Intrada Soundtrack Forum

February 02, 1999

Virus
Hip-O Records HIPD-40119
14 Tracks
50:25

Joel McNeely writes exciting music. When his agent contacted us in 1991 about a feature called SAMANTHA, the name Joel McNeely was relatively unknown. We reviewed a demo copy of the score and decided to release it. There were steep costs including union "re-use" fees (the score was recorded here) but we had faith in this new guy. Soon he was delivering score after score of note.

Fast forward to 1999. One of the first new pictures of the year is VIRUS. It's scored by McNeely. And a terrific album it is.

Recorded in London, Joel conducts a score accenting action, but kicking off in a minor mode the opening track is titled "Volkov and the Mir", written for orchestra and male chorus.

"Typhoon Leah" gets things going with a brief quote of a primary theme developed later in the score. The cue touches on a number of exciting ideas, runs over six minutes, and at one point shows McNeely has picked up a trick or two from his stint with Jerry Goldsmith on AIR FORCE ONE.

That primary theme gets fuller treatment in "Another Ship", heard first on muted trumpets and later in strings, both times over a striking low string ostinato. The cue remains subdued and dark throughout.

In "Anchor's Away" the action takes front seat. A brief two-minute cue, the music is sharp-edged and angular. High strings and brief chromatic figures in the woodwinds launch "Squeaky Gets Greased", a suspense sequence featuring violin harmonics and jabbing figures from the strings. And "Nadia Runs" is a very brief flurry of agitated muted brass over a running bass line.

"Seven Foot Chase" increases the tension, starting with Goldsmithian figures in the muted trumpets and trombones and growing into a strong action piece. A staccato four-note motif gets tossed about, providing a sense of energetic continuity to the cue.

Both suspense and an ethereal quality permeate "Turkey Hunting", while "We Can Kill This Thing" further develops the muted brass figures from "Seven Foot Chase". A powerful rhythmic figure in the trumpets towards the end catches attention.

"Robo-Captain" is a five-minute cue, the action opening replete with bursts of double-tonguing trumpets. After a sustained period of suspense the rhythm builds in intensity to a reprise of the opening action material.

A highlight of "The Interrogation" is the ferocious sound of the orchestra in tutti hits, a hammering pseudo-rhythm the result. The relentless cue also features a neat zig-zagging string figure under all of this activity. The thirteenth of fourteen tracks is titled "Sinking The Ship". A number of ideas from earlier in the score are interpolated, the orchestral hits, the agitated muted brass figures, and the double-tonguing trumpets. Some fierce timpani moments occur and the piece draws to a strong close.

The final six minutes, the "End Credits', introduce a mournful sound to the proceedings. Opening with strings and later with an extended trumpet solo, the music is something of an elegy in nature, growing in power to a grand statement, actually a variant of the primary theme. The male chorus returns with the orchestra in a new theme, a somewhat triumphant line over a powerful rhythmic bass. That gives way to a warm section of crescendos, emotional lines in a slightly Americana-flavor, and a diminuendo of the orchestra to a very satisfying end.

I suppose it is kinda early to have a best of 1999 going, but here's my candidate to start one off.

February 09, 1999

Taras Bulba
Composed and Conducted by Franz Waxman
Rykodisc RCD 10736

Franz Waxman is usually recognized as one of the great "golden age" composers. His work on BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) established his position early and he remained in demand through his final working period in the sixties.

His ability to write both in the established tonal traditions of the Hollywood scoring scene and in the avante garde manner looming over the horizons kept his work fresh for decades.

Talk about him with fans and you are apt to hear about that early BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and about REBECCA (1940) and PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940) and a host of others culminating in those back-to-back successes of SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) and A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951).

I admire those scores. But possibly going against the grain, I am far more interested in the last part of his career, the later fifties and the early sixties. While I often favor the fresh and vital early work of composers over their later efforts (Goldsmith, Bernstein and North instantly come to mind) for some reason with Waxman it is the complete opposite.

The real flourish in Waxman's career for me hits around 1954 with PRINCE VALIANT, followed swiftly by THE SILVER CHALICE. Then the field opens up with NUN'S STORY, PEYTON PLACE, HEMINGWAY'S ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG MAN, TARAS BULBA. Yes I like his music in MR. SKEFFINGTON (1944) but I'd prefer listening to SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS (1957)... and TARAS BULBA (1962).

Instead of doing what seven year old boys normally do, somehow I was collecting soundtracks. I'd nag my folks into buying these things when the covers looked exciting. So the early emphasis was on costume adventures and spectacles and movies with swords. The cover on TARAS BULBA fit the bill.

The "Overture" sets the two principle themes and several key motifs all into motion in a single rousing track. Waxman generates tremendous energy with his main Taras (Yul Brynner) theme over relentless rhythms. The love theme enters shortly, growing in part from the the main theme, a rich and darkly-textured line in a minor key. And a nod to a memorable contribution from the strings, particularly some of the most virtuoso violin writing on a film soundtrack.

In "The Birth Of Andrei" Waxman introduces the film's most haunting (and my favorite) melody, a gentle piece underscoring the birth and early years for Ostap and Andrei, culminating in a moving image (and stunning allusion to the movie's denouement) of Andrei poking his finger through a bullet hole in some Polish armor. With "The Sleigh Ride" and a brief frolic between Andrei (Tony Curtis) and Natalia (Christine Kaufmann) in the snow Waxman uses his love theme in a bright setting.

"Chase At Night" is a tense piece depicting the chase by Polish soldiers of Andrei and Ostap through the streets of Dubno. Following the excitement is an extended solo for piccolo and trumpet as the boys return home.

"No Retreat" and "Leaving Home" both feature Waxman writing in a darkly melodic manner using the love theme in the former and the main theme in the latter. The emphasis is on string and woodwind scoring.

The most celebrated piece is, of course, "The Ride To Dubno", and justifiably so. The entire piece is a virtuoso display of growing intensity, working from a simple variant of the main theme on solo bassoon over percussion to a resounding flourish for the entire orchestra. The main theme predominates and the energy level just drains you after listening.

That rich love theme (now set to some very gentle lyrics for chorus) is used in the scene with Andrei taking Natalia into his embrace. "The Black Plague" is both an action sequence at the outset with Polish soldiers once again pursuing Andrei, and a dirge that grows in intensity as the wagons filled with decaying corpses rolls into view.

The anthem associated with the Cossacks gets full treatment during "Taras' Pledge". It's actually used early in the film when the Polish army has betrayed the Cossack clan and Taras sets his lengthy plan for retribution into motion.

The album really boils down to the last track, a long sequence covering "The Battle Of Dubno & Finale". While much of the cue is a relentless work of action Waxman manages to skillfully touch upon all of his themes and motifs. I'm not sure of how many but there are very few film scores that feature such lengthy cues with as much energy and rich melody as this one does. It is an incredible array of orchestral splendor that comes to a resounding finish in a major key with a series of bright and bold chords for brass, driven by that persistent rhythmic pulse Waxman has imbued throughout the entire score.

The rhythmic vitality of the score may be what lingers the most, but warm and stirring melodies as well as the awesome power of the orchestra remain with you as well off.

February 16, 1999

Mulan
Songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel
Score Composed and Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith
Walt Disney 60631-7
12 Tracks (6 by Goldsmith) 51:34 (32:20 by Goldsmith)

For a decade now the music in Disney animated pictures has been in the spotlight. Disney music has, of course, been around for many decades. There are Disney songs and melodies that will live forever. But around the time of LITTLE MERMAID things got going in a big commercial way. Hits like BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and ALADDIN followed and Alan Menken became a familiar face at Oscar time. Hans Zimmer was at the helm of the more recent LION KING and took an Oscar home for the effort.

Now, will Jerry Goldsmith follow suit?

A big advantage: the score for MULAN is one of the best ever in a Disney picture. A big disadvantage: Unlike the Menken titles where songs and score were unified by a single composer, the songs in MULAN have nothing to do with the score and vice versa. The result is a picture without the musical coherency of the earlier films.

While the songs didn't sail into those Academy Award spotlights the score did. To be sure, the film only showcases a few vocals, mostly in the first half, and isn't reliant on them to tell the story. This allows Goldsmith to fashion some themes of his own and to become dramatically involved in the mood of the picture. The story tells of one girl's efforts to save her village in China and protect her father. She does this by cutting her hair, taking her father's sword and posing as his son to fight an invading Hun army.

In fact, Goldsmith's score consumes over 50% of the picture. I recently considered it as one of the better efforts of last year and now, upon review, elevate it. This is one of the finest scores in a picture for 1998 and easily one of the best Goldsmith has offered in this decade.

The album only presents about half of the score sandwiched between the vocals. Sadly missing are Mulan's hair cutting and much of the exciting music, including the final battle.

Goldsmith's portion begins with a seven-minute "Suite from Mulan", incorporating themes from his score plus a couple of the Matthew Wilder melodies.

"Attack at the Wall", an opening sequence in the movie, presents music for Shan Yu, cruel leader of the invading Huns. Also heard is the theme for Mulan's father, a rich and expressive minor key melody for cor anglais over strings. Scattered about are dashes of bright and bouncy color from the woodwinds and muted trumpets.

"Mulan's Decision" includes music prior to the hair cutting scene but omits the music for the crucial scene as heard in the film, an up tempo variant of Mulan's theme. Starting with Mulan's theme on cor anglais, the album has an extended treatment of her theme (similar to that which opens the suite) with numerous electronic embellishments. While a rewarding piece this remains something of a disappointment considering how striking the up tempo variant is with the visuals. The cue also includes some darker material towards the end.

"Blossoms" opens with delicate and exotic colors but quickly hits join the army a dramatic mark when the men are called upon to defend China against Shan Yu. Mulan's father departs to prepare for battle, his noble theme again on cor anglais but now accompanied by rich low brass chords. As he lifts the sword above his head the music swells triumphantly then subsides. He is aged and as he practices he stumbles. Following this is music for late in the film after the truth about Mulan has been revealed. Included is a powerful statement of Shan Yu's theme in brass and an exciting variant of Mulan's theme in French horns to bring the piece to a powerful conclusion.

"The Huns Attack" is assembled from two sequences in the film. First heard is music for a scene of Mulan (now as Ping) joining the ranks of defending soldiers. Next is music from part two of the mountain battle with the Huns (sadly the initial half isn't included). This does include some exciting flourishes of Mulan's theme on French horns and at least provides a taste join the army of the music Goldsmith created for the battle sequences.

"The Burned-Out Village" features music when the defenders happen upon the desolation of one of their villages after Shan Yu has destroyed it. The music remains dark, brooding and mournful. The Goldsmith portion of the album closes in this cue with music accompanying Mulan as she is wounded prior to revealing the truth about her identity. Also dark in color it intensifies at the end as the defenders grow in their resolve.

What the album does include of the score is masterful but it does paint only half of a picture. Without the exciting action music (especially the climactic battle) the album is tipped in favor of attractive melodies and vocals. While I wish we had the more aggressive music not on the album, what's there is still a pleasure.

The competition looks tough but I do hope Goldsmith bags that Oscar for this one.

February 23, 1999

Two For The Road (1967) - New Reissue -
Composed and Conducted by Henry Mancini
RCA 74321629972 (Spain)
12 Tracks Total Time: 32:10

Henry Mancini had so many recordings issued one could collect Mancini alone and still fill shelves. RCA released the bulk of his work in the sixties and TWO FOR THE ROAD was one of those efforts.

The wonder of his amazingly successful career is that so many of his famous recordings aren't currently available on CD, especially here. If you want classics like HATARI or CHARADE you need to get imports. Famous ones like PETER GUNN, MR. LUCKY and PINK PANTHER aren't currently available! There's no ARABESQUE yet anywhere, nor those great collections like MANCINI'S ANGELS, BIG SCREEN LITTLE SCREEN and so on. With major ones hard to get, there's certainly little hope for VISIONS OF EIGHT, OKLAHOMA CRUDE and JUST YOU AND ME TOGETHER hitting the CD shelves anytime soon.

There's probably a good reason for all of this but I haven't heard it yet.

When Mancini assembled albums of his film scores he frequently preferred to record tracks especially for the album version, emphasizing the melodies and light background pieces and disposing with the more dramatic music. The albums were commercially viable to be sure, but not always true representations of the actual scores. TWO FOR THE ROAD was no exception.

Stanley Donen's picture was unusual in that it moved freely in and out of a twelve-year time period, examining the marriage of Albert Finney, an architect, and Audrey Hepburn, his wife. The film was set in France, mostly during a car trip. The story would unfold in the present, jump back any number of years, leap forward again, back a year or two, and so forth.

Mancini addressed the complexities of the storyline with a single theme, usually heard on violins or violas. The movie allowed ample room for Mancini-styled background cues, funny pieces, dinner music, dance music and the like. But holding everything together was that theme, one of the most touching of any he had written.

When Mancini assembled his album, true to form, he chose cues that worked as popular instrumentals. Leaving out the dramatic underscore Mancini still put together a fabulous record, anchored by that bittersweet theme. Never on CD in America, it was twice issued in Japan (SLC and RCA labels) and now arrives here as a Spanish import (RCA).

One strong characteristic of this score is an arpeggio figure that starts the theme, prior to the actual melody. Used in the film often, it sometimes appears as a theme unto itself. Here it opens the album, introducing a choral version of the "Two For the Road" theme.

Mancini often wrote pieces for stars of the movie. In BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S he gave one to the cat, in PINK PANTHER he nodded to Peter Sellers. Here he gives "Something for Audrey". It's a warm theme for strings, with solos from the sax and piano. Vibes and a gentle chord progression bring it to a close.

"The Lovely Life" is an accordian melody blended with cellos. Heard also is a nice soprano sax solo. High strings enter and the accordian returns to cadence the track. The mood changes with "The Chaser", first with suspense then an up tempo sax line. Solos come from the vibes and electronic keyboards, plus tenor sax. And in "Something Loose" the sax leads on a melody with an upbeat and swinging style over strings. Dotted about are solos from muted trumpet, alto flute and alto sax, with the upbeat melody always close by.

"Happy Barefoot Boy" begins with organ over strong harmonies and a descending countermelody. Flute and organ solos abound, with comments from muted trombones. An alto sax line over warm harmonies in horn and trombone also stands out.

"Two For the Road" (Main Title) is the opening of the film, the arpeggio figure leading to a rich string version of the main theme. A complete instrumental arrangement of the theme, this track showcases Mancini's gift for melody and his unique harmonic style.

"Congarocka" plays to a strong beat with a characteristic Mancini sound - soprano sax and trumpet in unison. Throughout the chords and rhythm remain unchanged, leaving room to study the solo work from flugelhorn and alto sax. It moves breezily into the next track, "French Provincial". Accordian blends with strings and soprano sax in this gentle tune played in waltz tempo. A nice touch are the keyboard arpeggios, suggestive of that opening figure of the main theme.

In "The Donk" Mancini creates a solid beat with descending and ascending major chords. Striking features of this track are sax and trumpet solos alternating between minor and major keys and a strong closing of ascending major chords. Following it is a brief excursion for strings and piano, written teasingly in a pseudo-classical fashion. Titled "Domain St. Juste" (Din-Din Music) the music features solo cello with tidbits from the violins.

The highlight of the album is the closing "Two For the Road" (Instrumental), the fullest treatment of the theme. The piece is based on the music Mancini scored for the finale of the movie, and since he rarely used his dramatic music on albums this track is something of a treat. A harp glissando leads into a warm viola solo version of the melody. The arpeggio figures draw the orchestra into a development of the theme and the mood shifts a bit lighter for a moment, reflecting the comic elements of the story. The orchestra then swells into a rich statement of the theme, climaxing with the trademark fortissimo chords that only Mancini could create, that he often relied on, and that so seldom made their way onto his film score albums.

Happily they made it onto this one.