MOVIE MUSIC UK

I’m pleased to present the latest instalment in my on-going series of articles looking at the best under-the-radar scores from around the world. This article, the first of 2024, is covers five scores from a wide array of genres and countries: a made-for TV period romantic comedy, a biographical drama film based on the life of a Catholic missionary, an old-fashioned comedy fantasy adventure, an Italian period drama murder mystery, and a fantasy-adventure short film about the power of imagination!

AN AMERICAN IN AUSTEN – Jérôme Leroy

An American in Austen is a romantic drama TV movie for the Hallmark Channel, directed by Clare Niederpruem. The film stars Eliza Bennett as Harriet, a twentysomething American librarian obsessed with the style of romance inherent in the novels of Jane Austen, and whose love life in the real world is overshadowed by the fact that she thinks that no ‘real man’ compares to Austen’s fictional Mr. Darcy. However, when Harriet is magically is transported into Regency era England and realizes that she is ‘inside’ the plot of her favorite novel, Pride & Prejudice, Harriet gets an unexpected chance to find out what the real Darcy is like. The film co-stars Nicholas Bishop and has a lovely score by the Los Angeles-based French composer Jérôme Leroy.

Leroy’s score is a delight – a charming multi-thematic work that blends orchestral textures with instruments that would have been used in early nineteenth-century England, most notably a harpsichord. The score is based around three central love themes for each of the three couples appearing in the film – Mr. Darcy’s Romantic Love Theme, Jane & Mr. Bingley’s love theme, and a love theme for Harriet and Ethan. There are also specific character themes for Harriet, Ethan, Mr. Darcy, and George Wickham, as well as a location-specific theme for the Northfield estate, and a recurring ‘comedic motif’ that underpins all the moments of fish-out-of-water embarrassment that Harriet endures.

All these identities intertwine and overlaps as the story develops, but “Harriet’s Theme” is the cornerstone, appearing at the start of “In the Library with Mr. Darcy,” and then later in “A Proposal You Can’t Reject” and “Harriet’s Prayer”. It’s a delightful theme, gentle and romantic, but with a touch of bittersweet sentimentality. The Netherfield theme is an appropriately regal piece, slow and self-important with a touch of pompous grandeur as befits the location, in which in harpsichord adds a touch of period elegance.

However, the bulk of the score comprises light and playful comedy stylings, which Leroy captures to a tee. As the liner notes of the album explain, Harriet is a proverbial fish-out-of-water, and the things she says and the ways in which she conducts herself are far from the established rules and order of higher society in England, and so to capture this element of the story Leroy uses his recurring comedic motif liberally – notably in “Corset Fitting” and “Tedious Dinner with Mr. Collins,” “War of Words,” and many others.

The finale of the score swoons with an excellent sense of charming romance – “Mr. Bingley Proposes, “Mr. Darcy’s Other Proposal,” “Back To Modern Day ,” and Harriet’s Apology & Epilogue” are all just delightful, whimsical and playful, and the whole really showcases Leroy’s talent for this sort of thing. The fact that he has worked with William Ross so many times over the years is not surprising, and anyone who enjoys these sorts of period romantic comedies will be effortlessly charmed. The score is available to download for free from Leroy’s website at www.jeromeleroy.com.

Track Listing: 1. Opening Titles & Running in the Meadow (0:56), 2. Regency Britain Transportation (1:18), 3. Corset Fitting (0:39), 4. Netherfield (0:50), 5. In the Library With Mr. Darcy (2:28), 6. War of Words (0:53), 7. Moonlight Encounter (1:34) , 8. A Future Reading Test (1:33), 9. Leaving Netherfield (1:08), 10. Tedious Dinner With Mr. Collins (2:40), 11. A Proposal You Can’t Reject (0:45), 12. Enters George Wickham (0:37), 13. Mr. Darcy’s Proposal (2:37), 14. Harriet’s Prayer (1:52), 15. Rewriting The Story (0;47), 16. Jane’s Plea (1:11), 17. Lizzie Runs Off (1:36), 18. Lizzie And Mr. Darcy (2:46), 19. Mr. Bingley Proposes (2:19), 20. Mr. Darcy’s Other Proposal (0:58), 21. Back To Modern Day (1:42), 22. Harriet’s Apology & Epilogue (3:54). Promo, 35 minutes 13 seconds.

CABRINI – Gene Back

Cabrini is a biographical drama film based on the life of Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini, directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde and written by Rod Barr. The film is set in the 1880s and follows the life of Cabrini as she travels from her native Italy to New York, where she intends to start her own missionary order to help poor Italian-Americans in the city. However, Cabrini encounters resistance to her charity and business efforts in New York City, often in the form of sexism and anti-Italian bigotry, and most overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to help those in need. The film stars Cristiana dell’Anna as Cabrini, and features David Morse, Giancarlo Giannini, and John Lithgow in supporting roles.

The score for Cabrini is by the exciting young Korean-American composer Gene Back. Back is a relative new composer on the scene – his most prominent score prior to this was for the 2023 comedy-drama Shortcomings directed by Randall Park – but with the music he has written for Cabrini he has really announced himself as a composer worth watching. He is a classically trained violinist as well as a composer, and in 2021 became one of the first Americans selected to be a BAFTA Breakthrough Artist.

As one would expect considering the film’s subject matter, Cabrini is a serious score overflowing with religious reverence. A lot of the score is based around sacred sounding choral passages backed by slow, reverent strings, illustrating Cabrini’s religions convictions, and her intent to use her Catholicism for good. Cues like the opening “Senza Voce,” the second half of “The Letter,” and the conclusive “Voci e Visioni” are written very in this style, and once or twice in some of them Back allows his orchestra to open up into something more powerful and forceful, with especially prominent brass harmonies, and when he does the effect is very impressive. I also very much like the elegant and dream-like “Gli Orfani” waltz, and the beautifully intimate “The Divine Feminine” with its acoustic guitar backing.

The darker and more tragic side of Cabrini’s work is typified by rich, expressive, but more downbeat violin writing, as heard in cues like the first half of “The Letter,” “Permission,” “Built Upon the Dead,” the more lyrical “Twenty Cents,” “Obedience,” and the gorgeously florid and deeply emotional “Armor and Strenghth”. Elsewhere, there’s a sense of energy and purpose in the undulating strings of “A Day in the Slums” and “Unsolicited,” and there’s a triumphant tone to the excellent trio comprising “Welcome to America,” “Legacies,” and “Empire”. There’s a light playfulness in “Crostati,” and an almost comedic pompousness to “Inspection,” while “La Fenice” is the closest the score action cue, and it’s very good, layering the main theme against a robust string ostinato, and this bodes well for Back’s future for scoring action.

The album is rounded out by a trio of classical opera cuts from works by Rondinella, Leoncavallo, and Verdi, all of which fit in totally with Back’s score and make the album better. Overall, this is impressive stuff from Gene Back, and based on the strength of this score his career looks likely to continue its upward trajectory for the foreseeable future. The score is available to stream and download from most online retailers on Sony Classical.

Track Listing: 1. Senza Voce (3:15), 2. The Letter (4:28), 3. Permission (3:49), 4. A Day in the Slums (1:09), 5. Welcome to America (1:21), 6. Gli Orfani (4:04), 7. When I’m Away (2:08), 8. The Divine Feminine (1:34), 9. Crostati (2:16), 10. Built Upon the Dead (4:38), 11. Inspection (1:27), 12. Legacy (3:37), 13. Twenty Cents (1:14), 14. Lacreme Napulitane (written by Giacomo Rondinella, performed by Liam Campola) (1:00), 15. Unsolicited (1:20), 16. Vesti la Giubba (written by Ruggero Leoncavallo, performed by Rolando Villazón) (1:22), 17. Legacies (2:53), 18. Va, Pensiero (written by Giuseppe Verdi and Temistocle Solera, performed by Virginia Bocelli) (1:24), 19. Obedience (4:02), 20. Armor and Strength (3:11), 21. At the Hour of Our Death (3:39), 22. La Fenice (3:03), 23. Empire (2:52), 24. Voci e Visioni (4:21). Sony Classical, 65 minutes 37 seconds.

EMPIRE QUEEN: THE GOLDEN AGE OF MAGIC – Nicolas Repetto

Empire Queen: The Golden Age of Magic is a comedy fantasy adventure film written, directed by, and starring Christopher Dane Owens and Jason Schulz, with newcomer Ciel Post, Mary Elise Hayden, and Jano Janosik. The film takes place in a mythical kingdom where magic has been forbidden by an evil queen, and follows a trio of adventurers who embark on a dangerous quest to find the legendary Sovereign Wand, which is needed to overthrow the evil queen and restore magic to the realm. It’s all hokum, of course, but it’s charming enough considering it’s low-budget straight-to-streaming credentials, and certainly over-achieves in one specific aspect – the score.

The score for Empire Queen is by Argentinian-American composer Nicolas Repetto, who has been kicking around the Hollywood music scene since 2012, but has only started to make a name for himself over the past couple of years. He started out assisting composers like Penka Kouneva and Cliff Eidelman, and has written music for various media and concert music projects, but only recently broke through with solo scores such as The Sound of Identity in 2020, The Reunion in 2022, and A Run for More in 2023. However, for me, Empire Queen is a significant step up from all those. In the publicity notes for the album Repetto says: “When I received the news that I was going to score Empire Queen: The Golden Age of Magic my heart filled with immense joy. All the films I had watched when I was a child in the fantasy genre – Willow, The Princess Bride, Dragonslayer, Lord of the Rings – had memorable themes and leitmotifs. I wanted to relive my childhood and bring that sense of musical magic to Empire Queen as well.”

As such, the score overflows with thematic ideas, including ones for each of the main protagonists Arra, Jade, and Montgomery, one representing the overall concept of ‘adventure/friendship’, and two representing the evil Queen Wendolyn and her villainous henchman Lord Voss. Repetto weaves these themes together into an exciting orchestral and choral tapestry that runs the gamut of emotions, from playful and magical to beautifully romantic, to darkly sinister. There are several heroic and swashbuckling action sequences, and even sequences of folk-like gypsy-esque music. In terms of tone, I suppose you could say that Repetto’s inspirations were clearly James Horner, Danny Elfman, and David Arnold’s Independence Day, but that’s not to say that music is pastiche, and Repetto’s personality regularly comes to the fore.

It’s a long album – more than two hours in total – but despite the mammoth run time, it never really loses any steam and doesn’t try the patience; instead, the album flies by with several standouts worth mentioning. The bold brass statement of the main theme in the “Main Title” sets the tone for the score, and I love the harpsichord/cimbalom textures running through it that give the score a fun period sound.

“The Map and Elder Relics” has a charming sense of optimism and adventurousness, the style of which recurs throughout the rest of the score, but is especially prominent in “Flight of the Enchanted Broom”. There’s a beautiful fairytale-esque woodwind lyricism to large parts of “Once Upon a Time”. “Serious Consequences” is the first of several impressive swashbuckling action sequences, with later efforts such as “Red Haired Maiden,” “Vile Stench of Treason,” “Glimpses of Life,” the final moments of “Turning Against the Crown,” “Strangers in the Night,” “Neela and the Red Knight,” “Sterling and Phineas,” and many more, all sounding tremendously exciting.

“Serious Consequences” also contains the first iteration of the sinister, whispery, unnerving theme for the evil Queen Wendolyn, with later efforts including “Weekly Reflections and the Storm” and “Turning Against the Crown”. “Professor Rumpleton” initially features a lively renaissance-esque dance which is pretty and authentic, but then turns much more dramatic and serious. “Traitors and the Constable” is dainty and flighty, “The Sword of Alerion” is choral and dramatic.

I also really appreciate that several cues are quite long – “Glimpses of Life” is 8:30, “Turning Against the Crown” is 7:17 “Voss and His Mercenaries” is 6:25, “Daggerclaw and Snow Trek” is 7:20, “The Riddle Is the Key” is 6:07 – which means that Repetto really gets a repeated chances to properly develop his writing over a significant period, with multiple themes and styles intertwining within the cues, and this adds to the sense of depth in the score. It all builds up to a tremendous finale, with the final handful of cues – “The Rebellion Has Just Begun,” “You Are Worthy to Proceed,” “My Rightful Queen,” and “The Golden Age of Magic” – all containing multiple impressive statements of all the main themes, before the conclusive “Empire Queen: End Credits” wraps things up with a satisfying sweep.

Overall, this is really impressive stuff from Repetto, and if you have the time and the patience to experience it all, you will be rewarded with a stylish, enjoyable, multi-faceted accomplished fantasy which really makes me interested to see where this talented composer’s career goes next. The score for Empire Queen: The Golden Age of Magic is available to stream and download from most online retailers, or directly from the MovieScore Media website at https://moviescoremedia.com/newsite/catalogue/empire-queen-the-golden-age-of-magic-nicolas-repetto/.

Track Listing: 1. The Empire Queen: Prologue and Main Title (3:25), 2. The Map and Elder Relics (1:41), 3. Once Upon a Time (4:55), 4. Serious Consequences (2:37), 5. Weekly Reflections and the Storm (3:37), 6. Professor Rumpleton (4:40), 7. Red-Haired Maiden (2:24), 8. Vile Stench of Treason (1:06), 9. Glimpses of Life (8:30), 10. Turning Against the Crown (7:17), 11. Strangers in the Night (4:19), 12. Neela and the Red Knight (3:09), 13. Traitors and the Constable (3:30), 14. Voss and His Mercenaries (6:25), 15. Sterling and Phineas (1:30), 16. Daggerclaw and Snow Trek (7:32), 17. Satchel of Stardust, Skeleton and Ghost Chase (2:56), 18. The Sword of Alerion (3:05), 19. Let’s Go for a Swim (2:01), 20. The Cave and Emerald Moon (2:31), 21. Hurry Along, Slow Poke! (1:40), 22. The Signet Ring and Remedium (2:58), 23. The Giant Trolloc (3:07), 24. Elsewhere (1:26), 25. Flight of the Enchanted Broom (3:54), 26. The Riddle Is the Key (6:07), 27. The First King’s Cave, the Weeping Wall and Final Artifact (4:22), 28. Trollocs, Mountains, Mirrors (4:18), 29. Calmar (5:36), 30. The Rebellion Has Just Begun (5:43), 31. You Are Worthy to Proceed (6:08), 32. My Rightful Queen (4:15), 33. The Golden Age of Magic (3:03), 34. Empire Queen: End Credits (3:17). Moviescore Media MMS-24009, 133 minutes 04 seconds.

FINALMENTE L’ALBA – Massimo Martellotta

Finalmente l’Alba, also known as Finally Dawn, is an Italian period drama film written and directed by Saverio Costanzo and starring Lily James, Willem Dafoe, Rebecca Antonaci, and Joe Keery. Set in the ‘Hollywood on the Tiber’ era (the era in the 1950s and 1960s when the Italian capital of Rome emerged as a major location for international filmmaking attracting many foreign productions to studios such as Cinecittà), the film follows a long, intense night in the life of several people – aspiring Italian actress Momisa, glamorous Hollywood star Josephine Esperanto, art gallery owner Rufus Priori, and a young American actor Sean Lockwood- all of whom may be linked to a murder.

The score for Finalmente l’Alba is by Italian composer Massimo Martellotta, about whom I know almost nothing. His website says he was born in Rome in 1978, and that he’s been writing film music since 2016, mostly short films, low-budget Italian features, and commercials; he also appears to be in a leader of an instrumental band called Calibro 35, which specializes in live performances of Italian soundtracks from the ’60s and ’70s. If the music in Finalmente l’Alba is any sort of indication of his talent, then hopefully we will be hearing more from him soon. The score is short – just a smidgen under 15 minutes – but what music there is, is just magnificent. It’s an homage to the classic Italian romantic melodramas of the 1950s and 60s – Piero Piccioni, Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Umiliani, composers like that – and it drips with big, bold, unashamedly over-the-top orchestral scope.

The main theme, “Il Tempo Trascorso,” is a huge sweep of romantic strings, but then the “Tema dei Titoli” has a hint of subterfuge to it, a film noir darkness which is still beautiful and elegant but is infused with a tough of tragedy in the strings that is just outstanding, and when it swells in the cue’s second half the effect is wonderful. “Sul Set” is elegant and effervescent, with a sparkling piano line dancing around under the strings. “Il Gioco Delle Parti” is more intense, a clattering collision of percussion and plucked strings, and “Dubbio Notturno” continues the more agitated sound with a host of tremolo strings, but then things become more thematic and romantic again in the beautiful waltz-like “Come In Un Film”. “Sesto Senso” and “Solo Una Volta” are dark and moody, with the latter having a more prominent set of woodwinds, and then the conclusive “Una Vita” allows the score of to finish on a lyrical high, albeit one which is underpinned with a sense of bittersweet misfortune.

This sort of music is clearly Martellotta’s forte – based on his Calibro 35 experience he obviously knows ’60s and ’70s Italian film scores like the back of his hand – and Finalmente l’Alba is a perfectly judged and appropriate homage to that sound. Anyone with an ear for the work of any of those classic Italian composers I mentioned earlier, or of the melodramatic European romance sound in general, will absolutely adore this short but spectacular score. It is available to stream and download from most online retailers on the Octopus Records label.

Track Listing: 1. Il Tempo Trascorso (0:34), 2. Tema dei Titoli (2:19), 3. Sul Set (3:25), 4. Il Gioco Delle Parti (1:14), 5. Dubbio Notturno (0:58), 6. Come In Un Film (2:18), 7. Sesto Senso (1:27), 8. Solo Una Volta (0:30), 9. Una Vita (1:53). Octopus Records, 14 minutes 58 seconds.

GO FOR GRANDMA – Fabrizio Mancinelli

Go for Grandma is a fantasy-adventure short film directed by Sabrina Doyle, starring Austin Schoenfeld, Justine Lupe, and Amy Madigan, about a young boy who escapes a neglectful home life through his grandmother’s love and the power of his imagination. The score for the film is by the outstanding Italian composer Fabrizio Mancinelli, who impressed me last year with the score he wrote for the animated short film Mushka, and who is equally well known as a regular associate of Oscar-winning composer Kris Bowers, having conducted the scores for Green Book, The United States vs Billie Holiday, King Richard, Haunted Mansion, and The Color Purple.

Whereas Mushka was an intentional and loving homage to the classic Disney musical style of the Sherman Brothers and others, Go for Grandma is an homage to all the best fantasy-adventure scores of the 1980s and 90s, and is just as impressive. In the publicity notes for the album Mancinelli says: “When Sabrina Doyle approached me to compose the score for her special featurette Go for Grandma, I was thrilled. It was an unparalleled chance to delve into my passion for 1980s orchestral fantasy music, which has always resonated deeply with me. Taking cues primarily from the script, I crafted a musical journey that perfectly mirrored the film’s fantastical elements—unicorns, dragons, ladybugs, and a dream sequence amidst the ocean. The score also includes moments of experimental flair and variations on the main theme that culminate in the end credits suite.”

The score was recorded in Vienna, Austria, with the Synchron Stage Orchestra, and is an absolute delight from start to finish. The score is rich and warm and melodic, drawing inspiration from all those great 80s and 90s orchestral composers – there are subtle influences from James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Bruce Broughton, others – and capturing a myriad of emotions, from childlike wonder and innocence in the opening “Go for Grandma,” to the brassy heroism of “Alone in NYC,” the beautifully fairytale-esque “Magic is Real,” the touching “Grandma’s Painting”, and the quietly poignant “On a Boat in the Middle of Nowhere”.

The second half the score also contains some impressive moments of suspense and action intensity, especially in the moody and occasionally quite powerful “You Are Not Welcome Here,” and then in the darker second half of the aforementioned “On a Boat in the Middle of Nowhere” which has some terrific bold brass writing surrounding a determined string-led theme. “Are We Going to San Francisco?” has a glorious sense of freedom and adventure, and then the conclusive “Go for Grandma Suite” revisits many of the score’s touchstones to create an appropriately rousing finale.

As good as Mushka and Go for Grandma are, and as much as I enjoy hearing Fabrizio Mancinelli impress in these short bursts, enough is enough: it’s about time someone took the plunge and allowed him to write this sort of music for a major feature. In the meantime, Go for Grandma is available to stream and download from most online retailers, or directly from the MovieScore Media website at https://moviescoremedia.com/newsite/catalogue/go-for-grandma-fabrizio-mancinelli/.

Track Listing: 1. Go for Grandma (2:33), 2. Alone in NYC (1:44), 3. Magic Is Real (1:41), 4. A Unicorn in Class (0:46), 5. Grandma’s Painting (1:29), 6. You Are Not Welcome Here (0:57), 7. On a Boat in the Middle of Nowhere (4:25), 8. Lucian Steps Up (1:43), 9. Are We Going to San Francisco? (3:02), 10. Go for Grandma Suite (3:58). Moviescore Media Short Cuts SC-24009, 22 minutes 18 seconds.