1 |
The
Golden Compass |
2 |
Sky ferry |
3 |
Letters from Bolvangar |
4 |
Lyra,
Roger and Billy |
5 |
Mrs
Coulter |
6 |
Lyra escapes |
| 7 |
The Magisterium |
8 |
Dust |
9 |
Serafina Pekkala |
10 |
Lee
Scoresby's airship adventure |
11 |
Iorek
Byrnison |
12 |
Lord
Faa, King of the Gyptians |
13 |
The
Golden Monkey |
14 |
Riding
Iorek |
15 |
Samoyed
attack |
16 |
Lord
Asriel |
17 |
Ragnar
Sturlusson |
18 |
Ice
Bear combat |
19 |
Iorek's
victory |
20 |
The
ice bridge |
21 |
Rescuing
the children |
22 |
Intercision |
23 |
Mother |
24 |
Battle
with the Tartars |
25 |
Epilogue |
26 |
Lyra
- Performed by Kate Bush |
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW:
And Oscar-nominated composer Alexandre Desplat scores another
point with us. After impressing us with his restrained yet
emotionally gripping composition for Lust,
Caution (2007), the Frenchman has proved his versatility
by tackling a new genre – the fantasy blockbuster. While
the movie did not exactly hit it off with critics, you can
be sure the music will. Desplat’s richly complex work
for the first installment of this trilogy may not be your
grand, majestic and memorable Lord of the Rings material (the
film adaptations of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials
are touted to be New Line Cinema’s next money-milking
cow after a certain worldwide phenomenon called The Lord of
the Rings), but the listening experience is nothing short
of extraordinarily remarkable.
There
is a lot to discover in this generous 74-minute soundtrack
album. “The Golden Compass” starts off the journey
with a subdued and mysteriously calming main theme that ends
with a tenderly arranged string ensemble melody. Picking up
energy is the next track “Sky Ferry” which flightily
brings listeners on a lively escapade interspersed with a
solemn oboe solo. A few moments later, join the perilous voyage
in “Lyra Escapes” as hurried brasses are accompanied
by high-pitched woodwinds to create a mood of threat and risk
as our heroine escapes from the bad guys. The soaring “Lee
Scoresby's Airship Adventure” has a heroic feel to it,
with a full orchestra playing gallantly.
And
these are just some of the various exciting worlds Desplat
has created musically.
If
there is something to pick on, it’d be the brief track
lengths (most cues run at two-odd minutes), and the many buildups
for the many tracks (all 25 of them!) which may result in
the need for repeated listens to realize the complexities
of this score. Also, English singer songwriter’s performance
of the end credits song “Lyra” is less than spectacular.
While we have nothing against the acclaimed musician’s
vocals, she is no Enya or Annie Lennox. The soundtrack definitely
doesn’t end on a high note with this track.
And
we can’t wait for Desplat to impress us with the sequel
score to the second installment of this trilogy, provided
that the studios decide to carry on with the project after
its less-than-satisfactory reception.
ALBUM
RATING:
Recommended Track: (10) Lee Scoresby's Airship Adventure
Review
by John Li
|
