CD Reviews: Born Free & The Last Express
Born Free ****
JOHN BARRY
Varese Sarabande 302 066 084 2
18 tracks - 53:35
John Barry's first two Oscars came for Born Free, which was probably
the first film that allowed him to turn on his "landscape music"
button (that is now apparently left on for most films). Still, Born
Free has more in common with Goldfinger and You Only Live
Twice than it does with Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves.
The most famous part of Barry's Born Free (the main title, of
course) turned into one of the most-covered film songs in history (though
Matt Monro's original remains the definitive version); Barry has admitted
that he never needed to work again after Born Free -- the royalties
from the song were that great. Varese chose (wisely) not to include a vocal
version for this new recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
conducted by Frederic Talgorn, opting instead for purely orchestral versions
of both the opening and closing titles.
There's actually far more to the rest of the score than one might imagine.
The highlights are Barry's playful music for the gentler sections of the
story ("Elsa at Play"), and his action-oriented writing ("The
Hunt," "Elephant Stampede") which features a rawness that
instantly evokes his Bond scores of the period. This is a million miles
from the deliberate, tight action music he would move to later in his career.
It's interesting to note how the progression of Barry's personality is
reflected in the progression of his music: back in the times of Born
Free, the music has a certain eagerness to please; a fresh and charming
sound -- these days, of course, it's mature and finely-honed, if not somewhat
predictable.
This classic score has never been available on CD, which makes this
a welcome album. The performance is fine and the recording is sumptuous.
Several of the cues were not on the original LP (or even in the film) and
are being heard for the first time (though curiously, Varese has also dropped
some music that was on the original album).
While it is not as immediately striking as some of Barry's other scores
of the period, Born Free is still an enjoyable score. Plus, it's
fascinating to see Barry score one of his sweeping '90s-style films with
his '60s-style idiom. As with the releases of Somewhere in Time, Out
of Africa and Body Heat, Varese comes out a winner with Born
Free. -- James Southall
The Last Express ***
ELIA CMIRAL
Intrada MAF 7089
25 tracks - 38:40
Elia Cmiral has impressed fans with strong, manly scores for Ronin
and Stigmata (with what little he was able to do for the latter).
His music for the video game "The Last Express" will help remind
fans that Cmiral is still talented -- after they finish cleaning their
ears of the blood that poured out from listening to Battlefield: Earth.
Pedal points are extremely important in "The Last Express."
"Departure" begins with solo, classical violin writing over an
ominous tonic pedal. Much of the score is also beat-oriented, with several
string players layered on top of a chugga-chugga pattern. Cmiral's abilities
to create interesting and disturbing soundscapes ("Nightmare")
help balance out a lack of activity and melodic interest. Tracks like "Tatiana"
even offer sensitive piano writing. The synth string writing is shrill,
but such is the nature of this beast -- this is why composers use real
strings when the budget affords the luxury, unless the composer is Randy
Edelman.
"The Last Express" is on a far simpler scale than Bruce Broughton's
(and Intrada's) "Heart of Darkness" video game score. But then
again, this isn't a sci fi/fantasy romp, and more of hiding-on-the-train
Hitchcockian adventure. Cmiral's thematic materials are stock but it's
all professionally done. As a pure listening experience it's rough on the
ears but probably functions well within the game. -- AK Benjamin
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