Melbourne 2006: Commonwealth Games
Christopher Gordon
" What is it with games that inspire the composers to bring out their best? "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
Why is concert music, or ceremonial music or works written for sports games always that exiting? Perhaps it's got to do with the pompous nature, the glorious sounds it needs to produce, or the overblown way it can enhance the feelings of honour and majesty! Because with glory stands glorious music and what is better than to make an orchestra be heard! Many great composers have done it, and for the Australian Olympic Games they hired their own hero composer Christopher Gordon (born in Britain but having worked almost his entire career in Australia).
The man is behind some of the most beautiful creations outside of Hollywood, for instance Moby Dick and especially his brilliant On The Beach. However Gordon is most known for Master and Commander (even though the eclectic choices didn't pay off that well for me). Here he honors the fact that grand music must stay grand, proving this with one of those celebration knock-out releases.
The awkward "Countdown" might open the disc, it is the beautiful "Journey to the Stadium" that brings us to that glorious Christopher Gordon style, namely pompous, big and exiting. Think of it as a cousin to his amazing On the Beach music. He continues that spirit In "Welcome to the MCG" when he adds a variation on that theme to an unseen splendour of brevity and pompousness (Elfman almost in sound). It's a track that dances on orchestral key notes allright, like ceremonial music should always do.
The percussion ala Master and Commander in "Raising of the 3 Nation Flags" is brief and to the point, In "The Arrival of the Head" we reach Moby Dick greatness due to the extensive use of fanfares, all the while "The Nation Anthem" is an arrangement fit for movie standards. But when you get back to Gordon's music, you soon realize how good a composer he truly is. Once again you get those On the Beach quivers when you hear the main theme through shimmering trumpets. The track is called "Welcome to Melbourne" and it is one of those tracks where you paint your own visual ideas against.
In between Christopher Gordon's music we get some more pop oriented and vocal led entries. They aren't always that entertaining, but magical moments do tend to appear from time to time. The somewhat childish sounding "Boy on the Bay" delivers you a lovely children's choir moment in the begin, in "My Skin My Life" you receive ethereal vocals (reminding one of the style used in Alan Silvestri's The Legend of Mythica), "Under the Mily Way" sounds much more soothing while the jazzy "Cities" definitely delivers you a style you haven't heard yet on the album.
After those inclusions we return to Christopher Gordon territory and in "Queen's Baton Relay" the trumpets do shine again. With "Raising of the CGF Flag" Gordon's main theme gets another encore, due to another rousing build up. And in "Finale" the choir returns to end the festivities in grand manner. Maybe "Together we are One" is another one of those take-it-or-leave-it ballads, it still does the trick allright.
In the end, the selection of pop and orchestral music works, and both complement each other well by delivering the listener a stirring mix of strength and honour. The CD seems to be a limited release, so it might be a good thing to snatch up a copy if you ever see it lying somewhere. Because the pop music might not interest you, you'll not be disappointed once you discover how grand Gordon's music truly it. Because those that will hear it will be treated to music that brings you back to a happy place, where dreams aren't far away and where honour still stands for something. Musically Christopher Gordon takes you there in sheer exultation.
Tracklisting
1. Countdown (0.47)
2. Journey to the Stadium (2.22) Excellent track
3. Welcome to the MCG (3.24) Excellent track
4. Raising of the 3 Nation Flags (1.11)
5. The Arrival of the Head (2.10)
6. The Nation Anthem * (1.52)
7. Welcome to Melbourne (4.56) Excellent track
8. Boy on the Bay ** (8.18)
9. My Skin My Life + (6.13)
10. Under the Milky Way ++ (6.14)
11. Cities: The Cat Empire (3.36)
12. Queen's Baton Relay *** (2.38)
13. Raising of the CGF Flag (3.40) Excellent track
14. Together We Are One: Delta Goodrem (4.12) Excellent track
15. Finale (3.23)
* written by Peter Dodds McCormick, arranged by Christopher Gordon
** written by Paul Stanhope
*** written by Richard Mills
+ written by David Page, performed by Ursula Jovich
++ music and lyrics by Steven Kilbey & Karin Johnson, arranged by Christopher Gordon
Total Length: 55.17
The man is behind some of the most beautiful creations outside of Hollywood, for instance Moby Dick and especially his brilliant On The Beach. However Gordon is most known for Master and Commander (even though the eclectic choices didn't pay off that well for me). Here he honors the fact that grand music must stay grand, proving this with one of those celebration knock-out releases.
The awkward "Countdown" might open the disc, it is the beautiful "Journey to the Stadium" that brings us to that glorious Christopher Gordon style, namely pompous, big and exiting. Think of it as a cousin to his amazing On the Beach music. He continues that spirit In "Welcome to the MCG" when he adds a variation on that theme to an unseen splendour of brevity and pompousness (Elfman almost in sound). It's a track that dances on orchestral key notes allright, like ceremonial music should always do.
The percussion ala Master and Commander in "Raising of the 3 Nation Flags" is brief and to the point, In "The Arrival of the Head" we reach Moby Dick greatness due to the extensive use of fanfares, all the while "The Nation Anthem" is an arrangement fit for movie standards. But when you get back to Gordon's music, you soon realize how good a composer he truly is. Once again you get those On the Beach quivers when you hear the main theme through shimmering trumpets. The track is called "Welcome to Melbourne" and it is one of those tracks where you paint your own visual ideas against.
In between Christopher Gordon's music we get some more pop oriented and vocal led entries. They aren't always that entertaining, but magical moments do tend to appear from time to time. The somewhat childish sounding "Boy on the Bay" delivers you a lovely children's choir moment in the begin, in "My Skin My Life" you receive ethereal vocals (reminding one of the style used in Alan Silvestri's The Legend of Mythica), "Under the Mily Way" sounds much more soothing while the jazzy "Cities" definitely delivers you a style you haven't heard yet on the album.
After those inclusions we return to Christopher Gordon territory and in "Queen's Baton Relay" the trumpets do shine again. With "Raising of the CGF Flag" Gordon's main theme gets another encore, due to another rousing build up. And in "Finale" the choir returns to end the festivities in grand manner. Maybe "Together we are One" is another one of those take-it-or-leave-it ballads, it still does the trick allright.
In the end, the selection of pop and orchestral music works, and both complement each other well by delivering the listener a stirring mix of strength and honour. The CD seems to be a limited release, so it might be a good thing to snatch up a copy if you ever see it lying somewhere. Because the pop music might not interest you, you'll not be disappointed once you discover how grand Gordon's music truly it. Because those that will hear it will be treated to music that brings you back to a happy place, where dreams aren't far away and where honour still stands for something. Musically Christopher Gordon takes you there in sheer exultation.
Tracklisting
1. Countdown (0.47)
2. Journey to the Stadium (2.22) Excellent track
3. Welcome to the MCG (3.24) Excellent track
4. Raising of the 3 Nation Flags (1.11)
5. The Arrival of the Head (2.10)
6. The Nation Anthem * (1.52)
7. Welcome to Melbourne (4.56) Excellent track
8. Boy on the Bay ** (8.18)
9. My Skin My Life + (6.13)
10. Under the Milky Way ++ (6.14)
11. Cities: The Cat Empire (3.36)
12. Queen's Baton Relay *** (2.38)
13. Raising of the CGF Flag (3.40) Excellent track
14. Together We Are One: Delta Goodrem (4.12) Excellent track
15. Finale (3.23)
* written by Peter Dodds McCormick, arranged by Christopher Gordon
** written by Paul Stanhope
*** written by Richard Mills
+ written by David Page, performed by Ursula Jovich
++ music and lyrics by Steven Kilbey & Karin Johnson, arranged by Christopher Gordon
Total Length: 55.17