Tristan & Isolde
Anne Dudley
" The album has its fair part of underscore, but for film music fans who are not frightened off by this prospect, they will discover some very nice and unexpected gems. "Written by Marie-Lise Van Wassenhove
After countless adaptations and rewrites of that oh-so-familiar Shakespearean tragedy about those "two star-crossed lovers", Hollywood decided to pull another tragic love story from under the dark medieval dust. Tristan and Isolde is a story that for most of us, rings a bell somewhere in the back of our head, but very often that's about it.
The Celtic sage (written down in the 12th century by French poet De Béroul) tells the tragic story of the star crossed lovers, Tristan and Isolde who fall madly in love with each other after accidentally drinking from a "lovecup." Just one little problem: Isolde is engaged to King Mark, Tristan's uncle. It won't come as a big surprise that the story doesn't end "happily ever after". Again, there's a lot of work for the local undertakers.
In comparison with its Shakespearean sister, this story hasn't been the object of much attention in Hollywood, perhaps because the hatred between "two households both alike in dignity in fair Verona" offers more dramatic opportunities then a simple "lovecup". The movie itself also came and went rather unnoticed in theaters; if I hadn't been interested in the subject (medieval), I wouldn't even have known there was a movie. It seemed strange, especially given the not so unattractive presence of James Franco, Sophia Myles and Rufus Sewell. The unenthusiastic welcome by the critics might of course explain some of this hasty transit through cinemas...
Director Kevin Reynolds decided to entrust the music to British composer Anne Dudley, known especially for her fantastic work on American History X.
I was really looking forward to hearing this score. The story has just about everything for great music: romance, tragic, Celtic elements, even a fight here and there. And I was disappointed. Some tracks do have a romantic sound (the very tender "A Love so Alike", "Secrets in the Woods" and "My Face in Thine Eye"). Others are more tragic (the melodramatic "a King's Service"). A few sound a bit Celtic ("A Different Land", "The Tournament"), and there are more action oriented pieces as well, but the whole blend stays strangely superficial, with lots of soporific underscore.
Furthermore, there must not have been much money left for the final recordings. The more action oriented pieces, especially "Ambush in the Forest", "Warriors Begin", "The Drawbridge is Lowered" and "Tristan's Final Stand", are painful to hear. The music was clearly written for a vaster orchestra, which apparently wasn't foreseen in the budget. The "squalling" brass gives a very cheap and unprofessional impression! A shame...
Ok, all this negative talk doesn't mean the score hasn't its good parts. The solo violin in "Young Tristan", breaking through after some mysterious and dark underscore, is very beautiful, soft and tender. "A Different Land" is sufficiently lively and optimistic to break the gloomy atmosphere of the album. In "Isolde's Dream", an original jazz-like part surprises and manages to catch the attention, the same is present in "Dangerous Game" in which a more exotic rhythm steals the show.
The love theme, presented in "Love so Alike" and "Secrets in the Woods" and often played by piano and/or violin, is sensitive, gentle and a tiny bit fatalistic. However, I kind of miss that "big all-devouring passion." The album ends with the sombre "None Can Die", in which the love theme touchingly resonates one last time.
It isn't easy to pass "final judgment" to Tristan and Isolde. On one hand, my disappointment is still there. The score could have been so much more, if only there had been some extra money to bring Dudley's vision alive. On the other hand, the music certainly has its qualities. Dudley might not have written the grandest love theme, however it's very effective in all its simplicity.
The album has its fair part of underscore, but for film music fans who are not frightened off by this prospect, they will discover some very nice and unexpected gems. It just may take a few attempts at listening.
Tracklisting
1. Young Tristan (3.03)
2. The Irish Raid (3.01)
3. The Queen's Funeral (1.59)
4. A Different Land (1.21)
5. A King's Lament (1.48)
6. Isolde's Dream (2.49)
7. Two Loves Be One (1.07)
8. Ambush in the Forest (2.16)
9. A King's Service (2.31)
10. Love So Alike (1.35)
11. Dangerous Game (2.12)
12. Warriors Begin (1.27)
13. Wedding Cortege (2.08)
14. Leaving Forever (1.50)
15. Back From the Dead (2.54)
16. My Face in Thine Eye (2.10)
17. The Tournament (2.21)
18. Betrayal (1.36)
19. I Dream of You (1.46)
20. Living Without Love (2.46)
21. The Drawbridge is Lowered (1.54)
22. Secrets in the Woods (3.16)
23. Tristan's Final Stand (1.52)
24. None Can Die (3.22)
Total Length: 53.04
The Celtic sage (written down in the 12th century by French poet De Béroul) tells the tragic story of the star crossed lovers, Tristan and Isolde who fall madly in love with each other after accidentally drinking from a "lovecup." Just one little problem: Isolde is engaged to King Mark, Tristan's uncle. It won't come as a big surprise that the story doesn't end "happily ever after". Again, there's a lot of work for the local undertakers.
In comparison with its Shakespearean sister, this story hasn't been the object of much attention in Hollywood, perhaps because the hatred between "two households both alike in dignity in fair Verona" offers more dramatic opportunities then a simple "lovecup". The movie itself also came and went rather unnoticed in theaters; if I hadn't been interested in the subject (medieval), I wouldn't even have known there was a movie. It seemed strange, especially given the not so unattractive presence of James Franco, Sophia Myles and Rufus Sewell. The unenthusiastic welcome by the critics might of course explain some of this hasty transit through cinemas...
Director Kevin Reynolds decided to entrust the music to British composer Anne Dudley, known especially for her fantastic work on American History X.
I was really looking forward to hearing this score. The story has just about everything for great music: romance, tragic, Celtic elements, even a fight here and there. And I was disappointed. Some tracks do have a romantic sound (the very tender "A Love so Alike", "Secrets in the Woods" and "My Face in Thine Eye"). Others are more tragic (the melodramatic "a King's Service"). A few sound a bit Celtic ("A Different Land", "The Tournament"), and there are more action oriented pieces as well, but the whole blend stays strangely superficial, with lots of soporific underscore.
Furthermore, there must not have been much money left for the final recordings. The more action oriented pieces, especially "Ambush in the Forest", "Warriors Begin", "The Drawbridge is Lowered" and "Tristan's Final Stand", are painful to hear. The music was clearly written for a vaster orchestra, which apparently wasn't foreseen in the budget. The "squalling" brass gives a very cheap and unprofessional impression! A shame...
Ok, all this negative talk doesn't mean the score hasn't its good parts. The solo violin in "Young Tristan", breaking through after some mysterious and dark underscore, is very beautiful, soft and tender. "A Different Land" is sufficiently lively and optimistic to break the gloomy atmosphere of the album. In "Isolde's Dream", an original jazz-like part surprises and manages to catch the attention, the same is present in "Dangerous Game" in which a more exotic rhythm steals the show.
The love theme, presented in "Love so Alike" and "Secrets in the Woods" and often played by piano and/or violin, is sensitive, gentle and a tiny bit fatalistic. However, I kind of miss that "big all-devouring passion." The album ends with the sombre "None Can Die", in which the love theme touchingly resonates one last time.
It isn't easy to pass "final judgment" to Tristan and Isolde. On one hand, my disappointment is still there. The score could have been so much more, if only there had been some extra money to bring Dudley's vision alive. On the other hand, the music certainly has its qualities. Dudley might not have written the grandest love theme, however it's very effective in all its simplicity.
The album has its fair part of underscore, but for film music fans who are not frightened off by this prospect, they will discover some very nice and unexpected gems. It just may take a few attempts at listening.
Tracklisting
1. Young Tristan (3.03)
2. The Irish Raid (3.01)
3. The Queen's Funeral (1.59)
4. A Different Land (1.21)
5. A King's Lament (1.48)
6. Isolde's Dream (2.49)
7. Two Loves Be One (1.07)
8. Ambush in the Forest (2.16)
9. A King's Service (2.31)
10. Love So Alike (1.35)
11. Dangerous Game (2.12)
12. Warriors Begin (1.27)
13. Wedding Cortege (2.08)
14. Leaving Forever (1.50)
15. Back From the Dead (2.54)
16. My Face in Thine Eye (2.10)
17. The Tournament (2.21)
18. Betrayal (1.36)
19. I Dream of You (1.46)
20. Living Without Love (2.46)
21. The Drawbridge is Lowered (1.54)
22. Secrets in the Woods (3.16)
23. Tristan's Final Stand (1.52)
24. None Can Die (3.22)
Total Length: 53.04