Okay, so Hans gave the music reins to Harry so Hans could compose another animated movie. How did Harry fare? He's done brilliantly, in my opinion. How so? I'll explain by addressing a few concerns some score collectors had.
"I heard it didn't have a main theme."
This score does have a central theme and it revolves around the theme(s) first heard in "The Crusaders". The children choir's section used in "The Crusades" is used again in the following track, "Sword Play". But where the major new theme appears is on the track titled "A New World". Here a small choir piece sings the theme to the clanking of sticks (?) kind of like a clock, a la "Journey to the Line" from The Thin Red Line.
"Okay, so there's Middle Eastern sound in the score?"
Yep, starting on "To Jerusalem". When you listen to the score, notice the smooth transition Harry makes from a European feel to a Mid East feel. The first five tracks are euro all the way then track six changes the emphasis of the listen. Remember that children choir section I told you about? The theme they sing is wonderfully played out by the orchestra in "Rise A Knight" accompanied by the choir. ("Rise A Knight" does not appear on the film.) "The King" is where we hear a new theme that I truly don't know what's it's a theme for. Maybe it's the theme for the King and Christians. I'm not too sure I only saw the film once.
"Are there bombastic, orchestral sweeps of action music in here?"
Well, not really but there are some action songs. The action begins with "The Battle of Kerak". The part of the song where the strings build tension was heard on the long trailer for the film. The score shifts from chaos to slow, tension movements then ends with a female vocalist singing that children's choir piece first heard in "A New World." Most of the songs from here after are action songs with Arabic vocals and themes because of the Muslim-Christian clashes. The interplay is nicely done which is why this score is praised by many a reviewer and dramatic score lover.
The ending song is the reprise of Ibelin only this time it's sung. Quite nicely sung, I might add. Too bad Harry didn't get an Oscar nomination for his hard work done on this score.
Harry Gregson-Williams is one of the few real good composers to come out of the Media Ventures workshop. His music does not sound too much like the other scores others write. Lately, he's been famous for his animated movie scores but Kingdom of Heaven really allowed Harry prove to Hollywood that he is an "A" composer. I must also add that this CD is not just for anyone. I recommend it to Harry fans, drama score fans and ethnic music fans. Some Media Venture purists might not enjoy this score much for its lack of repetitive themes, loud, electronic action songs and Zimmer-like composition. Oh, and if you're expecting to listen to a Gladiator-type score, this is not it. Gladiator focused more on action. Kingdom of Heaven focuses more on thematic material and subtleness.
My Rating: 5 Stars
"I heard it didn't have a main theme."
This score does have a central theme and it revolves around the theme(s) first heard in "The Crusaders". The children choir's section used in "The Crusades" is used again in the following track, "Sword Play". But where the major new theme appears is on the track titled "A New World". Here a small choir piece sings the theme to the clanking of sticks (?) kind of like a clock, a la "Journey to the Line" from The Thin Red Line.
"Okay, so there's Middle Eastern sound in the score?"
Yep, starting on "To Jerusalem". When you listen to the score, notice the smooth transition Harry makes from a European feel to a Mid East feel. The first five tracks are euro all the way then track six changes the emphasis of the listen. Remember that children choir section I told you about? The theme they sing is wonderfully played out by the orchestra in "Rise A Knight" accompanied by the choir. ("Rise A Knight" does not appear on the film.) "The King" is where we hear a new theme that I truly don't know what's it's a theme for. Maybe it's the theme for the King and Christians. I'm not too sure I only saw the film once.
"Are there bombastic, orchestral sweeps of action music in here?"
Well, not really but there are some action songs. The action begins with "The Battle of Kerak". The part of the song where the strings build tension was heard on the long trailer for the film. The score shifts from chaos to slow, tension movements then ends with a female vocalist singing that children's choir piece first heard in "A New World." Most of the songs from here after are action songs with Arabic vocals and themes because of the Muslim-Christian clashes. The interplay is nicely done which is why this score is praised by many a reviewer and dramatic score lover.
The ending song is the reprise of Ibelin only this time it's sung. Quite nicely sung, I might add. Too bad Harry didn't get an Oscar nomination for his hard work done on this score.
Harry Gregson-Williams is one of the few real good composers to come out of the Media Ventures workshop. His music does not sound too much like the other scores others write. Lately, he's been famous for his animated movie scores but Kingdom of Heaven really allowed Harry prove to Hollywood that he is an "A" composer. I must also add that this CD is not just for anyone. I recommend it to Harry fans, drama score fans and ethnic music fans. Some Media Venture purists might not enjoy this score much for its lack of repetitive themes, loud, electronic action songs and Zimmer-like composition. Oh, and if you're expecting to listen to a Gladiator-type score, this is not it. Gladiator focused more on action. Kingdom of Heaven focuses more on thematic material and subtleness.
My Rating: 5 Stars
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