Intrada Soundtrack Forum

February 05, 2002

Tron
Composed by Wendy Carlos Conducted by Douglas Gamley London Philharmonic Orchestra / UCLA Chorus
Walt Disney Records 60748-7
Tracks: 21 Time = 58:57

State-of-the-art movie with state-of-the-art music. Both break new ground in 1982.

E.T., POLTERGEIST, THE THING, BLADE RUNNER, other movies with astounding special effects litter the screens. Hits and misses.

Walt Disney Pictures adds to the clutter, releases TRON. Response is so so, but Wendy Carlos grabs attention with a spectacular score combining high-tech with tradition. A truly original score with terrific results.

Audiences have no idea what CGI is yet. Special effects are advanced, even common, but computers drawing entire finished images is new. Disney's plot choice is a natural. Take us inside the computer!

Somehow, there's not all that much inside. Video games. Lots of smooth surfaces, straight lines, cool colors. Speedy things, zip zap, whoosh. Something like that.

Wendy Carlos matches the whoosh, zip zap, and then some.

2002. Twenty years later. The soundtrack album finally makes it to CD.

Originally TRON's music came out on an LP. Years later there were competing bootlegs dubbed from cassettes, vinyl. Wendy Carlos eventually threatened to release a CD of her own. Finally the powers at Disney come through with flying colors. Not only does TRON the movie get a special 20th Anniversary DVD release, but TRON the soundtrack makes it to CD as well.

Carlos grounds her score not in weird atonalities, nor beeps and bleats, other things one expects. Instead, her music is tonal, full of major chords, melodies. Working with orchestra, chorus and electronics, Carlos creates a pair of major themes, several smaller ones. And there's an anthem. Even if the music moves outward, grows dissonant, tonal ideas aren't far away.

For her opening statement, Carlos suggests the anthem. Major chords are fundamental to the score and here they are no exception. In fact, Carlos draws attention to them with a striking effect, dabbling in bitonality. The anthem is referenced but major chords under it descend, unrelated to the melody. Moving in full steps, the chords command attention, establishing a fundamental building block heard throughout the score. Two tonalities heard at the same time. Bitonality. All the while, TRON's main "anthem" tune continues above.

Carlos has introduced two important elements already and her score is less than a minute in progress!

A detour follows. Journey contributes "Only Solutions", a song that can be passed with ease. It's unrelated, except that it uses major chords. Otherwise, it's just loud.

"We've Got Company" and "Wormhole" both allow dissonance, play with smaller ideas. The latter cue even exploits clusters, but is by no means serial in origin. In fact, repeated ideas keep the music firmly planted on the ground.

Another important idea appears with "Ring Game and Escape". A jagged, highly rhythmic tune weaves in and about. The meter is odd but the melody has symmetry. At times it adds harmony in thirds, further giving it a solid, traditional frame. It's striking how Carlos creates an idea with unsettling, yet harmonious roots. No easy challenge.

The bitonal quality makes a strong impression during "Water, Music and TRONaction". Arpeggio figures, shifting major chords create the twin tonalities. The anthem is heard, too. But rhythms appear, take over. A different theme (cleverly based on the opening notes of the anthem) representing action comes to the fore.

"TRON Scherzo" establishes yet another melodic idea, a descending figure that again touches on those harmonious thirds.

From this point Carlos works the various established ideas, melodies. There's a neat, almost disguised version of the anthem during "Miracle and Magician". The bitonal feel is again tapped into, now weighted to the bass line during "Magic Landings". Careful listening will reveal tiny snippets of both the anthem and the related action tune.

"Theme from TRON" illuminates the anthem, leaving any bitonal feel in the background, bringing traditional cadences to the foreground.

Parentheses here. Journey has another contribution, the "1990's Theme", not related to anything. It's loud too. But somehow I played the LP so often I got used to it. Being instrumental helped. Not a lot, but it kept me from shoving the needle forward to the next groove.

A great highlight is "Tower Music - Let Us Pray". For awhile it's subtle, subdued. Later, chorus is emphasized. Major chords eventually assume importance, taking over everything else. The anthem darts in, bringing it to a close.

Carlos fashions a terrific "Ending Titles" by drawing the anthem in quiet, haunting colors. When fully developed she slams into rhythmic material, takes the action motif for a ride. It climaxes with a fanfare and flourish in great style.

And in the major, of course.

This premier CD release also includes three tracks recorded for the first time. Two out takes frame a striking sequence for strings, flute and celesta, called "Break In".

One other overall effect about the music for TRON bears note.

Wendy Carlos incorporates a full symphony orchestra, a chorus, an array of electronic keyboard effects.

Yet the score melds them into a distinct "fourth" ensemble. It's not an orchestra, it's not a chorus. It's also not electronic.

It's all of them combined.

And it's original.


February 12, 2002

The Count Of Monte Cristo
Composed and Conducted by Edward Shearmur
Performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra
RCA Victor 09026-63865-2
Tracks: 15 Time = 53:01

A new version of an old classic.

Kevin Reynolds directs, Jim Caviezel plays unjustly accused, falsely imprisoned Edmond Dantes. He finally gets a shot at revenge, crosses swords with Guy Pearce.

Actors from Robert Donat to Richard Chamberlain have taken a swing at Edmond. Now Caviezel gets up to bat, swashing to meticulously crafted music by Edward Shearmur.

Shearmur immediately sets his score apart from traditional swash and buckle stuff. There’s the romp and vigor of Korngold, but it isn’t Korngold. There’s the splendor and melody of Rozsa, but it isn’t Rozsa. There’s even the flair and sparkle of Williams, but it’s not Williams either.

Shearmur anchors his score in the darker worlds of betrayal, revenge. His music carries weight. Even when strains are delicate, their manner is involved. Harmonies are somber, minor-keyed. Melodies are aloof.

That said, Shearmur creates a rich main theme, writes it in a major key, uses it carefully. Amidst darker material it stands out, hearing it infrequently adds appeal. Shearmur doesn’t introduce it as a major theme until the third track, “Marseilleâ€