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Some thoughts about the album of ... Tree of Life If you took Desplat's The Beat My Heart Skipped ... threw in Christopher Young's The Tower... and considered John Adams' minimalism (not Harmonielehre so much as 'Shaker Loops', although moments recall 'Meister Eckhart' from Harmonielehre), then that would set you up well to expect what you will hear here. This is possibly the most minimalist film score ever written, and certainly on the more austere side of Desplat's writing (Prophete, Beat, etc). Although for all that, the tone shifts cold and warm in the space of a note -- the harmonies are carefully contrived to these effects. A moment late in 'Circles' goes from this minimalist energy to a note that somehow barely brings in the thought of pastoral Americana... it's got some very subtle touches like that. Highlights are 'Circles', a minimalist showpiece with the clearest debt to Adams (although the harmonies and colours are all Desplat), and 'Rivers', with its expression of the main theme. 'Motherhood' is as romantic as it gets, the rest keeps that distance that many have come to dislike from Desplat. (Like 'Fatherhood', the music more themed to the 50s material is lusher, less austere.) There isn't a climax/catharsis a la 'Journey to the Line' or the Wagner material from The New World, presumably if Malick has one, it's come from his classically-sourced music. But then it's hard to tell what the chemistry between picture and sound will be. Of all Malick scores, perhaps Morricone's Days of Heaven comes to mind, in the way that this score feels like the rhythms of a life that keep turning, divorced from the melodrama of the story. 'Emergence of Life' directly references the throbbing bass pulses of Syriana. What is a pleasure to hear is that a composer has been given room to just write to ideas, very much as his interest drove him. The pieces have room to breathe, and who knows whether much of it has ended up in the film in this form, but at least we get to hear to ideas in full here. Last section of the album plays a bit slower. Another setpiece a la 'Circles' wouldn't have hurt to enliven things. This is very much an album that can go by without you knowing.
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The first half of this album really is something. But perhaps it peaks too early? The second half has some beautiful things, 'fatherhood', 'motherhood', and 'city of glass'. But some of the longer setpieces like 'light and darkness' and 'temptation' don't really excite, even though desplat remains texturally interesting in just about anything he does. When you compare to some of the connective underscore in Zimmer's or Horner's previous scores for Malick, this probably leans more on atmosphere than melody in these cues. It would have been nice to have another longer form setpiece along the lines of 'Circles' - perhaps even a bit more melodically-driven - coming late in the album. (Then again, knowing Malick, we're probably missing a classical piece or two that will shake up the listening experience quite a bit.)
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No matter how good or interesting or not Desplat's music is, there may not be a lot of it, particularly since this is a terence malick film. This list of music cues used in the film is floating around, presumably transcribed from film credits. It's practically a history of music, from Bach to modern minimalism (Tavener) and avante garde composition (Jovanovich), and even a bit of film music (Preisner, plus left over Lupica cosmic beam cues from Thin Red Line). “Funeral Canticle” Written by John Tavener and Mother Thekla Performed by George Mosley, Paul Goodwin and the Academy of Ancient Music Courtesy of Harmonia Mundi USA “Cosmic Beam Take 5” Written and Performed by Francesco Lupica Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation “Symphony No. 1” Written by Gustav Mahler Performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Halász Courtesy of Naxos By arrangement with Source/Q “Morning Prayers” Written by Giya Kancheli Courtesy of ECM Records “Faunophonia Balkanica” Written, Performed and Produced by Arsenije Jovanovic Courtesy of Arsenije Jovanovic “Wind Pipes” Written and Performed by Michael Baird Courtesy of Sharp Wood Records “Approaching” Written, Performed and Produced by Arsenije Jovanovic Courtesy of Arsenije Jovanovic “Ta Há 1” Written and Performed by Klaus Wiese Courtesy of Aquamarin Verlag GmbH, Germany “Snapshot from the Island” Written and Performed by Tibor Szemzo Courtesy of Leo Records “Lacrimosa 2” Composed by Zbigniew Preisner Performed by Elzbieta Towarnicka (soprano) and the Sinfonia Varsovia and the Varsov Chamber Choir, conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk Courtesy of New Music B.V. “Ascending and Descending” Written by David Hykes Performed by David Hykes and The Harmonic Choir Courtesy of Harmonic Presence Foundation “Resurrection in Hades” Written by John Tavener and Mother Thekla Performed by Joseph Jennings and the Chanticleer Choir and Chorus Courtesy of Warner Classics By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing “Berlioz: 7. Domine Jesu Christe [Requiem Op. 5 (Grande Messe des Morts)]” Performed by Wandsworth School Boys Choir, London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis Courtesy of Decca Music Group Ltd. Under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Siciliana Da Antiche Danze Ed Arie Suite III” Written by Ottorino Respighi Performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland Conducted by Rico Saccani Courtesy of Naxos By Arrangement with Source/Q “Hymn to Dionysus” Composed by Gustav Holst Performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus Courtesy of Unicorn-Kanchana Records “My Country –Vltava (The Moldau)” Composed by Bedrich Smetana Performed by Vaclav Smetacek and The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Courtesy of SUPRAPHON “Brahms: 2. Andante moderato [Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98]” Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg Under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Symphony No. 3” Written by Henryk Górecki Performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit Courtesy of Naxos By Arrangement with Source/Q “Pièces de clavecin, Book II 6e Ordre N5:Les Barricades Mistérieuses Written by Francois Couperin (1668-1733) Performed by Angela Hewitt Courtesy of Hyperion Records Ltd. “J.S Bach: Fugue [Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565]” Performed by Helmut Walcha Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon, GmbH, Hamburg Under license from Universal Music Enterprises “The Well-Tempered Clavier” Written by Johann Sebastian Bach Performed by Jenő Jandó Courtesy of Naxos By arrangement with Source/Q “Pièces de clavecin, Book II 6e Ordre N5: Les Barricades Mistérieuses Written by Francois Couperin Performed by Hanan Townshend Courtesy of Hanan Townshend “Hymn 87: Welcome Happy Morning” Performed by Hanan Townshend Courtesy of Hanan Townshend "Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Promenade - The Tuileries - Bydio (Piano Version)" Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy Courtesy of Decca Music Group Ltd. Under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Schumann: 1. Allegro affettuoso [Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54]” Performed by Martha Argerich, Gewandhausorchester, Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly Courtesy of Decca Music Group Ltd. Under license from Univesral Music Enterprises “Klangschalen 2” Written and Performed by Klaus Wiese Courtesy of Akasha, Germany “Eternal Pulse” Written and Performed by Hanan Townshend Courtesy of Hanan Townshend “After the Rain: Antiphon” Written by Barry Guy Performed by Richard Hickox and the City of London Sinfonia Courtesy of NMC Recordings “Harold in Italy” Written by Hector Berlioz Performed by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yoav Talmi Courtesy of Naxos By Arrangement with Source/Q 42 “Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major K. 545” Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Performed by Jim Lynch “Siciliana Da Antiche Danze Ed Arie Suite III” Written by Ottorino Respighi Performed by Hanan Townshend Courtesy of Hanan Towhnshend “Lacrimosa 2” Written by Zbigniew Preisner Performed by Hanan Townshend Courtesy of Hanan Townshend “Berlioz: 10. Agnus Dei [Requiem, Op. 5 (Grande Messe des Morts)]” Performed by Wandsworth School Boys Choir, London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis Courtesy of Decca Music Group Ltd. Under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Sound Testament of Mount Athos” Written, Performed and Produced by Arsenije Jovanovic Courtesy of Arsenije Jovanovic “Ma Maison” Written, Performed and Produced by Arsenije Jovanovic Courtesy of Arsenije Jovanovic
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Well, there goes Desplat's Oscar nomination. For this film at least. I still think he's got a very good chance with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II".
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Well, there goes Desplat's Oscar nomination. For a Malick film? Sure, some care about these things, but did anyone really think that was going to happen?
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Well, it shouldn't be eligible, but the Academy seems to have flung the rule book out the window over the last few years in the Best Original Score category. For all I know, they'll nominate "Tree of Life" anyway, and it may even win. Not that I would complain about Desplat winning an Oscar...
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Amen. And Alexandre Desplat gets a free orchestral recording of his music out of it. Not a bad deal.
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Well guys, I can tell you right now that only a minor portion of Desplat's score can be heard and that 80 to 85 % is classical music (even from Preisner). I saw the movie yesterday and it floored me. I know reviews have been mixed but this is Malick's masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. The visuals are mesmerizing but the way he tells the story of these three brothers of which the oldest one has a difficult relationship with his father just blew me away emotionally (the story is really close to home for me...). I'm sorry for mister Desplat (I'm a big fan) but Malick uses these classical pieces in such a masterful way that I honestly can't be bothered. The movie is an experience and brought me to tears several times. It's not for everyone but it's one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. I will still get the CD though.
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Some critics (in Europe) are calling it 'a pretentious folly'. I think it's better than 2001. Kubrick was the intellectual, Malick is a poet.
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