First Knight
Jerry Goldsmith
" First Knight Lives! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
"We interrupt this review for a special announcement. Reporting to sources there have been casualties at the premiere of the movie First Knight. People seem to have been infected with the 'I came in contact with damn good film music' syndrome". It is not the first time Jerry Goldsmith's music completely blew people out of the theatre. While some thought differently about Jerry Zucker's interpretation, First Knight was an enjoyable take on the tale of King Arthur. It is fair to say that Jerry Goldsmith didn't disappoint either. But then again, he rarely did in that time.
First Knight as an album received its treatment in 1995, but were 40 minutes enough to represent the scope of this score? Nope and La-La Land felt the same once they made this complete limited edition possible. They presented the listener with an immense challenge. Trying to stay relaxed while the one bombastic sound after the other entered their subconscious. There isn't a better surround system than the two speakers on your head and Goldsmith attends to exercise them a bit. For 78 minutes it is Goldsmith that attends to verbalize in scope what epic soundtracks need to bring. During that time, fans of First Knight will have the time of their life. It also gives you the opportunity to find out that Goldsmith used leitmotifs to represent each important character throughout the movie.
What the 40 minute release failed to deliver was the main theme of Lancelot, the main character of this story. His action version aside in the thundering "Night Battle", numerous moments were left from the album, showing us Lancelot's heroic actions. Apart from all of this, multiple examples of outstanding action music were deleted from the tracklisting (for god knows what reason).
It's that action music that shows us once again that Jerry Goldsmith defeats the composers of today even after all this time. In "Raid on Leonesse" he not only introduces the brief Lancelot theme and the foul Malagant theme, but he also delivers you the sound and frenetic pace that would make "Arthur's Farewell" one of the greatest tracks of Jerry Goldsmith's career. Another unreleased gem turns out to be "True Love / The Ambush / First Sight" that delivers you suspenseful and heroic action music that sets the forest on fire.
The wonderful pairing of Arthur's fanfare and Lancelot's theme show you that they will inevitably fall for the same women in "True Love / The Ambush / First Sight"". In just 30 seconds of music, Goldsmith delivers you two fantastic themes, something albums of today can't even seem to deliver in 80 minutes. Other moments of this kind of genius turn up in the same track, when Lancelot and the love theme show us that there is really no point that Arthur should even try to make a move on Guinevere. You get the same feeling once you hear Lancelot's heroic explosive version mixed with a variation of the love theme in "The Gauntlet / No Kiss".
The love theme moments are numerous throughout the album. The surging version on strings and flutes in "Does It Please You / Look at Me", the gentle moment in "Camelot", the soft whispers in the courtyard of "No Joy / Try Her / Wedding Plans / I Will Fight", the tenderly kissing of raindrops in "Prove It" to the embrace of marriage in "A New Life" as it breaths dying love into the majestic Arthur's fanfare. "The Kiss" shows us a wonderful moment of a dying love theme and a complicated Lancelot theme, proving that right there Arthur makes his death sentence. There's even the chance to hear the love theme in an action version during "Boat Trip", proving that Goldsmith delivered complexity in just about any moment.
But since there are new tracks aplenty, you'll discover the absolute treasure of Goldsmith's classic music as well. For instance that thrilling action version of the love theme in "Boat Trip", Lancelot's all conquering version on pursuit in "The Cave" and the frenetic action music in "Escape from the Cave". Those are just some of the amazing examples I have to mention again and again.
Heroic encores that never fail to inspire, now that's something First Knight has plenty off. The spectacular build-up that leads to Arthur's amazing fanfare in "Promise Me", the majestic continuation of that fanfare with an additional climax in "Camelot", and the thrilling delight of "Night Battle" that once again delivers Goldsmith in classic action mode, putting Lancelot's theme through a wonderful active variation. But the track that conquers everything else is still Goldsmith's own Carmina Burana, his choral masterpiece and inevitable show stopper "Arthur's Farewell". Now the action music that formed "Raid on Leonesse" gets a choral accompaniment that puts today's epic music to shame. My favourite moment during all of this is the moment where Lancelot sees and grabs Excalibur, showing to Malagant that it is all about making sure you're the only one with a sword!
Of course Arthur's choral farewell is brilliant too, and always sends shivers to the spine. His send off in "Never Surrender" speaks louder than words ever could. The end credits entitled "Camelot Lives" makes us re-live the love theme and Arthur's theme.
We have all been experiencing music one way or another these past few years. And over time one thing had made it abundantly clear: music is all about emotion. Emotion can either be brought through simplistic measures or through enormous complexity. When that complexity is matched with a composer's golden voice, you get memorable film music. A complete or expanded edition will not change your impression of it whatsoever. It's then you'll realize why someone decided to show you what fine material was missing from the original album. This release presents more themes, more goosebumps, ... more fantastic music. The expanded First Knight album reaches that very essence what makes film music legendary. Don't question it anymore. Experience it to realize that Jerry Goldsmith composed music on a wholly different level.
First Knight (1995 release) ****1/2
First Knight 2 CD (2011 release) *****
Tracklisting
CD 1: 78.04
1. The Legend of Camelot (0.58)
2. Raid on Leonesse (5.12) Excellent track
3. True Love / The Ambush / First Sight (6.24) Excellent track
4. Does It Please You / Look at Me (3.25) Excellent track
5. Promise Me (2.20) Excellent track
6. Camelot (2.37) Excellent track
7. Gauntlet Drums (1.50)
8. Meet the Queen (0.45)
9. The Gauntlet / No Kiss (2.02) Excellent track
10. No Joy / Try Her / Wedding Plans / I Will Fight (2.58)
11. Boat Trip (2.03) Excellent track
12. The Cave (2.14) Excellent track
13. Walls of Air (1.33)
14. Escape from the Cave (3.25) Excellent track
15. Prove It (2.55)
16. A New Life (5.38) Excellent track
17. To Leonesse (3.24)
18. Night Battle (5.53) Excellent track
19. Village Ruins (3.19)
20. The Kiss (1.59)
21. Open the Door /No One Move (1.58)
22. Arthur's Farewell (5.25) Excellent track
23. Never Surrender (5.40) Excellent track
24. Camelot Lives (4.04) Excellent track
CD 2: 67.53
1. Arthur's Fanfare (0.45)
2. Promise Me (4.04)
3. Camelot (2.19)
4. Raid on Leonesse (4.26)
5. A New Life (4.54)
6. To Leonesse (3.25)
7. Night Battle (5.39)
8. Village Ruins (3.20)
9. Arthur's Farewell (5.25)
10. Camelot Lives (5.40)
Bonus Tracks
11. The Ambush / First Sight (alternate) (5.46)
12. Boat Trip (alternate segment) (1.05)
13. A New Life (alternate 1) (5.37)
14. A New Life (alternate 2) (3.14)
15. To Leonesse (alternate) (2.40)
16. Village Ruins (alternate) (3.29)
17. Never Surrender (alternate) (5.20)
First Knight as an album received its treatment in 1995, but were 40 minutes enough to represent the scope of this score? Nope and La-La Land felt the same once they made this complete limited edition possible. They presented the listener with an immense challenge. Trying to stay relaxed while the one bombastic sound after the other entered their subconscious. There isn't a better surround system than the two speakers on your head and Goldsmith attends to exercise them a bit. For 78 minutes it is Goldsmith that attends to verbalize in scope what epic soundtracks need to bring. During that time, fans of First Knight will have the time of their life. It also gives you the opportunity to find out that Goldsmith used leitmotifs to represent each important character throughout the movie.
What the 40 minute release failed to deliver was the main theme of Lancelot, the main character of this story. His action version aside in the thundering "Night Battle", numerous moments were left from the album, showing us Lancelot's heroic actions. Apart from all of this, multiple examples of outstanding action music were deleted from the tracklisting (for god knows what reason).
It's that action music that shows us once again that Jerry Goldsmith defeats the composers of today even after all this time. In "Raid on Leonesse" he not only introduces the brief Lancelot theme and the foul Malagant theme, but he also delivers you the sound and frenetic pace that would make "Arthur's Farewell" one of the greatest tracks of Jerry Goldsmith's career. Another unreleased gem turns out to be "True Love / The Ambush / First Sight" that delivers you suspenseful and heroic action music that sets the forest on fire.
The wonderful pairing of Arthur's fanfare and Lancelot's theme show you that they will inevitably fall for the same women in "True Love / The Ambush / First Sight"". In just 30 seconds of music, Goldsmith delivers you two fantastic themes, something albums of today can't even seem to deliver in 80 minutes. Other moments of this kind of genius turn up in the same track, when Lancelot and the love theme show us that there is really no point that Arthur should even try to make a move on Guinevere. You get the same feeling once you hear Lancelot's heroic explosive version mixed with a variation of the love theme in "The Gauntlet / No Kiss".
The love theme moments are numerous throughout the album. The surging version on strings and flutes in "Does It Please You / Look at Me", the gentle moment in "Camelot", the soft whispers in the courtyard of "No Joy / Try Her / Wedding Plans / I Will Fight", the tenderly kissing of raindrops in "Prove It" to the embrace of marriage in "A New Life" as it breaths dying love into the majestic Arthur's fanfare. "The Kiss" shows us a wonderful moment of a dying love theme and a complicated Lancelot theme, proving that right there Arthur makes his death sentence. There's even the chance to hear the love theme in an action version during "Boat Trip", proving that Goldsmith delivered complexity in just about any moment.
But since there are new tracks aplenty, you'll discover the absolute treasure of Goldsmith's classic music as well. For instance that thrilling action version of the love theme in "Boat Trip", Lancelot's all conquering version on pursuit in "The Cave" and the frenetic action music in "Escape from the Cave". Those are just some of the amazing examples I have to mention again and again.
Heroic encores that never fail to inspire, now that's something First Knight has plenty off. The spectacular build-up that leads to Arthur's amazing fanfare in "Promise Me", the majestic continuation of that fanfare with an additional climax in "Camelot", and the thrilling delight of "Night Battle" that once again delivers Goldsmith in classic action mode, putting Lancelot's theme through a wonderful active variation. But the track that conquers everything else is still Goldsmith's own Carmina Burana, his choral masterpiece and inevitable show stopper "Arthur's Farewell". Now the action music that formed "Raid on Leonesse" gets a choral accompaniment that puts today's epic music to shame. My favourite moment during all of this is the moment where Lancelot sees and grabs Excalibur, showing to Malagant that it is all about making sure you're the only one with a sword!
Of course Arthur's choral farewell is brilliant too, and always sends shivers to the spine. His send off in "Never Surrender" speaks louder than words ever could. The end credits entitled "Camelot Lives" makes us re-live the love theme and Arthur's theme.
We have all been experiencing music one way or another these past few years. And over time one thing had made it abundantly clear: music is all about emotion. Emotion can either be brought through simplistic measures or through enormous complexity. When that complexity is matched with a composer's golden voice, you get memorable film music. A complete or expanded edition will not change your impression of it whatsoever. It's then you'll realize why someone decided to show you what fine material was missing from the original album. This release presents more themes, more goosebumps, ... more fantastic music. The expanded First Knight album reaches that very essence what makes film music legendary. Don't question it anymore. Experience it to realize that Jerry Goldsmith composed music on a wholly different level.
First Knight (1995 release) ****1/2
First Knight 2 CD (2011 release) *****
Tracklisting
CD 1: 78.04
1. The Legend of Camelot (0.58)
2. Raid on Leonesse (5.12) Excellent track
3. True Love / The Ambush / First Sight (6.24) Excellent track
4. Does It Please You / Look at Me (3.25) Excellent track
5. Promise Me (2.20) Excellent track
6. Camelot (2.37) Excellent track
7. Gauntlet Drums (1.50)
8. Meet the Queen (0.45)
9. The Gauntlet / No Kiss (2.02) Excellent track
10. No Joy / Try Her / Wedding Plans / I Will Fight (2.58)
11. Boat Trip (2.03) Excellent track
12. The Cave (2.14) Excellent track
13. Walls of Air (1.33)
14. Escape from the Cave (3.25) Excellent track
15. Prove It (2.55)
16. A New Life (5.38) Excellent track
17. To Leonesse (3.24)
18. Night Battle (5.53) Excellent track
19. Village Ruins (3.19)
20. The Kiss (1.59)
21. Open the Door /No One Move (1.58)
22. Arthur's Farewell (5.25) Excellent track
23. Never Surrender (5.40) Excellent track
24. Camelot Lives (4.04) Excellent track
CD 2: 67.53
1. Arthur's Fanfare (0.45)
2. Promise Me (4.04)
3. Camelot (2.19)
4. Raid on Leonesse (4.26)
5. A New Life (4.54)
6. To Leonesse (3.25)
7. Night Battle (5.39)
8. Village Ruins (3.20)
9. Arthur's Farewell (5.25)
10. Camelot Lives (5.40)
Bonus Tracks
11. The Ambush / First Sight (alternate) (5.46)
12. Boat Trip (alternate segment) (1.05)
13. A New Life (alternate 1) (5.37)
14. A New Life (alternate 2) (3.14)
15. To Leonesse (alternate) (2.40)
16. Village Ruins (alternate) (3.29)
17. Never Surrender (alternate) (5.20)