(The following donated review by Christian Kuehn was moved by Filmtracks to this comment section in March, 2008)

The Prince of Egypt: (Hans Zimmer/Stephen Schwartz) This is my favorite Zimmer score and I consider it to be one of the best scores for an animated picture in recent history (number 1 is of course, guess who?, Beauty and the Beast).

The music is performed by a full orchestra, a big choir, Ofra Haza doing the vocals in two tracks as well as Zimmer's trademark synthesizers. There are two main themes for The Prince of Egypt: the first one can be described as "Egyptian Theme" and it opens the first score track, "The Reprimand". It is a slow and melancholic theme in the minor key, but it sounds threatening and powerful. The track then shifts to a more lively, "rustic" kind of music, complete with ethnic woodwind instruments and percussion. It features also some (typical) outbursts of the orchestra and/or synthesizers. The next track, "Following Tziporrah", is more quiet, performed mostly by woodwinds and soft percussion. Track #6, "Goodbye Brother", is a very powerful and dramatic piece, heard in the film when Moses throws a guard from a building. The vocals by Ofra Haza in this track are haunting, and a highlight of the album. One grand track follows, "The Burning Bush". Opening with a female choir and soft electronic sounds, this track offers the noble and excellent "God Theme". I believe, this is the best theme Zimmer has written in his entire career. At about 4:30, the music swells at to a great crescendo with a powerful rendition of the God theme. The track closes with another performance of Ofra Haza and a new theme performed by choir and brass as well as ethnic instruments doing the Egyptian theme. It sounds absolutely fantastic. The next score track "Cry", is more quiet, but nonetheless highly dramatic (in a very subtle way). #11 and #13 are short and mellow and a rather transitional tracks to the following songs.

The absolute highlight of The Prince of Egypt is the last score track, "Red Sea". Cross-fading from #14, is also opens soft but soon erupts to massive choir rendition of the God theme. After a burst from a ethnic horn (I think), the music builds slowly up to a huge (and I mean HUGE) outburst of the God theme with choir, orchestra and sythies. It is awesome to listen to and better than all other highlights of 1998 together. At 3:30, the track picks up speed and becomes loud and overwhelming. The Egyptian theme is presented with incredible power, as the Pharaoh and his army follow Moses and his folk through the Red Sea. As "God" makes the Red Sea flow in again, another orchestral outbursts is heard, as the Egyptians are swallowed up. This track is extremely, extremely good and it deserves a compilation-place at any rate. By the way, who wants more of Zimmer's fantastic score can found two tracks on the Walmart-CD, "POE-Collector's Music Edition". Pick it up, when you can find it, I'm still searching (could somebody help me?)

Regarding the songs, I don't want to say much, except: they are all good (except for the last four pop-songs), combining rather intelligent lyrics by Stephen Schwartz with a solid orchestral back-ground provided by Zimmer and his Media Ventures friends. Especially good are: "Deliver us", "Look through heaven Eyes" (very lively and rustic) and "If you believe". With The Prince of Egypt, Zimmer has created a extremely powerful and thematically rich score, which is certain on an Academy-Award level, although I have to give the 1998 Oscar for "Best Original Comedy or Musical Score" (nice expression, isn't it?) to Goldsmith's Mulan with The Prince of Egypt being a close second. Nevertheless, Zimmer's score (and some of Schwartz's songs) is very enjoyable and should appeal to most score fans out there. *****