude with a stirring restatement of the theme that inspires and brings quivers to your author. Themes like this are why I love film score music. “Spock’s Wisdom” is a most complex scene. Outwardly Spock toasts and honors Velaris as his successor, yet the internal narrative is that of betrayal since Velaris conspires to subvert the peace initiative. The ethereal otherworldly sensibility of Spock’s Theme is perfectly attenuated to both Spock and this scene. The music is mystical, contemplative and tinged with an unspoken sadness. At 2:02 the mood is broken by the ominous Enemies Of Peace Theme with a scene change as the Klingon Battleship Kronos I joins the Enterprise. This is a well-conceived cue perfectly attenuated to the film’s narrative.

“Assassination” features the attack of Kronos I with photon torpedoes by what appears to be the Enterprise. As the ship loses internal gravity and power, a special ops team beams aboard and assassinates the Chancellor. This is an astounding score highlight with extraordinary writing by Eidelman who weaves together two competing musical narratives; the alarm and ensuing panic aboard the Enterprise, and the terror of the Klingons aboard their crippled ship. Ominous low register woodwinds and horns evoke tension until the first torpedo strike shatters its flow at 0:18. Discordant woodwind, panpipes and percussion emote the confusion of both crews until a second strike at 0:51 bring horrific clarity. From here fierce hard-edged percussion, hammering trombones, wordless male chorus and a solo horn emote Kirk’s alarm and propels the music. Interplay with the Enemies of Peace Theme enters at 1:09 and emotes the dark specter of treachery as well as the Klingons sense of doom. We close with snare drums, choral wailing and growling bass as the assassins wreak havoc.

In “Surrender for Peace” a drifting Kronos I slowly regains gravity, navigation and begins an avenging attack run. AT first, an eerie synthesizer sustain, wailing chorus and plaintive panpipes underscore the disabled Kronos I. This ambient line continues until 1:03 when snare drums slowly usher in the Enemies of Peace Theme as the Klingons regain control and Kronos I begins its attack run. Kirk wisely orders surrender in an attempt to deescalate tensions and forestall war. This moment is marked by the entry of the Conflict Theme at 1:25, which interplays with an eerie Enemies of Peace Theme now augmented by panpipes to conclude the cue. With “The Death of Gorkon” Kirk and McCoy board Kronos I, attempt to save Gorkon and are arrested following his death. A dark bass sustain with sparkling percussion mark the gravity of the moment. The Enemies of Peace Theme enters as Kirk and McCoy are arrested. A scene change to the Enterprise at 1:13 reveals Spock assuming command. An undulating string ostinato and muted horns underscore this tense scene.

“Rura Penthe” reveals Kirk and McCoy arriving at the frigid gulag. Eidelman cleverly chose to score the scene with a grim marcia funebre. The harsh alien setting is supported by a textural array of exotic percussion, panpipes, rattles, horns, piano and Klingon voices chanting “To Be or Not To Be.” This approach was ingenious and succeeds on all counts. We segue at 2:28 into “First Sight of Rura Penthe” where we see Kirk and McCoy introduced to their dank underground prison. Eidelman sustains his exotic textural approach to emote the prison’s alien soundscape as our heroes contemplate their dire straits. In “First Evidence” we see Sulu mulling over a dispatch that reveals the Enterprise’s refusal to return to space dock, while dark foreboding bass and metallic percussion echo a fragmentary Enemies of Peace Theme as Chekov discovers evidence. We explode into “The Search” at 0:42 atop the Conflict Theme after Spock orders a search of all crew uniforms. We end with a dramatic orchestral flourish when Velaris discovers bloodstained boots in a crew locker.

“Escape from Rura Penthe” features Martia leading Kirk and McCoy through a secret escape tunnel to the frozen surface. Eidelman sustains his use of exotic textural percussion, panpipes, rattles and horns to underscore the prison’s alien setting. A percussive ostinato commences at 1:29 and gains increasing potency and urgency as the three escape past the last guards. As they emerge onto the surface at 2:20, the music slows and conveys trepidation as the pass the frozen corpse of a former inmate. Ominous bass and eerie strings evoke the dire and precarious nature of their situation. As the camera pans out for panorama of the frozen landscape we hear Spock’s Theme emoted on a solo trumpet over a violin sustain, which portends his imminent arrival for rescue. I must say that the magnificence of the spectacular scenery is equally matched by a truly grandiose orchestral statement of Spock’s Theme, for which Eidelman includes a horn line playing a contrapuntal variant of the Conflict Theme. This contrapuntal line continues alone and gains percussive force and urgency with a scene change to the Enterprise at 4:02 as Spock and Ohura scan the surface. We conclude the cue with a plaintive oboe that ends with a dramatic flourish as Kirk helps a struggling McCoy to push on.

“Revealed” is a complex cue that spans five scenes. An echo of Spock’s Theme underscores Scotty’s discovery of the assassin’s uniforms. Then the Enemies of Peace Theme resonates ominously on bass as Chang learns of Kirks Escape. Eidelman escalates the suspense with the Klingon Attack Theme atop churning celli as Kirk and Spock contemplate the terror of a bird of prey that can fire while cloaked. Lastly low register celli and bass echo the Enemies Of Peace Theme as Kirk lays a trap to lure the assassin to Sick Bay. “Mind Meld” features the very forceful mental assault and violation of Valeris’ psyche by Spock. It is a purely textural cue supported by a low register dark bass sustain that is countered by high register string and synth chords that echo Spock’s Theme. Nicely done, this is minimalism at its best. With “Dining on Ashes” we deal with Spock’s distraught in the aftermath of his forced mind meld with Valeris. We hear a sad variant of the Enterprise Theme carried by solo French horn, clarinet and strings, which mirrors Spock’s inner state. A restatement by solo trumpet signals Spock’s reconciliation with what had to be done.

This final ternary cue is a tour de force and a score highlight where Eidelman weaves three of his core themes into a powerful statement. “The Battle for Peace” opens menacingly with militaristic snare drums and bass inquietante emoting the Enemies Of Peace Theme as Chang hunts the Enterprise while cloaked. We transition to a high register rendering of Spock’s Theme, which supports the tense countdown to the Enterprise’s arrival at Khitomer. A crescendo ushers in overtures to the Conflict Theme and we segue into “The Final Chance for Peace” at 1:22 with tense tonal writing as Spock and McCoy try to configure a torpedo to home in on the cloaked vessel. When Chang contacts Kirk and declares his intent to kill him, the battle is joined and all hell breaks loose. As we see the Enterprise struggling to survive as its shields collapse under Chang’s unrelenting assault we are treated to a fine interplay of both Klingon Themes and the Conflict Theme that rise and fall between tense diminuendo interludes. From here the music crescendos and becomes a horrific marcia dell’inferno as the Klingon Attack Theme become ascendant. We are not done! Slowly yet inexorably Eidelman begins a ferocious driving crescendo atop the Conflict Theme until an Enterprise torpedo is fired at 1:38, which ends the onslaught with a tense silence. We conclude with “The Final Count” where the torpedo finds its mark. Kirk and Sulu target their weapons on the explosion and pummel the bird of prey with a withering firestorm that destroys the vessel. Twin blaring horn blasts signal Chang’s well-deserved demise. We end the cue with a classic accelerando atop a furious Conflict Theme, which ends in a dramatic flourish as Kirk and crew beam down to save the day. This is just a stunning cue!

“Sign Off” is potent emotional cue in that it brings both our story and the journey of the crew we have come to love to an end. The opening bars of the Enterprise Theme sound on horns as Kirk bids Sulu farewell. At 0:22 a sad interlude follows as Kirk is ordered to bring the Enterprise home. Yet true to form, Kirk at Spock’s surprising bidding, again disobeys Star Fleet orders and instead orders the Enterprise onward to a new adventure! Eidelman fittingly scores the moment with the heraldic horns of Courage’s Star Trek Theme. As the film ends with each of the crew’s flowing signatures we are treated to a truly wondrous major modal statement. Eidelman introduces a four-note heraldic horn motif that joins in a masterful and refulgent interplay with the Enterprise Theme and Courage’s Star Trek Theme, which concludes the cue with a flourish! This cue always brings a quiver and a tear. Bravo! We complete our journey with the score’s masterpiece cue “Star Trek VI End Credits Suite”. Folks, this suite is a tour de force that features a magnificent interplay of all the major themes. We open with a refulgent and celebratory Enterprise Theme that just inspires with its heroic fanfare abounding. At 1:09 we segue atop solo flute and orchestra into Spock’s Theme, which builds to a stirring grandiose statement. From out this rises atop fierce horns bellicoso and militaristic snare drums the combative Klingon Attack Theme. At 3:12 we flow into a unitary statement of the Klingon Themes, which emote with a dark, aggressive and ominous power that swells defiantly atop militaristic snare drums and fierce horns. At 4:10 we segue into a dramatic and sterling rendering of the Battle For Peace Theme. A cymbal clash at 4:54 ushers in a diminuendo from which arises the Conflict Theme. Propelled by horns barbaro in a classic accelerando we appear to build towards a concluding crescendo, yet instead Eidelman brings closure with a sparkling rendition of the Enterprise Theme that ends with a flourish! Folks, this cue in my judgment ranks with Goldsmith’s “Enterprise” cue from “Star Trek I” as one of the best of the franchise.

As for the extras only the first trailer, which Paramount asked Eidelman to write merits commentary. “Trailer” opens with plaintive strings from which arises Spock’s Theme whose melodic flow is shattered by the fierce horns of the Klingon Attack Theme. This in turn flows into the tense Conflict Theme now joined by a contrapuntal line of the foreboding Enemies Of Peace Theme. The Conflict Theme prevails and we conclude with a dramatic sounding of Courage’s Star Trek Theme! Wow, this is an astounding cue, which offers enduring testimony to Eidelman’s genius. Regarding the remaining cues of the original album presentation, I found only slight variations that in my judgment are insufficient to warrant commentary.

This lover of Star Trek warmly thanks Lukas Kendall, Douglass Fake, Cliff Eidelman, Intrada and Universal Music & Paramount Pictures for this stunning and long overdue two CD release of the complete score to Star Trek VI. The sound quality is pristine thanks again to the expert mastering by Mike Matessino from the score’s digital 2-track stereo session masters and the trailer’s 2″ 24-track analog masters. Folk’s this is an epic score which features powerful multi-thematic writing of the highest order. Eidelman correctly interprets the film’s dark narrative, perfectly attenuates his music to the film’s imagery and demonstrates compelling mastery of his craft. His expert interplay between seven themes, use of instruments and tonal coloring all join in a wondrous synergy to yield a magnificent musical journey that will echo through time. I believe this score to be his Magnum Opus and highly recommend it as an absolutely essential part of your collection.

Rating: *****

Buy the Star Trek VI soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• DISC ONE: COMPLETE EXPANDED SCORE
• Overture (3:02)
• The Incident (1:09)
• Spacedock/Clear All Moorings (1:59)
• Spock’s Wisdom (3:13)
• Guess Who’s Coming (0:49)
• Assassination (2:16)
• Surrender For Peace (2:48)
• The Death of Gorkon (2:07)
• The Trial/Morally Unjust Evidence (1:13)
• Sentencing (1:02)
• Rura Penthe/First Sight of Rura Penthe (4:09)
• Alien Fight (1:05)
• First Evidence/The Search (1:33)
• Escape from Rura Penthe (5:35)
• The Mirror (1:17)
• Revealed (2:48)
• Mind Meld (2:06)
• Dining on Ashes (1:01)
• The Battle for Peace/The Final Chance for Peace/The Final Count (8:15)
• The Undiscovered Country (1:07)
• Sign Off (3:16)
• Star Trek VI End Credits Suite (6:17)
• Trailer (Take 10) [BONUS] (2:23)
• Guess Who’s Coming (Alternate Version) [BONUS] (0:51)
• Sign Off (Alternate Version) [BONUS] (3:31)
• Trailer (Take 2) [BONUS] (2:20)

• DISC TWO: ORIGINAL 1991 MCA RELEASE
• Overture (2:57)
• An Incident (0:53)
• Clear All Moorings (1:39)
• Assassination (4:45)
• Surrender For Peace (2:46)
• Death of Gorkon (1:10)
• Rura Penthe (4:22)
• Revealed (2:38)
• Escape from Rura Penthe (5:34)
• Dining on Ashes (1:00)
• The Battle for Peace (8:03)
• Sign Off (3:13)
• Star Trek VI Suite (6:18)

Running Time: 112 minutes 31 seconds

Intrada INTMAF-7117 (1991/2012)

Music composed and conducted by Cliff Eidelman. Orchestrations by Mark McKenzie and William Kidd. Theme from Star Trek composed by Alexander Courage. Recorded and mixed by Armin Steiner. Edited by Bunny Andrews. Score produced by Cliff Eidelman. Album produced by Lukas Kendall, Douglass Fake and Roger FeIgelson.

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

The Raven is a fun but forgettable period thriller based around the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Directed by James McTeigue – still most famous for his work on V for Vendetta – the film is set in Baltimore in the 1840s and stars John Cusack as the famed author Poe, the twisted mind behind such classic tales of the macabre as The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, and of course the timeless poem from which the film takes its title. Already down on his luck, both financially and personally, Poe’s life becomes even more difficult when it becomes apparent that a murderer is on the loose, and using the macabre deaths described in Poe’s books as inspiration for real-life atrocities. Things become even worse when Poe’s young paramour Emily (Alice Eve), the daughter of wealthy businessman Captain Hamilton (Brendan Gleeson) is kidnapped by the murderer, who begins taunting the increasingly frantic poet with mysterious clues and additional killings based on Poe’s stories. To solve the crime, Poe teams up with the dogged and inquisitive detective Fields (Luke Evans), who must work together to solve the mystery before poor Emily takes her last breath and becomes one of the dear departed.

The music for The Raven is by the young but exceptionally talented Spanish composer Lucas Vidal, for whom this marks his first mainstream score. Originally from Madrid, 28-year-old Vidal overcame a brush with cancer before relocating to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music, eventually settling in Santa Monica, California, where he continues to live and work. Vidal scored the independent films Hammer of the Gods, The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake and The Vanishing on 7th Street in 2009 and 2010, and received an IFMCA nomination for Breakout Composer of the Year for his excellent score for the Spanish-language thriller Mientras Duermes in 2011, prior to making his “proper” big-screen debut here.

One thing to make clear from the outset is that, in my opinion, Lucas Vidal has a huge career ahead of him. He has a deft touch with an orchestra, can write memorable themes in a variety of genres, and has a clever way of using his instrumental palette to superb effect that will stand him in good stead as his career progresses. Unfortunately, on The Raven, Vidal seems to have been handcuffed somewhat by the director and producer’s desire to have the music be “modern” and “contemporary”, despite its historical setting, which in film music parlance often means “make it sound like Hans Zimmer”. Vidal’s music for The Raven inhabits that sonic world that Zimmer and his Remote Control associates have made their own in recent years, with churning cello ostinati overlaid by various synthetic enhancements being the order of the day.

But, having said that, don’t get me wrong – being asked to sound like Zimmer doesn’t automatically mean that it’s a bad score, and despite the stylistic straightjacket foisted upon him, much of the score is quite enjoyable indeed. After a moment or so of industrially-enhanced dissonant buildup, the opening cue “The Raven” emerges into a darkly throbbing theme with a heavy percussion undercurrent and strident, thrusting string writing, hinting at the danger to come. The lack of a truly memorable main theme is one of The Raven’s weak spots – it’s a score more concerned with creating moody textures and an overarching atmosphere of oppression than it is presenting a recurring thematic identity – but this is one of the score’s few flaws, and Vidal’s unusual use of his electronic and orchestral textures goes some way to making up for it.

Large parts of the score remind of me of Zimmer’s score for The Ring, and its sequel scored by Henning Lohner and Martin Tillman, especially the tumultuous and undulating string performances in cues such as “Fields Arrives”, “Rush to the Theatre”, “The Mystery of Marie Roget”, “Going to the Editor”, the conclusive “In the Hospital” and the extended “The Entombment of Fortunato”. These cues echo the relentless musical pulse Zimmer provided those scores, mirroring Poe and Fields’ equally relentless race against the clock to save Emily from her fate.

Angrier music accompanies scenes such as “The Pit and the Pendulum”, into which Vidal inserts an insistent, almost mechanized electronic effect to enhance the notion of impending doom as the counterweighted blade from Poe’s nightmares becomes all too real for one unlucky victim. Later, cues such as “Man in Red Hat”, “Searching the Theatre” and the thrilling “Edgar Chases the Killer” embrace a more straightforward action music style, with strong string rhythms and an increased brass section accompanied by various electronic percussion elements allowing the music to pick up a brisk pace and adopt an exciting, energetic feel. The score’s big set piece finish, “Finding Emily” merges the two styles with two clever effects in the synth palette – an insistent heartbeat and a ticking clock, cleverly alluding both to the tell-tale heart of Poe’s classic work (in which a murderous protagonist is tortured with a ceaseless and guilt-ridden thump-thump from under his floorboards), as well as giving a nod and a wink to Poe’s own poisonous dilemma at the film’s conclusion, which will make sense to anyone who has seen the movie.

However, even the supposedly lighter moments of elegance and romance, which in other scores would provide a thankful counterbalance to all the darkness, are tinged with dread; despite their powerful romance on-screen, the gentle woodwind theme in “Ladies Luncheon” does not emerge into a true musical depiction of the passionate relationship between Poe and Emily until the darkly tender “Finding Emily” and the dream-like “Poe on Bench” towards the score’s conclusion. Instead, and for the most part, this is a dark score about dark deeds committed by evil people, inspired by a man with a twisted imagination. There’s not much lightness here, and anyone expecting the overarching sense of gloom to be lifted once in a while will not find themselves adequately fulfilled in that way.

Truthfully, The Raven doesn’t offer anything new beyond providing a decent film with a competent, effective thriller score. Scores like this have come and gone a dozen times before, and Vidal’s work here – had it been the first music I had heard by him – would not have impressed me greatly with anything much beyond adequate competence and a decent sense of setting-specific darkness. However, I know what Vidal is capable of, and I fully recognize The Raven as a necessary stepping stone to bigger things. The Raven is workmanlike, appropriate, and often enjoyable for its action and suspense material, but it’s unlikely to set the world alight and certainly won’t bring Lucas Vidal many new fans amongst those who had never heard his music before. But patience, dear reader, for our Iberian friend has other things up his sleeve, and if my predictions are accurate it won’t be long before he is anonymous never more.

Rating: ***

Buy the Raven soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• The Raven (2:34)
• Fields Arrives (1:51)
• The Pit and the Pendulum (1:16)
• Rush to the Theatre (1:32)
• Maddox Identifies the Body (1:37)
• Poe and Emily (1:07)
• Ladies Luncheon (1:16)
• Man in Red Hat (1:22)
• The Mystery of Marie Roget (1:40)
• The Entombment of Fortunato (4:34)
• Poe Talks of His Wife’s Death (1:37)
• Searching the Theatre (2:51)
• Police Breifing/Emily Box (2:12)
• Poe and Hamilton on the Path (1:52)
• Edgar Chases the Killer (2:44)
• Going to the Editor (2:01)
• Where’s Emily? (6:31)
• Finding Emily (1:48)
• Searching the Church Yard (1:09)
• Poe on Bench (1:51)
• In the Hospital (1:30)
• Rakish Paddy [BONUS] (1:57)

Running Time: 47 minutes 01 seconds

Sony 88691963782 (2012)

Music composed by Lucas Vidal. Orchestrated by Rick Giovinazzo, Larry Rench and Tim Rodler. Featured musical soloists Scott Shields and Steve Wickham. Recorded and mixed by Geoff Foster. Edited by Shie Rozoe. Album produced by Lucas Vidal.

Original Review by Craig Lysy

The story of La Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons was adapted from Louis Pergaud’s 1912 novel and is a remake of Yves Robert’s 1962 film of the same name. It is a comedy with an anti-war narrative sub-text. Set in France circa 1944, it tells the tale of schoolboys from the neighboring villages of Longeverne and Velrans have formed two opposing factions, which have been waging a mock war for as long as anyone can remember. After each battle the victor’s spoils would be the taking of buttons off the clothes of the vanquished. Hoping to turn the tide of the conflict, one team of the boys employ a strategy of running into battle naked, thus depriving the opposing boys nothing to steal. Fate would have it however that after this amazing victory, one of the boys defects to the other side. This turncoat reveals a weakness in his former camp that allows his new teammates to launch a secret attack that brings victory. The traitor’s betrayal is discovered and he is punished for his treachery. Not done, he informs his superiors and parents that he has been beaten up by bullies. This upsets the entire apple cart as his mom and dad escalate the conflict with the opposing schoolmates resulting in jail time.

La Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons is the second of two War of the Buttons movies released in France in 2011 (the other was directed by Yann Samuell and scored by Klaus Badelt). For its music, director Christophe Barratier remembered being enraptured by the End Credits music of the film “Une Hirondelle a Fait le Printemps”. When he discovered that Philippe Rombi was the composer, he resolved to collaborate with him on some future film. His opportunity arose with “War of the Buttons” and was most pleased when Rombi accepted the assignment. Rombi quickly understood the film’s narrative and composed a number of fine themes. The Main Theme is a confident and youthful statement that animates the film and speaks to the boundless energy of youth. Conversely, the Secondary Theme is more subtle, gentile and intimate in its expression, more attuned to private and more personal interactions. Lastly, the Tertiary Theme is sad and filled with pathos, which speaks to the issues that confront the children when events spin out of control.

In “Générique Début” we open idyllically on tender strings alight with chimes and glockenspiel accents. Rombi wastes no time launching his sumptuous string laden Main Theme, which has faint portentous accents of muted militaristic snare drums. We close with the theme reprised on solo flute and kindred woodwinds. What a fine introduction! “Arrivée au Village” opens with tremolo strings over which solo flute and then solo oboe dance before launching into the lyrical Main Theme on strings. Once again chimes and glockenspiel add a sense of child-like wonder that is both heart-warming and endearing. The theme shifts to and fro from the strings to the woodwinds, finally ending with a tender solo piano line that plays over tremolo violins. “À Travers Champs” is a short cue, which again features the Main Theme, this time replete with harp glissandi and a swelling statement adorned with horns.

“En Territoire Ennemi” is a tense cue that reveals the Veltran boys in enemy territory. The music is more textural than thematic, with perhaps fleeting attempts of the Main Theme to assert itself. The music features tense string writing and staccato woodwinds. Muted trumpets and snare drums accent a harsh low register string ostinato as the boys make a stealth approach. “L’Attaque du Ponton” opens tentatively with tremolo strings and woodwinds that yield to dark bass and discordant wailing horns as the Veltran boys prepare their attack. At 0:50 all hell breaks loose as pounding drums and a celli ostinato propel the action. A rousing trumpet line joins the fray with string glissandi as the ostinato shifts to the violins, yet the energy dissipates and we end with a diminuendo of woodwinds. “Paul et Simone” is a tender piece and for me a delight. Rombi introduces his tender Secondary Theme with gentle flute, harp, tender strings and piano, which join to create a most beautiful ambiance.

“Les Longeverne Contre-Attaquent/Le Premier Bouton” begins with animated horn fare and vigorous strings as the music moves forward with youthful confidence. But we shift gears as a stealth approach is required, and so strings and sprightly woodwinds join to create a tense ambiance. Throughout the piece we hear echoes of the Main Theme that finally emerges for a beautiful statement near its conclusion. The way Rombi weaves the tapestry of this cue is just wonderful! “La sortie au muse” is short piece that sparkles, with a brief reprise of the Main Theme. “L’Arrestation” is a complex cue where ostinato rhythms shift among the strings, joined by pizzicato textures and harp, all serving to create palpable tension. Slowly the tension builds as snare drums enter; yet the drive dissipates, yielding to a solo flute and lyrical strings, which conclude the cue. In “Les Gibus Prisonniers” woodwinds echo the Main Theme as Rombi introduces comic textures. At 0:48 the music tries to take off atop a string ostinato, stalls, then regains its determination as woodwinds and horns join providing energy. Soon timpani begin pounding, contested by violins, which begin yet fail to succeed in emoting the Main Theme. This is very creative writing, which I found quite enjoyable.

“La Capture de Lebrac” opens with a boys chorale lamentoso supported by drums and a violin ostinato. Lebrac’s capture is scored by Rombi alla marcia funebre, which is brilliantly conceived. In “Bataille des Guerriers Grecs” begins with bassoon and pizzicato strings performing the steady cadence of a march. An interlude of eerie ambient textures leads to a breakout at 1:02 upon trumpets, drums and ostinato strings as the battle unfolds. The Main Theme sounds on trumpets, and fades to solo flute from which a diminuendo concludes the cue. “À la Mode de Paris” opens with cello, which introduces tremolo violins, harp and woodwinds that struggle to emote the Main Theme. Yet it does rise upon solo piano and flute for a tender statement with brief comic interludes, ultimately concluding with a diminuendo. In “Pythagore et la Résistance” we again hear Rombi’s tender and sentimental Secondary Theme carried by flute, kindred woodwinds and harp. Yet it quickly yields to textures of trepidation as unease creeps back into the music. “Le Journal de Violette” opens with solo flute emoting the opening phrase of the Main Theme with xylophone and sparkling glockenspiel accents. The music quickly shifts gears and becomes playful if not comic, before returning to its prior gentile ambiance. The piano takes up the melodic line with the flute and strings now supportive until we behold as stirring ascent by strings, which ushers in a refulgent rendering of the Main Theme alight with chimes and glockenspiel that is just wondrous! This is a wonderful cue!

“Lebrac et Violette” features the Main Theme emoted tenderly by flute and harp with lyrical strings. Accents by oboe and piano create a beautiful synergy, which ultimately leads to a swelling of the theme of strings. This is just another beautiful cue. “Le Duel” is really a score highlight that features complex and powerful writing. We open dramatically with horns ushering in and propelling the Main Theme, which has shed its recent gentile ambiance and become militarized. After a comic interlude, a harsh bass ostinato and horn fare begin an ominous marcia bellicoso that grows increasing complex and menacing as the bass ostinato shifts to the violins and pounding timpani join. Yet the energy dissipates and solemn strings joined by a pastoral piccolo carry the lyrical flow to conclude the cue. “La Lettre et le Feu” features interplay of the Main Theme, the Secondary Theme and the Tertiary Theme, which is very poignant and resonates great emotional power. We open with harp and a string sustain, which usher in the Main Theme on woodwinds with the sad seven-note Tertiary Theme on strings playing in counterpoint. The Tertiary Theme proceeds alone on piano and tremolo violins as we feel deep sadness. Bell tolls bring quivers and strengthen the pathos as the Tertiary Theme returns upon piano with wordless boy’s chorus, which unleashes an orchestral crescendo of great dramatic power. Yet the moment is shattered by and interlude of harsh tremolo strings, discordant muted trumpets and frantic woodwinds, before returning to the former solemnity atop the Tertiary Theme. We conclude with ominous dark bass chords, reverential horns, timpani and tremolo violins from which rises a very sad rendering of the Secondary Theme. This cue is just outstanding and one of my favorites of the score.

“La Solitude de Lebrac/La Milice Aux Trousses” is a complex cue, which ebbs and flows like the tides. We continue the pathos of sadness from the earlier cue atop the Tertiary Theme. Piano, wordless boy’s chorus and tremolo violins again convey grief, yet swirling strings rise and attempt to break free until the Main Theme returns on impassioned strings with rousing horn fare and pounding timpani. From here we see ebb and flow as the Main Theme struggles to rise only to subside. We conclude with a brief statement of the Tertiary Theme that dissipates on a bass sustain. This cue again features very fine writing. “Final” is a wondrous cue and a score highlight, which features a fine interplay of themes. We open brightly on sparkling strings and harp. Soft horns usher in an intimate rendering of the Tertiary Theme that joins the Main Theme, both now emoted by solo flute in a heart-warming interplay. We transition fully to the Tertiary Theme on piano and strings, which now solely carries the melodic line. Yet the Main Theme returns anew, first on piano with violins and then finally swelling on full orchestra for a wondrous refulgent affirming statement that says that all is well with the world. The beauty of this final statement is simply glorious and brings both tears and a quiver.

In “Ouverture” Rombi writes a piece for the ages. It is a classic overture, which features an extraordinarily beautiful interplay of themes. Performed sumptuously by lush strings, intimate solo piano, solo flute and ultimately full orchestra, this cue is simply abounding in an uncommon lyrical beauty that is simply breath taking. My hands were simply powerless to type anything while listening and I regret ending this wonderful journey.

I offer my sincere thanks to Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge of Music Box Records for producing this extraordinarily beautiful score. The sound quality is pristine as is customary for their label. This score is a classic journey that must be taken! It begins with a sense of wonder and progressively builds to a wondrous heart warming conclusion with the final five cues simply glorious! Rombi, long recognized for his lyricism, provides three wonderful themes, which he entwines and interplays with a skill many composers can only envy. I highly recommend this score for you collection, and given that only 1,000 copies were pressed suggest you order quickly.

Rating: ****½

Buy the Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• Générique Début (2:17)
• Arrivée au Village (2:11)
• À Travers Champs (0:40)
• En Territoire Ennemi (1:53)
• L’Attaque du Ponton (2:13)
• Paul et Simone (1:23)
• Les Longeverne Contre-Attaquent/Le Premier Bouton (4:25)
• La Sortie au Musée (1:07)
• L’Arrestation (2:50)
• Les Gibus Prisonniers (3:01)
• La Capture de Lebrac (1:36)
• Bataille des Guerriers Grecs (2:07)
• À la Mode de Paris (2:46)
• Pythagore et la Résistance (1:35)
• Le Journal de Violette (4:21)
• Lebrac et Violette (2:20)
• Le Duel (4:03)
• La Lettre et le Feu (3:41)
• La Solitude de Lebrac/La Milice Aux Trousses (3:27)
• Final (4:23)
• Ouverture (4:26)

Running Time: 57 minutes 44 seconds

Music Box Records MBR-010 (2011)

Music composed, conducted and orchestrated by Philippe Rombi. Featured musical soloists Philippe Rombi and Alain Menard. Recorded and mixed by Stephane Reichart. Album produced by Jerome Lateur, Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge.

MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS

Original Review by Craig Lysy

À Vous de Jouer Milord was a 1974 spy drama mini-series of six episodes directed by the famous French director Christian-Jaque. The national security storyline concerned the theft of design schematics for the new generation French tank, the AMX 30. Justifiably alarmed by the loss of the schematics, the government resolved to call back into service their retired agent Hubert de Pomarec (AKA Milord) played by Henri Piégay to regain the stolen plans. Christian-Jaque imbued the mini-series with a comic book sensibility and robust action scenes with his lead performing his own stunts. While entertaining, it received no critical acclaim.

Christian-Jaque and composer François de Roubaix had met through a mutual acquaintance, Nicole Gauduchon, a film editor. She submitted de Roubaix’s main theme for the credits, which delighted Christian-Jaque and earned de Roubaix the assignment. He recorded the entire score in his home studio on the Rue de Courcelles. De Roubaix employed an eclectic array of instruments to establish the soundscape of the mini-series, which included a drum machine, EMS VCS3 synthesizer, several keyboards, trombones, drums and electric guitar. He completely turns the genre on its head by providing a quirky non-dramatic electronica score, which plays against the traditional sensibilities of the spy thriller. For the series he provided an upbeat and electronica carried Main Theme, which animated Milord, the Andrabel Waltz, a theme for Milord’s boat and the primal Tank Motif, a pulsating synth statement which serves to animate the Tank.

We begin with “À Vous de Jouer Milord”, which introduces the Main Theme. It is a most unexpected opening that is paced by the steady pulse of the drum machine. This electronica-generated melody is light, unaffected and decidedly unexpected. The twinkling synth flourish that concludes this piece is an interesting embellishment. This theme is reprised in “Milord Refait Surface” with a little more animation and funk. While in the concluding “Bien Joué Milord!” it is embellished with an overlaid wordless male voice. “Andrabel” introduces the quirky if not somewhat demented Andrabel Waltz, a theme that animates agent Milord’s boat. The repeating theme, which lacks a B phrase, is carried by synth harpsichord with queer sounding synth embellishments, a steady drumbeat, vibraslap, wah-wah pedal effects as well as recurrent echoes of Barry’s James Bond Theme! “Titan” offers a repeating syncopated and rhythmic drum line with electronic keyboard and synth tremolo string effects. As it flows forward uncertain of its destination we hear a series new synth effects and bongo drums as music continually reinvents itself.

“Ève et Hubert” emotes with the soft jazz ambiance of a night club and features electronic piano, strummed bass and electric guitar. It is the type of melody that while clearly present, offers a pleasant listen that never intrudes. This soft jazz ambiance is reprised in “Filature”. “Balade En Char” grabs your attention with a dance like rhythm that prominently features trombones accompanied by mischievous synth and chattering bongos! Quirky, yet strangely enjoyable this cue is a fun listen. Well our amazing journey takes yet another twist in “Hubert Et Lilia” which opens with synth organ and a decidedly funky blues ambiance replete with electronic keyboards, strummed bass and electric guitar. In the more upbeat “Albert et Zouzou” we are treated to a yet another quirky dance-like cue, which features a simple repeating line replete with synth, electric piano, drums and a steady pulse.

The following three cues all feature de Roubaix’s Tank Motif. In “La Plongée Des Titans” we finally have a scene that features the missing tank! Rebouaix uses a throbbing low register synth motif to animate the tank. Electric piano strikes and a steady drumbeat convey the mechanical nature of the armored beast with chattering bongos along with bizarre synth textures once more joining the mix. Mid cue the music mutates to a quivering and dissociated expression of odd synth textures before resuming its former driving expression in a more propulsive and determined way. In “Les Trois Titans” the Tank Motif is emoted with much more energy and drive – the chattering bongos banging away! Late in the cue the music again mutates into a quivering and dissociated expression of odd synth textures. Lastly in “Exercices Commando” a steady drum cadence supports a low register synth articulation of the Tank Motif. The music picks up more steam and the relentless synth drive before once again down shifting into bizarre groaning synth textures and funky percussive accents. This cue is quintessential de Roubaix!

“Cap Au Large” is dichotomous cue that features quite simply an amazing la danse bizarre. Animated by synth piano, eerie synth effects, strummed bass and drums, this cue takes us on quite an interesting journey! At 1:15 we shift gears and move up-tempo. The dance is now joined by a silly wordless male chorus and crazy drum accents as we revel in this comic realm. “Angoisse Sous-Marine” is a textural effects cue that offers a broad range of synth sounds, which serve to create an almost alien-like soundscape. “Base Alpha 13” opens with a soft jazz line carried by a funky electric piano and synth chords. At 0:58 we speed up atop chattering bongos, pulsing rhythms and synth chords as the melodic line dissipates into a series of odd textural effects. “La Messe des Espions” plays as a solemn religioso piece one would associate with a funeral parlor. The melodic line is carried by solo synth organ without accompaniment. “Un Tank Pour l’Aventure” is truly twisted and decidedly quirky! The music is carried by upright piano, electric piano, drum percussion and a odd array of synth textures.

In “Lilia’s Jerk” we get some attitude as a cocky drumbeat ushers in a funky jazz piece that features electric guitar, bass and synth trumpets. With “Bossabotage” we return to a soft jazz vibe carried by a mellow electric guitar with support from strummed bass and tenor percussion. Well with “Hubert de Katmandou” we get some rock attitude going on the strings of a wailing electric guitar. The piece is edgy, propelled by some good drum work and brings in some funky energy. “Le Village en Otage” is another dichotomous cue where we are treated to a broad range of synth sounds, bongo drums and upright piano. The music opens with some laid back jazz, which shifts at 1:00 into a more methodical textural rhythm that features interplay of electric keyboards. At 2:05 bongos join in and we begin an apparent ascent to crescendo, which instead dissipates and gives way to the synth pulses of the Tank Motif! This is one strange, through the looking glass clue! We end our journey with “À Vous De Jouer Milord”, a source cue performed by Martin Circus where we see Milord entertaining fellow spy Eve, on board his yacht Andrabel as he tries to seduce her.

Allow me to thank yet again Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge of Music Box Records for restoring a truly engaging and unique score. The sound quality is excellent and the resurrection of over 60 minutes of unreleased music most welcome. This electronica effort by François de Roubaix is a journey of many twists and turn, which perfectly displays his singular talent for experimental and avant-garde writing. I must say that this score is an acquired taste well suited for those eager to take the road less travel and explore non-orchestral scores. If you like electronica, jazz, and funky rock scores, this is a score for you. For fellow orchestral score lovers like me, I say expand your horizons and take this obscure 1970’s French score for a spin! You will be pleasantly surprised.

Rating: ***

Buy the À Vous de Jouer Milord soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• À Vous de Jouer Milord (Générique) (1:50)
• Andrabel (3:27)
• Titan (2:35)
• Eve et Hubert (3:30)
• Ballade eEn Char (2:09)
• Hubert et Lilia (2:01)
• Filature/Albert et Zouzou (3:21)
• La Plongée des Titans (5:35)
• Cap au Large (3:37)
• Angoisse Sous-Marine (2:13)
• Base Alpha 13 (2:03)
• La Messe des Espions (2:07)
• Milord Refait Surface (2:43)
• Un Tank Pour l’Aventure (3:22)
• Lilia’s Jerk (2:51)
• Bossabotage (3:16)
• Les Trois Titans (2:55)
• Hubert de Katmandu (1:34)
• Exercices Commando (4:08)
• Le Village en Otage (4:07)
• Bien Joué Milord ! (2:25)
• A Vous De Jouer Milord (Générique De La Série Télé – Remastered 2004) (performed by Martin Circus) (2:54)

Running Time: 65 minutes 40 seconds

Music Box Records MBR-008 (1974/2012)

Music composed by François de Roubaix. Album produced by Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge.

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

Casa de Mi Padre is an intentionally silly spoof of those wonderfully cheesy but enormously popular Spanish-language telenovelas, especially ones from the 1970s which have a Grindhouse-esque quality. English-speaking audiences are generally unaware of their success and popularity, but they form a cornerstone of Latin popular entertainment, especially in countries like Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and most of South and Central America. The brainchild of actor/producer Will Ferrell, screenwriter Andrew Steele and director Matt Piedmont, the film stars Ferrell as Armando Alvarez, the good-natured but dim-witted son of a wealthy Mexican landowner (the late Pedro Armendáriz, Jr.), whose life is thrown into turmoil when his younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) returns to the family home with a beautiful new fiancée, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez) to take over the business. However, Raul has fallen in with the wrong company, and soon Armando finds himself caught up in the middle of a bitter feud between Raul and the evil drug kingpin Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal). Yes, despite the rather serious plot, it is a comedy, and yes, it’s entirely in Spanish, and the jokes come thick and fast, with intentionally bad continuity, poor special effects, and hilarious psychedelic inserts competing with the broad slapstick and clever wordplay Ferrell brings to the table.

The music for Casa de Mi Padre is by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, newcomers to the film music scene, but who clearly have a big future ahead of them if their work here is anything to go by. Feltenstein and Nau have a long history scoring TV commercial spots through their music production company, Beacon Street Studios in Venice California, but other than a straight-to-video sequel to the movie Wild Things and a few shorts and other small projects, this is their first major film. In many ways, the soundtrack to Casa de Mi Padre inhabits the same world as the film, in that it is almost a meta-spoof of itself and the films it parodies. Through both the score and the album’s numerous original songs, there is a definite low-budget 70s vibe, both in the recording quality and the musical style, which takes musical influences from everywhere – Ennio Morricone spaghetti western scores, traditional Mexican mariachi music, James Bond songs, and much more besides. In many ways, you have to get the original joke to get what the soundtrack is trying to achieve: it’s both an homage to the style, and a satire of the style’s conventions, and if you approach it as such, there’s a great deal to enjoy.

The original songs are all of very high quality, a rarity in a time when songwriting for the cinema seems to be at an all-time low ebb. The opening title, “Casa de Mi Padre”, is belted out forcefully in Spanish by Christina Aguilera, in a manner that Shirley Bassey would approve of; in fact, the entire main title sequence owes a lot to the James Bond series and its designer Maurice Binder, with the camera fetishistically close-focused on Aguilera’s luscious lips throughout its duration. “Fight For Love”, again sung in Spanish by lead actors Ferrell and Rodriguez, is a wonderfully old-fashioned pop ballad that sounds so authentic it could have represented Spain at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, while “Yo No Se”, sung by Ferrell with his supporting actors Efren Ramirez and Adrian Martinez, is a campfire Mariachi epic extolling the simple life led by rancheros which is utterly fabulous (and shows that Ferrell can really sing!) – if one or more of these songs doesn’t pick up an Oscar nomination next year, there truly is no justice in the world.

The score is eclectic and varied, but emphasizes the composers’ versatility, and captures the mood and tone of the film very well. There’s not much there in terms of a recurring thematic identity, so instead the score plays as a series of semi-serious semi-comedic musical vignettes, each with its own feel, but all with an overarching sense of it all being nostalgic throwback to the 70s. “Raul Drugs” is a grungy rock instrumental; “Fuzzorama” is an odd combination of surf music and psychedelic rock that sounds like one of Quentin Tarantino’s rejected tracks from his soundtrack to Pulp Fiction; “Ask for Marry Permission” goes even further back in time to the 1950s, sounding for all the world like a soft instrumental version of the song “Beauty School Dropout” from Grease, while the hallucinatory “Trip Out” is an ear-splitting cacophony of music, sound effects and sampled audio which makes sense in the context of the film, but is annoying out of it. Only “Hermano” restates the main melody from the opening title song, while also featuring a lonely-sounding solo trumpet performance by Tom Ferrell.

The best cues see Feltenstein and Nau adopting a more traditional sound. The unusually lush pianos and ghostly choral effects in the “Wedding Massacre” juxtapose perfectly the scenes of comedic ultra-violence and blood and guts on screen; later, “Sonia Pool” introduces a beautiful love theme on a lush classical guitar accompanied by a sweeping string section, while “Luv Butts” has a little flirtation with all that wonderful soft core Europorn music written by composers like Pierre Bachelet and Francis Lai. “Dad Dies” starts as a somber piano solo, but unexpectedly lurches into Wojciech Kilar-style cello-driven melodrama by the end, and two cues feature vocal performances by the ethereal-sounding Mayan Ghost Choir – the spooky and slightly unsettling “Car Burn”, and the surprisingly beautiful and moving “Raul Dies”, which is essentially an unaccompanied choral lament with tragic liturgical overtones, and ends the CD on a strange, reflective note of heavy pathos… until our old friend La Onza comes in with his hearty feline chuckle (and anyone who has seen the film will understand why!)

Several cues also feature dialogue clips from the film, but in this instance it adds to the charm of the CD, which is a rarity coming from someone like me who usually hates dialogue clips on soundtracks. It’s possible that my affinity for and enjoyment of the film has swayed my judgment in a positive direction when it comes to its music, but I really feel that this is one of the best marriages of film and music in a comedy for quite some time, both conceptually in terms of the mood the entire project is trying to convey, and in purely creative musical terms. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, certainly, especially those who don’t understand the context of the music as it relates to the film, but I personally found both the original score and the original songs to be uniformly excellent; Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau have introduced themselves to the film music world with a hit, and I look forward to hearing what they do next.

Rating: ****

Buy the Casa de Mi Padre soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• Casa de Mi Padre (written by Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, Andrew Steele and Patrick C. Pérez, performed by Christina Aguilera) (2:52)
• Raul Drugs (1:10)
• Whiter Shade (written by Gary Brooker, Keith Reid and Matthew Fisher, performed by El Puma) (3:28)
• Fuzzorama (2:07)
• Wedding Massacre (2:23)
• Ask For Marry Permission (1:54)
• Hermano (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by Tom Farrell) (1:46)
• Lala (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by Kara Nau and John Nau) (0:40)
• Fight for Love (written by Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau and Andrew Steele, performed by Will Ferrell & Genesis Rodriguez) (2:57)
• Yo No Se (written by Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau and Andrew Steele performed by Will Ferrell, Efren Ramirez and Adrian Martinez feat. Mitch Manker) (2:54)
• Car Burn (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by Mayan Ghost Choir) (2:27)
• Trip Out (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by The Hebrochachos!) (1:47)
• Sonia Pool (2:23)
• Luv Butts (1:13)
• Staredown (0:18)
• Dad Dies (3:23)
• Shellshock (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by The Bromigos) (0:33)
• Chubby Duckling (0:48)
• Del Cielo (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by Cecilia Noel) (2:59)
• Raul Dies (written by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, performed by Mayan Ghost Choir) (2:38)

Running Time: 41 minutes 06 seconds

Lakeshore Records LKS-342592 (2012)

Music composed by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau. Edited by Derek Somaru. Album produced by Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau.

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

I have to admit, when I learned that Javier Navarrete was scoring Wrath of the Titans, I was pretty excited. The original film to which this is a sequel – 2010’s Clash of the Titans – was solidly panned by the majority of film critics, and had a pretty risible score by Ramin Djawadi that adhered to every Remote Control cliché ever invented. Everything was revamped this time, with a new director in the shape of Jonathan Liebesman, a new supporting cast including Rosamund Pike and Bill Nighy behind leads Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, and a brand new composer, whose track record promised to provide everything that Djawadi’s score was lacking in terms of thematic identity and orchestral intelligence. Navarrete is, of course, the Spanish composer of such excellent works as Pan’s Labyrinth, Inkheart, Mirrors and Cracks, and this would be far his biggest assignment in the Hollywood mainstream to date.

The film takes place ten years after the conclusion of the first film, and has a plot that is somewhat similar to last year’s Greek God flop Immortals. Perseus (Worthington), the demi-God son of Zeus (Neeson) is living quietly as a fisherman with his young son, but has his new tranquil life shattered when his father visits him to inform him that the prison Tartarus, which houses the evil and destructive Titans, is in danger of being breached due a lack of belief in the Gods from humanity. Initially indifferent to the plight, Perseus is forced in to action when the walls of Tartarus break and monsters are unleashed into the world – much to the delight of Zeus’s brother Hades (Fiennes), who hopes the chaos will give him an opportunity to overthrow him. After slaying a Chimera that attacked his village and threatened the life of his son, Perseus begins to assemble an army, and travels to seek the help of another demi-God, Hephaestus, in an attempt to stop Hades and return the monsters from whence they came.

All this sounds like it would provide a composer with a massive canvas on which to paint, right? However – unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view – Navarrete seems likely to be considered this year’s Patrick Doyle, in that he is a composer whose personal style has become subsumed somewhat by the current Hollywood blockbuster musical style, in much the same was as Doyle was with Thor last year. In an interview with film music journalist and IFMCA member Daniel Schweiger, Navarrete stated that “he met Hans Zimmer early on in the scoring process”, who gave him some “advice”. Apparently “the score started out more orchestral and classical”, but then that as the weeks went by it “became more loopy and programmed and heavy-sounding”. As such, the score bears all the hallmarks of a prototypical Zimmer-style blockbuster score, with the churning cello lines and prominent electro-percussive accompaniment, which is likely to turn off a great number of potential listeners instantly, especially those who are becoming tired with the sound.

Having said that, Navarrete is nothing if not a talented composer, and throughout the score he still manages to allow parts of his personal compositional style and orchestrational knowledge to shine through. The stylistics of the score mirror the one Djawadi wrote two years ago, but in terms of creativity and thematic content, Navarrete’s work is far superior. There’s a large orchestra, a large choir, and a large bank of electronics, but he augments these with a number of specialty instruments to give the score a little ethnic flavor, including a shehnai Pakistani oboe, an electric cello, and several regional Indian reed instruments. In addition, a little research revealed that the choir is often singing original poetry prose, written by Navarrete in an ancient Greek dialect, which directly references the action on-screen.

The main theme, which is prominent throughout the score, is big and bold and heroic, as one would expect. It gets an enormous introduction in the very enjoyable opening cue, “Wrath of the Titans”, and features strongly in many of the score’s later cues as a marker for Perseus’s adventurous exploits: listen out for the especially grand recapitulations in cues such as “Son of Zeus”, and in the finale of “To the Battle”. The action music is similarly large-scale and powerful, making strong use of the scope his orchestra provides, but too often the creativity of the orchestral lines Navarrete crafted is obscured by the incessant thumping and grinding of the electronic palette. With the exception of parts of his score for the bizarre ninja western The Warrior’s Way from 2010, I’ve never heard Navarrete use so many synth overdubs, and one gets the feeling that he didn’t quite know what to do with them all once he had them at his fingertips. Time and again, in cues such as “Attack of the Chimera” – probably the best of the action pieces – “Perseus in the Labyrinth”, “Escape from Tartarus”, “Brother Ares”, and the end-of-album remix “Kronos Megalos”, there are some sensational instrumental performances going on, but you can’t hear them properly because of all the scraping and grinding and bubbling electronica that he has dancing around on top.

The net effect of all this is that the action music tends to sound very unfocused and chaotic, noise for the sake of noise, without a real sense of what it’s trying to achieve beyond being as loud and frantic as possible. Whether or not these timbres were part of Zimmer’s “helpful advice” – and whether they were his idea or not – is open to debate, but from my own point of view I would much rather have been able to fully appreciate Navarrete’s excellence with the orchestra than be straining to hear it under all the samples. The score was orchestrated and conducted by Nicholas Dodd, whose expertise has been brought to bear on scores by composers as varied as David Arnold, Clint Mansell, Mychael Danna, and even James Horner on Avatar, but other than some fleeting similarities between the fizzy electronics in Avatar and this score, the familiar “Dodd sound”, and especially his brass phrasing, seems conspicuous by its absence too.

Having said that, several of the cues do impress. The staccato chanting and rousing brass chords in “Humans Stopped Praying” are impressive, as is the lonely and heartfelt electric cello motif that appears half way through the cue. The intentionally horrific choral shouting at the beginning of “Zeus in the Underworld” scared the bejeezus out of me the first time I heard it, and certainly sets out an unnerving musical scenario for Hades and his denizens of the deep, especially with the sordid-sounding Middle Eastern inflections in the cue’s second half, which continue on through later cues such as the moody and more appealing “Son of Zeus”. The “Cyclops” is based around a repeated single percussion ostinato, intended to convey the thoughtless single-mindedness of the creature, as well as the (in an abstract way) the single eye the creature has, which contributes to its lack of wider vision. Some of the quieter moments showcase Navarrete’s deft touch too, especially the expansive and lyrical “Pegasus”, the sweeping and noble middle section of “To the Battle”, and the ethereal and moving finale in “Zeus Leaves”, which even has a touch of James Horner about it, in its chord progressions and use of harp glissandi.

I’m torn as to whether to recommend Wrath of the Titans or not. On the one hand, it’s clearly superior to pretty much every one of the Zimmer-style summer blockbuster scores written by Steve Jablonsky, Ramin Djawadi and others over the last couple of years, and if you have an affinity for that style of scoring there is clearly going to be a lot to enjoy as a result of Navarrete’s excellent compositional talent and intelligent use of his orchestra. On the other hand, I still can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Navarrete chose not to – or wasn’t allowed to? – draw on his own sound and stylistics a lot more, instead adopting a way of writing that seems so very inferior to the outstanding music we heard in scores like Pan’s Labyrinth. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy listening to the score, because I did, and on those terms it should please many, but I can’t help feeling a little frustrated at its lack of a singular and truly original approach.

Rating: ***

Buy the Wrath of the Titans soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• Wrath of the Titans (2:15)
• Humans Stopped Praying (4:10)
• Zeus in the Underworld (4:02)
• Attack of the Chimera (4:10)
• Son of Zeus (5:19)
• Pegasus (2:59)
• Andromeda (6:12)
• Cyclops (5:04)
• The Orb (6:44)
• Ares Fights (3:15)
• Perseus in the Labyrinth (6:23)
• Escape from Tartarus (4:17)
• To the Battle (4:33)
• Brother Ares (4:22)
• Zeus Leaves (5:33)
• Kronos Megalos (Remix) (5:07)

Running Time: 74 minutes 25 seconds

Watertower Music (2012)

Music composed by Javier Navarrete. Conducted and orchestrated by Nicholas Dodd. Recorded and mixed by Nick Wollage. Edited by Michael Connell and Graham Sutton. Album produced by Javier Navarrete.

MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS

Original Review by Craig Lysy

The original Emmanuelle (1974) was adapted from the novel by Emanuelle Arsan. It proved to be a box office sensation, which spawned a franchise. Director Francis Leroi, well known for his work with erotica, took up the Opus 4 story line with an added twist. Sylvia (Sylvia Kristen) is desperately trying to escape from her former lover Marc, and so she goes to Brazil where renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Santamo transforms her into the beautiful Emmanuelle. Her new more youthful identity now played by Mia Nygren potentiates a profound sexual awakening, which is complicated by her memories of Marc. It suffices to say that the plot offers unexpected plot twists, which provide multiple opportunities to fully explore the characters.

Pierre Bachelet, Francis Lai and Serge Gainsbourg had respectively scored the first three films of the franchise. Michel Magne, well known for his neo-romantic style was a natural choice for the film. Like his predecessors, he infused his writing with a modern romanticism and provided a number of beautiful songs. You will notice immediately how Magne provides a rich musical palate, which spans from the chaotic, to the playful, to the sensual erotic.

We open with the song “Oh My Belle Emmanuelle” sung by David Rose. This lyrical romantic piece is emoted with the cadence of a slow dance with an inescapable 80’s sensibility. Next up is a score highlight “La Pampa”, a wonderful cue that graces us with a beautiful duet of guitars. I must say that this is a most complex and dichotomous cue, which provides both a light and care free ambiance but also an undercurrent of sadness, perfectly reflecting the conflicted Emmanuelle. The guitar work here is just exquisite! In “Vival-dit-Emmanuelle” we shift gears to a most unexpected and beautiful piece emoted in a classical Baroque style. The melodic line flows with the typical ornate and structured cadence of the Baroque era and ends with a wonderful flourish.

“Divina Emanuela” is a classic Brazilian infused song sung by Nazaré Pereira. Sensual strings, rhythmic samba maracas, animal sounds and exotic percussion carry the Latin melodic line as a dance that just proves irresistible! Ole! We shift dramatically with “Le pendule” into a tension cue propelled by a synth ostinato, pizzicato strings and twinkling piano runs, which dance with wild abandon. In “Fantasme d’Emmanuelle” we switch to jazz mode, opening with virtuoso soprano saxophone carrying the melodic line supported by animal calls, exotic jungle like drum percussion and rhythms. There is an alluring primal feline texture to this piece that is mesmerizing. “La bergerie” sustains the jazz ambiance with an alto saxophone now carrying the melodic line, now tinged with sadness. Strummed bass provides the rhythmic pacing as synth chords add texture and color.

“Bach-anal” features the famous lesbian love scene and is
performed as a wordless song sung by Christiane Legrand. The animated and jazz infused melodic line is carried by funky electric piano, strummed bass, virtuoso traverse flute with organic percussion textures. Legrand’s wordless singing runs the scales to and fro providing playfulness and a wonderful lightness of being. This really is a fine example of how jazz and voice can achieve a beautiful synergy! “Brésil My Love” restores the tropical Brazilian ambiance with guitar supported by strummed bass, animal calls and a multiplicity of exotic organic percussive textures. What a fun cue!

“Fuite d’Emmanuelle” takes on a classic lyrical 80’s rock sound as violins flow over a steady drumbeat supported by plucked bass. The music flows like water over glass with a gentle modern beauty. “I Am Manuela” returns the Brazilian ambiance with a song sung by Brien Chelminski who I say must be a twin sister of Judy Collins! Her voice and phrasing are so similar as to be amazing. The song carried by guitar and drums clearly embodies an 80’s sensibility and as is said by the lyrics, “I need some time to have some fun.”
 Well, I did! “L’extase d’Emmanuelle” is a classic sumptuous romantic piece that features a beautiful lyrical interplay of lush strings and piano. This piece is gorgeous and a score highlight, which features Magne’s neo-romantic lyricism at its finest! Bravo! We conclude with “Prisoner Of Love”, which again embodies an 80’s sensibility in a song sung by David Rose. Rose carries the melodic line with support from piano, violins, alto saxophone and the steady unobtrusive rhythmic pacing of drum percussion. The song has a determined but genuine narrative that is all together pleasant and concludes the score with sense of satisfaction.

For S.A.S. à San Salvador, director Raul Coutard hired Enrique Gérard de Villiers to adapt his famous spy thriller novel for the screen. The story line involves hired thug Enrique Chacon who assassinates Catholic archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador. To avenge this despicable act the CIA recalls special agent Malko Linge (Miles O’Keeffe) out of retirement. Linge who now lives an unfulfilling life as a ruined prince with paramour the Countess Alexandra is eager to regain his former exciting life and so takes up the assignment with determination. The story is a classic hunter vs. prey thriller replete with exciting action, sweet girls and tough villains.

Director Coutard did not want a classic orchestral score and challenged Magne to support the film with the funky music of the 80’s. Magne, who had always had a fascination and inclination to write this type of music took up the challenge with relish. His eclectic score features two primary themes; the To Be My Love Theme, which as the title states is a love theme, and Malko’s Theme, which supports our hero. The themes juxta-oppose the duality of our hero, his humanity as a lover and his fierce lethalness as a vengeful killer. Both themes animate the film and appear in multiple guises.

We open with “S.A.S. à San Salvador” a classic funky 80’s song sung by David Rose. Supported by synthesizer, steady drum percussion, whistle, electric piano and vocal accompaniment the song immediately sets the tone of the film as Coutard had imagined. Latin drum rhythms open “Thème Cubain” and provide a warm tropical Caribbean ambiance. A solo muted trumpet and later a solo alto saxophone carry the melodic line and are supported by kindred brass, strummed bass and various exotic drums. There is a big band flavor to this piece as well as a jazz flavor, which makes for an interesting and fun listen.

The To Be My Love Theme is emoted with three variations of instruments carrying the melodic line; alto saxophone, guitar and voice. In cue 16 “To Be My Love” we are treated to a classic slow dance love song emoted by a solo alto saxophone. The piece is simple in construct with just strummed bass and a steady drum beat supporting the melodic line. The sax playing is very nicely done and I have to say I like this piece a lot. With cue 19 “To Be My Love” is carried by solo electric guitar. Supported by strummed bass, metallic twinkling accents and a steady drum beat the tempo is more upbeat and the mood more confident. Lastly, in cue 23 “To Be My Love” we hear the melody expressed as a song sung by David Rose. Supported by vocal accompaniment, strummed bass, synthesizer, electric guitar and a steady drumbeat, this version is the most passionate and expressive of the three incarnations.

Malko’s Theme is also emoted with three variations, but the variance is that of mood. In cue 17, “Thème Malko”, the mood is one of suspense. We open with dark strummed bass that plays against a steady synthetic heartbeat. The musical flow is more textural than thematic and is supported by an array of exotic percussion, eerie synthesizer and wailing electric guitar. In cue 18, “Thème Malko”, we open with metallic twinkling and a much more upbeat drum cadence. The mood is funky and animated with a distinctly jazz flavor. Alto saxophone, synthesizer, bass and a more complex drumbeat serve to make this a much more expressive and fuller statement of the theme. Lastly, in cue 21, “Grand Thème Malko”, a wailing synthesizer doubled by wordless human voices opens with an eerie repeating descending triplet
coupled with stark percussion. Slowly the music begins to congeal and gain greater complexity with electric guitar and synthesizer textures joining until the melody breaks out on the keyboard of an electric piano. The ambiance is unrepentant funky jazz that flows with an animated complexity that is very enjoyable. This is jazz at its best!

“Musique Reception” continues the jazz ambiance of the score. Synthesizer, electric piano, bass, and various percussive accents all work to create a funky laid back ambiance. The music is complex, entertaining but not intrusive. You realize quickly with “Sex, Love And Money” that this is classic 80’s funk. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Funk arose from the African-American community as a synthesis of Soul Music, Jazz and Blues into a new rhythmic and danceable form of music. David Rose perfectly captures the urban expressive core of the song, which is driven by synthesizer, strummed bass, and a steady drum beat.

I must once again thank Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge of Music Box Records for yet again a most welcome restoration. Both these scores are world premier releases on CD and I cannot understate the value and contribution provided to film score collectors. The digital mastering is again superb with excellent clarity. Michel Magne was an unknown to me before his introduction with these two scores. I am most glad at the introduction! “Emmanuelle 4” features an eclectic mix of Neo-Baroque, jazz and Latin music that is rich, exotic, romantic and decidedly entertaining. The songs contribute very well to maintaining the mood and ambiance of the score. “S.A.S. À San Salvador” is also an eclectic score with a creative mix of Jazz, Funk and Caribbean music, which work synergistically to create an entertaining listening experience. Here too the inclusion of songs in the score works well in both setting and maintaining the score’s narrative flow. Folks, both these scores are intimate small ensemble efforts that provide you with a rich, exotic and complex listening experience. If you like good saxophone carried jazz, funky 80’s music, and neo-Baroque romanticism, these scores are for you. I found both these scores very entertaining and highly recommend them as worthy additions to your collection. I advise you that this is a limited pressing of only 1,000 copies.

Rating: ****

Buy the Emmanuelle 4/S.A.S. À San Salvador soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• EMMANUELLE 4
• Oh My Belle Emmanuelle (performed by David Rose) (3:41)
• La Pampa (2:38)
• Vival-Dit-Emmanuelle (1:26)
• Divina Emanuela (performed by Nazaré Pereira) (3:15)
• Le Pendule (0:58)
• Fantasme d’Emmanuelle (2:09)
• La Bergerie (3:11)
• Bach-Anal (performed by Christiane Legrand) (3:32)
• Brésil My Love (1:54)
• Fuite d’Emmanuelle (3:24)
• I Am Manuela (performed by Brien Chelminski) (2:56)
• L’Extase d’Emmanuelle (1:46)
• Prisoner of Love (performed by David Rose) (4:04)

• S.A.S. À SAN SALVADOR
• S.A.S. À San Salvador (performed by David Rose) (3:40)
• Thème Cubain (2:55)
• To Be My Love (Instrumental Saxophone) (2:40)
• Thème Malko (Suspens) (2:02)
• Thème Malko (Piscine) (2:14)
• To Be My Love (Instrumental Guitare) (3:31)
• Musique Réception (3:24)
• Grand Thème Malko (5:20)
• Sex, Love and Money (performed by David Rose) (4:20)
• To Be My Love (performed by David Rose) (3:17)

Running Time: 69 minutes 11 seconds

Music Box Records MBR006 (1984/1983/2012)

Music composed and conducted by Michel Magne. Orchestrations by Sergio Renucci. Album produced by Cyril Durand-Roger and Laurent Lafarge.

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

Already tainted as one of the biggest box-office disasters in cinema history, John Carter looks set to go down in negative notoriety rather than with the acclaim and applause many expected at Disney when the project was first announced. A large scale action science-fiction epic, the film is a big screen mishmash adaptation of several of Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom novels, which were first written in 1912 and stand as some of the first works of interplanetary science fiction ever written. The film, which is directed by Andrew Stanton, stars newcomer Taylor Kitsch as the eponymous Carter, a civil war veteran from Virginia who, while prospecting out west, finds himself inexplicably transported to Mars, where he becomes embroiled in a second civil war between the planet’s inhabitants, who call their world Barsoom. The film co-stars Lynn Collins as the beautiful princess Dejah Thoris, Ciaran Hinds and Dominic West as the two rival jeddak kings in whose lengthy battle Carter gets caught, and Willem Dafoe and Samantha Morton in motion-capture as two of the multi-armed Tharks, who help and hinder Carter in his quest with equal measure.

The score for John Carter is by the ever-busy Michael Giacchino, still hot from his well-received work in 2011 on films such as Super 8 and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. As one would expect given the subject matter, the score is an enormous action epic, filled to the brim with large orchestral flourishes, memorable themes, and dense and powerful action music. Director Stanton specifically asked Giacchino to make this score “his Star Wars”, and not hold back when it came to making bold musical statements or old-fashioned orchestral grandeur. As a result, John Carter is a wonderfully enjoyable throwback score which hits all the right spots as pure music, packs a mean emotional punch, and accompanies and enhances the unfairly-maligned film expertly.

Stylistically, John Carter is a combination of the music from Super 8 and the TV series Lost, with a little bit of a throwback to his early work on the Medal of Honor video games. The recurring central theme for Carter himself is a heroic anthem, reappearing at regular intervals throughout the score as a marker for his actions far from home. In its most common version, the theme has a solid nobility to it that lends itself to goosebump-inducing renditions as the camera soars over the surface of the red planet, and its performances in cues such as the opening “A Thern for the Worse” and the Americana-inspired “Get Carter” (for the scene where the hero is pursued across a wild west landscape by Union soldiers prior to his journey to the stars) are truly magnificent. The composer Simon Boswell once told me of his theory that regular movie-goers only remember music when it’s set in the desert, or in space: John Carter has both. There’s a touch of Lawrence of Arabia in the music at such moments, and that’s never a bad thing.

There’s a bouncy and amusing variation of the main theme in “Gravity of the Situation”, which accompanies the scene where Carter realizes that, due to his bone structure and center of gravity, he can leap enormous distances on Mars’s surface – although before he can do that, he must learn to move, resulting in some Bambi-like ungainly movement, and similarly comedic musical accompaniment, complete with prancing strings, rolling woodwinds, piano trills, harp glissandi, and a waltz-like beat.

A more ethnic, tribal style accompanies the sequences concerning the alien Tharks, into which Giacchino inserts a great deal more percussive ideas and more rhythmic pacing. As a less technologically advanced race, the Tharks have a more primal existence than the more refined human population of Barsoom, and this is reflected in Giacchino’s use of rattles and shakers and a chanting chorus in cues such as “Thark Side of Barsoom”, the moody “The Temple of Issus”, and the dangerous-sounding and percussion-heavy “Zodanga Happens”. Palestinian vocalist Azam Ali often lends her dulcet tones to these cues too, adding a further level of striking mysticism to the proceedings. Elsewhere, there is an appropriately ominous and foreboding feeling to “A Thern Warning” and “Thernabout”, pieces which accompany the omnipresent God-like multidimensional beings whose machinations behind the scenes are the catalysts for all of John Carter’s problems. Their music has an especially arresting ethereal choral element which is greatly appealing.

A secondary theme which represents the romantic relationship between Carter and Dejah Thoris, and acts as a motif for Dejah herself, gets several outings; after a brief performance at the beginning of the aforementioned “Thark Side of Barsoom”, it emerges with a glorious string-based and chorally-enhanced sweep during the stunningly-realized “Carter They Come, Carter They Fall”, a cue which leans heavily on the most teary-eyed parts of Lost, but which nevertheless retains a sense of individual identity here. The theme also lends itself to various emotional variations, such as the tender harp-led version at the beginning of “A Change of Heart”, which is really is lovely, and in the conclusive “John Carter of Mars”, which allows the score to end on an important thematic note – that as much as Carter is a warrior, love is his primary motivator. That finale cue is outstanding; the choir, which has been present through much of the score anyway, really comes to the forefront of the mix, giving Carter and his adventures an appropriately epic sendoff.

The action music, of which there is quite a bit, is dense and exciting. The second half of the opening “A Thern for the Worse” explodes into frantic string runs and a powerful brass performance of a motif for the evil Zodanga empire which is very impressive, while the monumental “Sab Than Pursues the Princess” introduces a wonderful staccato brass motif that accompanies the dangerous Zodangan jeddak as he maneuvers his enormous airships across the Martian landscape in pursuit of his quarry, as well as a stirring and vibrant five-note secondary motif for Carter’s heroic endeavors. Later, “The Second Biggest Apes I’ve Seen This Month”, which underscores the vibrant battle between Carter and the much-maligned “albino wombats” as several film reviewers jokingly dubbed them, combines the ethnic orchestrations associated with the Tharks with a driving orchestral undercurrent, shrill woodwind shrieks, and a thumping, relentless core full of energy and movement that is often reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith’s anarchic score for Planet of the Apes.

The big finale of the film, which is encompassed musically by the cues “The Prize is Barsoom” and “The Fight for Helium”, contains potent performances of virtually all the score’s main musical motifs, ranging from soft and intimate piano, chorus and string writing to vivid restatements of the raucous action material, and moments of enormous grandeur from the main John Carter theme. On several occasions Giacchino finds clever ways to pit motifs against each other in a battle for supremacy – listen to the way the pulsating Zodanga motif and the Thark choral chanting play off each other, around three minutes into “The Prize is Barsoom”. It’s great stuff, really.

Listeners who enjoy large scale fantasy scores with strong main themes and significant action set pieces will enjoy John Carter greatly, as will those who appreciated Giacchino’s earlier efforts in similarly-styled scores, especially the aforementioned likes of Super 8, and the Lost TV series. It’s unfortunate that the film itself has crashed and burned so spectacularly in terms of box office returns and critical response, because it really doesn’t deserve the mauling it has received, and as is always the case in these circumstances, Giacchino’s contribution seems destined to be overlooked as a result of its association with its film – in many ways, there are parallels with John Debney’s Cutthroat Island, which only lives on in the memory through its music. For my own part, I did enjoy the film, despite its obvious logical flaws – and Giacchino’s score can rightly be considered one of the early great works of 2012.

Rating: ****½

Buy the John Carter soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• A Thern For The Worse (7:39)
• Get Carter (4:25)
• Gravity of the Situation (1:20)
• Thark Side of Barsoom (2:56)
• Sab Than Pursues the Princess (5:34)
• The Temple of Issus (3:25)
• Zodanga Happened (4:02)
• The Blue Light Special (4:13)
• Carter They Come, Carter They Fall (3:55)
• A Change of Heart (3:06)
• A Thern Warning (4:04)
• The Second Biggest Apes I’ve Seen This Month (2:36)
• The Right of Challenge (2:23)
• The Prize is Barsoom (4:29)
• The Fight for Helium (4:34)
• Not Quite Finished (2:07)
• Thernabout (1:19)
• Ten Bitter Years (3:13)
• John Carter of Mars (8:55)

Running Time: 74 minutes 15 seconds

Walt Disney Records D001405102 (2012)

Music composed by Michael Giacchino. Conducted by Tim Simonec. Orchestrations by Tim Simonec, Peter Boyer, Andrea Datzman, Mark Gasbarro, Ira Hearshen, Norman Ludwin and Cameron Patrick, . Recorded and mixed by Dan Wallin. Edited by Stephen M. Davis and Jonathan Stevens. Album produced by Michael Giacchino.

SCORE OF THE YEAR

• MARK McKENZIE for The Greatest Miracle
• LUDOVIC BOURCE for The Artist
• DARIO MARIANELLI for Jane Eyre
• JOHN WILLIAMS for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
• JOHN WILLIAMS for War Horse

Of all the scores to make an impression on me in 2011, none did so with more power and beauty than Mark McKenzie’s THE GREATEST MIRACLE. Although the film itself is by all accounts horrible – a poorly animated Mexican film about life and Catholicism – the under-valued McKenzie’s music soars, imbued with a sense of spirituality, peace and beauty that was unmatched in the year. Running him a close second were the two scores from veteran John Williams – THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN and WAR HORSE – the latter of which won him the IFMCA Award for Score of the Year. They are filled with everything that is great about Williams’ music, with memorable themes, sparkling orchestrations, and the sense of fun and emotional strength that has made him the most popular and successful film composer of our time. French newcomer Ludovic Bource gave the superb silent film THE ARTIST a sense of time and place through his wonderfully loving homages to the Golden Age of the art, and won an Oscar for his troubles, while the delicate and heartfelt violin performances in Dario Marianelli’s JANE EYRE enraptured me from the moment I heard them almost a year ago, and remain amongst the best that 2011 has to offer.

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• JOHN WILLIAMS
• MARCO BELTRAMI
• HENRY JACKMAN
• MARK McKENZIE
• CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

With two scores amongst the best of the year, it was almost inevitable that JOHN WILLIAMS would be named composer of the year for his work on Steven Spielberg’s pair, Tintin and War Horse. The effortless charm of the former and the emotional sensitivity of the latter were masterful efforts, and well worth the recognition and acclaim they received. MARK McKENZIE makes the list on the strength of The Greatest Miracle alone, while nominees MARCO BELTRAMI, HENRY JACKMAN and CHRISTOPHER YOUNG all had stellar years writing excellent scores across multiple genres: Beltrami had two excellent horror works in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and The Thing as well as the musically excellent surfing drama soul surfer; Jackman impressed greatly with his animated scores for Puss In Boots and Winnie the Pooh, as well as flexing his action music chops on X-Men First Class; and Young is as good as he ever is, lending his distinctive voice to movies as varied as the gonzo comedy The Rum Diary and the apocalyptic vampire thriller Priest.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

• LUDOVIC BOURCE
• SERGIO MOURE
• MICHAEL RICHARD PLOWMAN
• JOAN VALENT
• LUCAS VIDAL

The most important new voice to emerge in film music in 2011 was clearly that of French composer LUDOVIC BOURCE, who received buckets of critical acclaim and every major film music award for his score for the silent film homage The Artist. By channeling everyone from Max Steiner to Erich Korngold to Charlie Chaplin and beyond, Bource created a loving look back at the earliest days of the art of film music, and announced himself as a talent to watch in future. The other four nominees all made great contributions to some little known films: British composer MICHAEL RICHARD PLOWMAN with his scores for the low budget trio A Lonely Place to Die, Age of Heroes and Treasure Guards, all of which are available on Moviescore Media; Spanish composer SERGIO MOURE for the astonishing werewolf comedy Lobos de Arga; his compatriot JOAN VALENT for the powerful comedy/drama La Chispa de la Vida, and the Los Angeles-based Spaniard LUCAS VIDAL, who broke out in 2011 with his score for the eerie thriller MIENTRAS DUERMES, but who will arguably receive more attention in 2012 when his first mainstream Hollywood score, THE RAVEN, comes to town.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• BRET McKENZIE for “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets
• MARY J. BLIGE, THOMAS NEWMAN, HARVEY MASON, JR. and DAMON THOMAS for “The Living Proof” from The Help
• BRET McKENZIE for “Life’s A Happy Song” from The Muppets
• ALAN MENKEN and DAVID ZIPPEL “Star-Spangled Man” from Captain America: The First Avenger
• HOWARD SHORE, ELIZABETH COTNOIR and ISABELLE GEFFROY for “Coeur Volant” from Hugo

With 2010 having been such a wasteland for great movie songs, it took The Muppets to bring back the happiness in 2011, with Flight of the Conchord’s front man BRET McKENZIE bringing his unique sense of humor to the absurdity and pathos that the Muppets always have. His two songs – “Man or Muppet” and “Life’s a Happy Song” – enlivened the movie no end with a mixture of self-reflection, surreal laughs and great songwriting, and stand as my two favorites of the year. Hot on their heels is the equally surreal parody song “Star-Spangled Man” from Captain America: The First Avenger by ALAN MENKEN and DAVID ZIPPEL, playing up the flag-waving Americana to absurd levels, but remaining musically excellent and providing an excellent counterpoint to Alan Silvestri’s barnstorming score. MARY J. BLIGE, THOMAS NEWMAN, HARVEY MASON, JR. and DAMON THOMAS allowed their song “The Living Proof” from The Help to give voice to the oppressed African American housekeepers the film follows with dignity and tradition, while HOWARD SHORE, ELIZABETH COTNOIR and ISABELLE GEFFROY gave “Coeur Volant” from Hugo a wonderfully vibrant Gallic flair to Martin Scorsese’s film about a young boy discovering the birth of cinema.

Other notable songs from 2011 include JÓN ÞÓR BIRGISSON and CAMERON CROWE for “Gathering Stories” from We Bought a Zoo, BRIAN BYRNE and GLENN CLOSE for “Lay Your Head Down” from Albert Nobbs, CHRIS CORNELL for “The Keeper” from Machine Gun Preacher, ZOOEY DESCHANEL for “So Long” from Winnie the Pooh, ELTON JOHN and BERNIE TAUPIN for “Hello Hello” from Gnomeo & Juliet, ROBERT LOPEZ and KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ for “The Backson Song” from Winnie the Pooh, JEANNIE LURIE, ARIS ARCHONTIS and CHEN NEEMAN for “Pictures in My Head” from The Muppets, MADONNA, JULIE FROST and JIMMY HARRY for “Masterpiece” from W.E., BRET McKENZIE and PAUL ROEMEN for “Me Party” from The Muppets, MARK McKENZIE for “Benedictus Deus” from The Greatest Miracle, and ROBBIE WILLIAMS and BRAD PAISLEY for “Collision of Worlds” from Cars 2.

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GENRE AWARDS

BEST SCORE – DRAMA OR ROMANTIC DRAMA

• JOHN WILLIAMS for War Horse
• MARCO BELTRAMI for Soul Surfer
• LUDOVIC BOURCE for The Artist
• ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
• DARIO MARIANELLI for Jane Eyre

Other notable drama scores from 2011 include Brian Byrne’s ALBERT NOBBS, Nigel Clarke and Csányi-Wills’s WILL, Elia Cmiral’s ATLAS SHRUGGED, Alexandre Desplat’s A BETTER LIFE, THE IDES OF MARCH and LA FILLE DU PUISATIER, Patrick Doyle’s LA LIGNE DROITE, Pascal Gaigne’s A JOURNEY TO EDEN, James Horner’s BLACK GOLD, James Newton Howard’s WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, Alberto Iglesias’s TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, Mark Isham’s THE CONSPIRATOR, Tuomas Kantelinen’s THE ITALIAN KEY, Abel Korzeniowski’s W.E., Thomas Newman’s THE HELP and THE IRON LADY, Conrad Pope’s MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, Rachel Portman’s SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, Chen Qigang’s THE FLOWERS OF WAR, Eric Serra’s THE LADY, and Howard Shore’s A DANGEROUS METHOD.

BEST SCORE – COMEDY OR ROMANTIC COMEDY

• CHRISTOPHER YOUNG for The Rum Diary
• ROQUE BAÑOS for Torrente 4: Lethal Crisis
• CHRISTOPHE BECK for The Muppets
• SERGIO MOURE for Lobos de Arga
• JOAN VALENT for La Chispa de la Vida

Other notable comedy scores from 2011 include David Arnold’s PAUL, Christophe Beck’s TOWER HEIST, Ilan Eshkeri’s JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN, Michael Giacchino’s MONTE CARLO, Steve Jablonsky’s YOUR HIGHNESS, Brian Reitzell and Roger Neill’s BEGINNERS, William Ross’s A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS, and Theodore Shapiro’s THE BIG YEAR.

BEST SCORE – ANIMATION

• MARK McKENZIE for The Greatest Miracle
• ZACARIAS M. DE LA RIVA for Copito de Nieve
• HENRY JACKMAN for Puss in Boots
• HENRY JACKMAN for Winnie the Pooh
• JOHN WILLIAMS for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Other notable animation scores from 2011 include Chris Bacon’s GNOMEO & JULIET, Harry Gregson-Williams’s ARTHUR CHRISTMAS, Joel McNeely’s TINKER BELL AND THE PIXIE HOLLOW GAMES, John Powell’s MARS NEEDS MOMS, Greg Sims’ THE LION OF JUDAH, Hans Zimmer and John Powell’s KUNG FU PANDA 2, and Hans Zimmer’s RANGO.

BEST SCORE – THRILLER, ACTION OR ADVENTURE

• ALAN SILVESTRI for Captain America: The First Avenger
• CRAIG ARMSTRONG for In Time
• PATRICK DOYLE for Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• MICHAEL GIACCHINO for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
• LARRY GROUPE for Straw Dogs

Other notable thriller/action/adventure scores from 2011 include Chris Bacon’s SOURCE CODE, Roque Baños’s INTRUDERS, Alfons Conde’s VIENTO EN CONTRA, Nicolas Errera’s SHAOLIN, Danny Elfman’s REAL STEEL, David Hirschfelder’s SANCTUM, Luis Ivars’s CAPITÁN TRUENO Y EL SANTO GRIAL, Eric Neveux’s HIDEAWAYS, Naoki Sato’s GAKU, and Brian Tyler’s FAST FIVE.

BEST SCORE – FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION OR HORROR

• ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
• ARNAU BATALLER for La Sombra Prohibida
• MARCO BELTRAMI and BUCK SANDERS for Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
• MICHAEL GIACCHINO for Super 8
• CHRISTOPHER YOUNG for Priest

Other notable fantasy/sci-fi/horror scores from 2011 include Panu Aaltio’s DAWN OF THE DRAGONSLAYER, Marco Beltrami’s THE THING, Carter Burwell’s BREAKING DAWN PART I, John Debney’s DREAM HOUSE, Ramin Djawadi’s FRIGHT NIGHT, Christopher Gordon’s CRAWL, Jeff Grace’s STAKE LAND, Henry Jackman’s X-MEN FIRST CLASS, Federico Jusid’s LA CARA OCULTA, Conrad Pope’s THE PRESENCE, Howard Shore’s HUGO, Ryan Shore’s THE SHRINE, Brian Tyler’s BATTLE LOS ANGELES, and Lucas Vidal’s MIENTRAS DUERMES.

BEST SCORE – DOCUMENTARY

• PINAR TOPRAK for The Wind Gods
• PATRICK DOYLE for Jig
• KOLJA ERDMANN for Russland: Im Reich der Tiger, Baren und Vulkane
• GEORGE FENTON for Frozen Planet
• PETER GOLUB for These Amazing Shadows

Other notable documentary scores from 2011 include Nathan Barr’s HOOD TO COAST, Larry Groupe’s HOLD AT ALL COSTS, Nicholas Hooper’s AFRICAN CATS, and Ernst Reijseger’s CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS.

BEST SCORE – TELEVISION

• ARNAU BATALLER for Ermessenda
• RAMIN DJAWADI for Game of Thrones
• MURRAY GOLD for Doctor Who
• FEDERICO JUSID for Hispania, La Leyenda
• BRIAN TYLER for Terra Nova

Other notable television scores from 2011 include David Arnold and Michael Price’s SHERLOCK, Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna’s CAMELOT, Mark Isham’s ONCE UPON A TIME, Daniel Licht’s DEXTER, John Lunn’s DOWNTON ABBEY, Bear McCreary’s THE CAPE and THE WALKING DEAD, Cyril Morin’s BORGIA and Trevor Morris’s THE BORGIAS .

BEST SCORE – GAME

• JOE HISAISHI for Ni No Kuni
• ANDREW HALE and SIMON HALE for L.A. Noire
• JAMES HANNIGAN for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
• JEREMY SOULE for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• INON ZUR for The Lord of the Rings: The War in the North

Other notable video game scores from 2011 include Ron Arundel and Nick Fish’s BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY, Greg Edmonson’s UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION, Mark Griskey and Gordy Haab’s STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC, Bear McCreary’s SOCOM 4, and Brian Tyler’s CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE 3.