CD Reviews: Green Dragon and The Sea Hawk
Green Dragon *** 1/2
MYCHAEL & JEFF DANNA
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 336 2
16 tracks - 45:45
Green Dragon is one of those elegant, delicate films whose dramatic
tension arises from constrained emotion. Likewise, Jeff and Mychael Danna's
score is a graceful, refined piece of work, all restraint and subtlety.
Although the composers, who are brothers, are both veterans in the world
of film composition, their collaborations are quite rare, and their score
for Green Dragon is a treat for the ears.
The story, which concerns the lives of Vietnamese refugees in American
camps in the mid-1970s, is all about being a stranger in a strange land;
the film, itself a collaboration between brothers Tony and Timothy Linh
Bui, is derived at least in part from their mother's stories of her arrival
in the United States. The music reflects this, in its tentative, thoughtful
explorations, which begin with a few simple notes, then blossom into soundscapes.
Musically, and instrumentally, the composers look to Vietnam for inspiration,
and the earliest tracks evoke images of the refugees' lost homeland. As
the score progresses, it takes on a more western sound in terms of tone
and mood. Silence creeps in, and the eastern musical themes are first isolated,
then integrated into the whole.
The first shift can be heard on the track titled "America"; here, the
thematic material takes a definite turn, not only toward a more western
style, but specifically an American one. There's a distinct stylistic resemblance
to the open, direct sound that characterizes anthemic American songs. While
none of the subsequent music moves so strongly in this direction, it incorporates
the earlier themes, blending the two together. "The Wedding Night" is notable
as well; not only for its tenderness, which one might expect, but for its
resemblance to classic movie love themes. It's a nice touch, and one that
lends the score a mythic feel. As the score progresses, the silences become
longer and more poignant, until the music resolves itself in the final
track. This sense of a musical score as a complete work in itself is a
fairly rare thing to be found, these days, and all the more to be appreciated.
-- Genevieve Williams
Previn Conducts Korngold: The Sea Hawk ****
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Deutsche Grammophon 471 347-2
31 tracks - 67:59
Already long established Internationally as a composer of Opera and
Symphonies Erich Wolfgang Korngold first went to Hollywood in 1934 (at
the invitation of fellow Austrian, Director Max Reinhardt) to work on arrangements
of Mendelssohn's music for Warner Brothers A Midsummer's Night Dream.
It was to be the start of a long, happy relationship Korngold was to have
with Hollywood, as he made his film music that he described as "Opera without
singing." Deutsche Grammophon got together Andre Previn to conduct The
London Symphony Orchestra in Abbey Road Studios in London during July of
2001 to record a collection of Korngold's work. The album focuses on four
films: Captain Blood (1935), The Prince and the Pauper (1937),
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) and The Sea Hawk
(1940).
The album opens up with The Sea Hawk, Korngold's last Swashbuckler
movie, where the hero is played by Errol Flynn. It's a thrilling uplifting
score, full of pomp and assured self-confidence, which has been a huge
influence on today's orchestral film composers. Everyone from John Williams,
Danny Elfman and Patrick Doyle to Hans Zimmer owes some debt to the sound
of Erich Korngold. His huge fanfares, lush strings, driving timpani and
sweeping melodies have inspired thousands of adventure overtures.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex was Warner Brothers'
most important film of 1939 -- it was made in Technicolor and starred Bette
Davis in one of her most endearing roles. The main title is a sustained,
royal overture designed to pull the audience into the mind of Queen Elizabeth.
Her theme, "Lady Penelope," follows, wistful and yearning as she realizes
her own love for Essex is never to be returned, a small string section
creating a delicately poised sound. "Elizabeth the Queen" presents the
human side of the aging monarch as she declares her love for Essex.
Captain Blood was Korngold's first completely original score
for the screen. From the very start, the overture ("Main Title") presents
a full-blown symphonic treatment unheard in film music before. Giant brass
proclaim typical Korngoldian fanfares while the soaring string melody takes
you into the vast atmospheres of both ship and sea. But Korngold could
be extremely subtle as well. "Sold into Slavery" presents an unsettling
harmony of the main theme and an orchestration that creates a haunting
mood before a new yearning string melody takes center stage.
Andre Previn conducts the London Symphony Orchestra with accustomed
poise, power and grace. This collection is a grand, sumptuous, lush orchestral
history lesson from on of Hollywood's musical founding fathers. --
Simon Duff
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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