1 |
World
Trade Center Cello Theme (3:43) |
2 |
World
Trade Center Piano Theme (4:01) |
3 |
New
York Awakes (2:30) |
4 |
The
Drive Downtown (3:52) |
5 |
Rise
Above The Towers (2:26) |
6 |
World
Trade Center Choral Piece (2:41) |
| 7 |
John
& Donna Talk About Their Family (1:25) |
8 |
Ethereal
(5:25) |
9 |
John's
Woodshed (1:39) |
10 |
Marine
Arrives At Ground Zero (2:57) |
11 |
Will
And Allison In The Hospital (1:54) |
12 |
Allison
At The Stoplight (1:08) |
13 |
Jimeno
Sees Jesus (1:43) |
14 |
John
And Will Found/Will Ascends (5:05) |
15 |
John's
Apparition (2:31) |
16 |
John
Rescued/Resolution (7:47) |
17 |
Elegy
(4:39) |
18 |
Ethereal
Piano Coda (2:09) |
REVIEW
For
a film with a topic as grave as the September 11 attacks on
the World Trade Center, one would expect a maestro like John
Williams to score its soundtrack. So when Craig Armstrong
was signed on to compose the music for this controversial
movie, soundtrack collectors were all ready to jump onto the
critic wagon to slam his work. We
are happy to report that Armstrong’s score does not
disappoint – it even gets points for effectively bringing
out the uplifting, courageous and hopeful spirit of the film.
You see, a movie like this could do without constant mindless
bombastic music.
The
Scottish composer, whose works include The Quiet American
(2002) and Ray (2004), continues his restrained signature
style in his latest work. To the casual ear, this album may
seem slow and unmotivated, without any identifiable main theme
and action cues that excite the senses. But upon closer listening,
we wish that you’d take time to appreciate the layered
cues that elegantly express the film’s emotional narrative.
To soak into the mood of this 58-minute album, one should
make efforts to understand the solemn nature of the film,
and understand that it is only appropriate that Armstrong
took this approach to score the music. The large use of piano
and strings steadily plods the music along without rushing
the pace of the album. The very controlled and fine balance
between sorrow and hope is also evident in the tracks.
To spice
things up a bit, do listen out for cues like “Jimeno
Sees Jesus” where electronic guitar strums featured
with choral solos are used to affective effect; and “John
and Will Found/ Will Ascends” where there is a brief
moment which light percussions and synthesizer beats heighten
the rhythm.
If
you are an impatient listener, this album may be too long
and repetitive for your liking. But we’d encourage you
to listen to “John Rescued/ Resolution”, because
it appropriately and movingly summarizes the whole mood and
feel of the album – and that is enough to appreciate
the film musically; and hopefully, to realize the hopeful
message behind the tragedy.
SOUNDTRACK
RATING:
Review
by John Li
|
