Moll Flanders
Mark Mancina
" extremely enjoyable listening experience "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
People think about Mark Mancina and remember directly several scores, one of them being Twister. Still, people should also remember Moll Flanders. The reason that they haven't yet is simple, it has to do with the history of the sound. The movie seemed to run on a low budget because Mark Mancina had to write the score fully on synthesizers. That he succeeded to make it enjoyable is solely the credit to the themes and the music he wrote for the movie.
Mancina has reacted with disappointment and stated that he indeed wanted to use an orchestra, which could have made the score indeed one of the best of the year. There are live instruments (violin, cello, woodwinds) but the sound is performed by Mark Mancina on his keyboards. Still, the sound or what kind of instrument has never been an argument with me, since I enjoy any kind it if simply is approved by my taste of the mind. Moll Flanders may upset you with this but if doing so, you are ignoring the beauty of Mancina's work. Overall, musically there is nothing wrong with the score and it is an extremely enjoyable listening experience.
First of all, though it may seem that Mark Mancina's music takes a lot of space on the disc, the score is also extremely filled with classical pieces of music, all used as source music or background music for the movie. Now, I don't know for sure but these pieces do still cost money and I wonder if the re use fees have made the attempt of Mancina not an orchestral but a synthesized one. Anyway, the pieces of classical music are all well known (if you have a bit of history in classical music) but I usually skip them, simply because they create a giant gap between the music of Mancina and the end credits. A shame yes but skipping them is not a giant problem with CD players anymore.
The score by Mancina on the other hand is extremely enjoyable and couldn't ask for a much more pleasing sound. It is not orchestral but it is still attractive and beautiful. The main theme is an attractive piece that accents emotion and love, but also a piece of nature that feels right at home. It is used in tracks 1, 7 and 19. "Moll's Jig" is as the name states it an Irish jig and more Tarzan influences are discovered in "Flesh and Blood". "Devil Woman" is an interesting one to digest, since it uses some moments distinctly from James Horner's Braveheart (most notably "The Battle of Stirling"). Horner fans will immediately pick this one up.
Further along "Voyage" is completely soothing since it introduces themes on flute and violin while tracks 10, 11 and 12 are still for me the most pleasing ones of them all. "Life Begins" uses a choir (since this one doesn't sound Media Ventures like at all, it is even more pleasing than before), "Sparrows" is the album's sole action / tense track which uses good rhythms and "Floria's Choice" has a short but glorious fanfare (heard before in 4). The song of Sarah McLachlan is good enough for a spin.
Moll Flanders is very special because it simply is a very entertaining listen and one of those scores that doesn't need too much for you to like it. Of course, people can still complain about the style meaning orchestral versus synthetic but if you do that, you are misplacing Mancina's ideas as pure synthetic rubbish. Ridiculous and it also would displace the music as non satisfying. I personally find the score to be very good and it offers themes that are easily enjoyable. If you search for that spot of personality and not directly the Mancina action sound, then there's nothing that keeps away from Moll Flanders.
Tracklisting
1. Moll of Flanders (4.16) Excellent track
2. Moll's Jig (2.10)
3. Flesh and Blood (3.31)
4. A New World (3.25)
5. Devil Woman (4.46)
6. We Were One (1.24)
7. Voyage (1.49)
8. Hibble's Tale (1.47)
9. Life Begins (3.30)
10. Sparrows (3.25) Excellent track
11. Floria's Choice (1.33) Excellent track
12. Full of Grace: Sarah McLachlan (3.37)
13. Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'amour *+ (4.08)
14. Allegro **++ (5.11)
15. Allegro *** (2.36)
16. Largo *** (3.33)
17. Air **+++ (6.47)
18. Hornpipe and Andante ****++ (8.02)
19. Moll Reprise (3.03) Excellent track
* Written by Offenbach
** Written by Bach
*** Written by Vivaldi
**** Written by Handel
+ Performed by L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande
++ Performed by The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
+++ Performed by The English Chamber Orchestra
Total Length: 69.11
Mancina has reacted with disappointment and stated that he indeed wanted to use an orchestra, which could have made the score indeed one of the best of the year. There are live instruments (violin, cello, woodwinds) but the sound is performed by Mark Mancina on his keyboards. Still, the sound or what kind of instrument has never been an argument with me, since I enjoy any kind it if simply is approved by my taste of the mind. Moll Flanders may upset you with this but if doing so, you are ignoring the beauty of Mancina's work. Overall, musically there is nothing wrong with the score and it is an extremely enjoyable listening experience.
First of all, though it may seem that Mark Mancina's music takes a lot of space on the disc, the score is also extremely filled with classical pieces of music, all used as source music or background music for the movie. Now, I don't know for sure but these pieces do still cost money and I wonder if the re use fees have made the attempt of Mancina not an orchestral but a synthesized one. Anyway, the pieces of classical music are all well known (if you have a bit of history in classical music) but I usually skip them, simply because they create a giant gap between the music of Mancina and the end credits. A shame yes but skipping them is not a giant problem with CD players anymore.
The score by Mancina on the other hand is extremely enjoyable and couldn't ask for a much more pleasing sound. It is not orchestral but it is still attractive and beautiful. The main theme is an attractive piece that accents emotion and love, but also a piece of nature that feels right at home. It is used in tracks 1, 7 and 19. "Moll's Jig" is as the name states it an Irish jig and more Tarzan influences are discovered in "Flesh and Blood". "Devil Woman" is an interesting one to digest, since it uses some moments distinctly from James Horner's Braveheart (most notably "The Battle of Stirling"). Horner fans will immediately pick this one up.
Further along "Voyage" is completely soothing since it introduces themes on flute and violin while tracks 10, 11 and 12 are still for me the most pleasing ones of them all. "Life Begins" uses a choir (since this one doesn't sound Media Ventures like at all, it is even more pleasing than before), "Sparrows" is the album's sole action / tense track which uses good rhythms and "Floria's Choice" has a short but glorious fanfare (heard before in 4). The song of Sarah McLachlan is good enough for a spin.
Moll Flanders is very special because it simply is a very entertaining listen and one of those scores that doesn't need too much for you to like it. Of course, people can still complain about the style meaning orchestral versus synthetic but if you do that, you are misplacing Mancina's ideas as pure synthetic rubbish. Ridiculous and it also would displace the music as non satisfying. I personally find the score to be very good and it offers themes that are easily enjoyable. If you search for that spot of personality and not directly the Mancina action sound, then there's nothing that keeps away from Moll Flanders.
Tracklisting
1. Moll of Flanders (4.16) Excellent track
2. Moll's Jig (2.10)
3. Flesh and Blood (3.31)
4. A New World (3.25)
5. Devil Woman (4.46)
6. We Were One (1.24)
7. Voyage (1.49)
8. Hibble's Tale (1.47)
9. Life Begins (3.30)
10. Sparrows (3.25) Excellent track
11. Floria's Choice (1.33) Excellent track
12. Full of Grace: Sarah McLachlan (3.37)
13. Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'amour *+ (4.08)
14. Allegro **++ (5.11)
15. Allegro *** (2.36)
16. Largo *** (3.33)
17. Air **+++ (6.47)
18. Hornpipe and Andante ****++ (8.02)
19. Moll Reprise (3.03) Excellent track
* Written by Offenbach
** Written by Bach
*** Written by Vivaldi
**** Written by Handel
+ Performed by L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande
++ Performed by The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
+++ Performed by The English Chamber Orchestra
Total Length: 69.11