CD Reviews Evelyn and Zoo
Evelyn ***
STEPHEN ENDELMAN
440 064 851-2
The score to Bruce Beresford's latest bittersweet melodrama is itself
bittersweet, although not especially melodramatic. Stephen Endelman uses
a light touch for the most part; with charming cue titles such as "Grandpa's
Angel Rays" and "The Parting Glass," certainly the right approach to take
with a film that threatens to become heavy-handed at any moment. Endelman's
previous credits include Tom and Huck and The Englishman Who
Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain; here, he combines summery
orchestral dashes with traditional Irish tunes. The two elements complement
one another perfectly.
The soundtrack CD also includes "Sitting on Top of the World" from Van
Morrison, which starts things off nicely low-key. Even though Morrison
has nothing directly to do with the rest of the music, Endelman's score
follows a similar aesthetic. When he uses a highly familiar Irish tune
for "The Nuns," it's not in the least distracting from the material that
comes before or after; the subsequent "The First Judgment" is sweet without
becoming saccharine. It's "On the Banks of the Roses" and "The Parting
Glass" that provide the greatest treat. Pierce Brosnan, who plays the title
character's father Desmond, sings -- and not badly, either. Granted, he
might not be ready to front the Grogan Family, who provide the traditional
tunes, but he'd easily hold his own in a pub sing.
The score doesn't tend toward melodrama, though the film's plot may.
Even "Desmond Loses" is an understated bit of writing that catches the
ear without being overwhelming. While you aren't likely to find yourself
humming any of Evelyn after the CD's stopped spinning (with the
possible exception of some of the delightful jigs), it's a pleasant, diverting,
and solidly constructed score, with many touches of warmth and subtlety.
-- Genevieve Williams
Zoo *
MARCO WERBA
Hexacord HCD-15
14 tracks - 40:02
Cristina Comencini's Zoo (1988) involves the fantastical dreams
of Martina, an 11- year-old girl whose father works in Rome's zoo. The
film revolves around Martina and a wild 14- year-old boy who roams the
zoo at night performing various acts of vandalism. I'd tell you more but
the information in the liner notes is translated so badly that it's hard
to sort out. It's safe to say that at some point an elephant saves both
kids.
Sadly, there is no elephant to save Marco Werba's score. The opening
title track is a passable blend of Vangelis-like electronica and traditional
scoring. Afterward we get a heavy dose of what the score's really about.
"L'insegumento" relies on harp and what sounds like synthetic instrumentation
played in an endless loop. This minimalist cue focuses on two or three
measure repetitious accompaniments and brief, repeated, melodic structures.
This writing is also on display in "Martina's Theme," more a "sound" than
a musical concept.
In all, the music has a chamber quality that makes it sound far more
intimate than something one might expect from a fantasy film of this nature.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this choice, but the nature of most
of the writing begs for more diversity in orchestration. And it doesn't
help that Werba's ideas never really develop. His tension-building motifs
are not that interesting over the 20 or 30 seconds it takes for them to
play out -- you're basically just waiting for him to find his way out of
each rut. Someone like Angel Illarramendi, whose score for Yoyes
(2001) is a recent example, finds ways to create tension by continually
evolving an idea, and by expanding his orchestrational choices. Werba never
alters the timbre of the sound enough to be interesting. Certain moments
involving harp and flute are potentially beautiful -- it's too bad that
something more interesting could not have developed out of them.
Hexacord has included two bonus tracks: Francesca Russo sings a version
of the title song, "Vai, te ne vai." Well, at least she tries to sing,
resurrecting the ghost of Marlene Dietrich in a putrid vocal rendition.
A dry and poorly recorded live concert version of the main theme (Antonio
Cericola conducting the Mario Nascimbene Orchestra, with horrid string
intonation) is also included. Since the album has the "original" opening
and final title track, and a piano version, this means you are basically
paying to hear 18 minutes of the same piece of music. There are very few
main title themes that I would want even eight minutes of on one disc,
and this is not one of them. -- Steven A. Kennedy
Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
| 
