Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you're a Mariam Stockley enthusiast and have a general affection for the consistent quality of the fantasy scores contributed by major composers to television mini-series during their renaissance in the late 1990's. Avoid it... if you anticipate hearing the kind of overwhelming melodic lyricism that often existed in other contemporary fantasy scores on television. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The 10th Kingdom: (Anne Dudley) The fantasy genre flourished in television mini-series in the late 1990's and early 2000's, and The 10th Kingdom was one of the more notable collaborations between Hallmark Entertainment and the NBC network. The 2000 miniseries of immense length was a sword and sorcery tale about a universe of nine fantastic kingdoms that are thrown into chaos when a wicked witch is set loose upon the land, banishing a rightful prince to a tenth kingdom which just happens to be modern-day (well, pre-9/11) New York. A waitress and her father in the city are enlisted to assist in restoring balance to the fantasy worlds, and the production saved itself some costs by setting part of its running time in the contemporary location. The music for the aforementioned splurge of television productions was often their highlight, with entries by composers Trevor Jones, Mark McKenzie, Lee Holdridge, Stephen Warbeck, Brian Tyler, among others, that are often as entertaining apart from the films. The Varèse Sarabande label released many of this series of Hallmark (and other studios') television films during the era, including the very successful scores for Merlin, The Mists of Avalon, and Children of Dune. The composer of the hour for The 10th Kingdom was Anne Dudley, whose career was reaching its greatest heights at the time. After her silly Oscar-winning effort for The Full Monte, she had proven her skills in orchestral drama with the impressive American History X. Likewise, with her concert work "Ancient and Modern" debuting in 1999, she had established herself as versatile in the practice of shifting between or combining classical and contemporary tones with ease, a technique that would prove necessary for The 10th Kingdom. While Dudley's finished result for the series wouldn't turn as many heads as other scores to emerge from television fantasy, it is nevertheless interesting and engaging music. Like her contemporaries in the genre, Dudley employs an orchestra, occasional vocals, and an array of electronics to create a mystical setting for the film. The balance between orchestra and electronics is well handled by Dudley, as are the wordless vocals that whimsically weave in and out of the sound effects. Some of Dudley's instrumental techniques are quite inventive, including the sounds of swishing swords or shards of glass (the effect in "A Travelling Mirror" is striking). Pronounced roles for harp, xylophone, flute, and even zither offer colors in the treble that are countered by pulsating electronic bass effects that occasionally remind of a Media Ventures/Remote Control environment. Some have compared the mix in The 10th Kingdom to Jerry Goldsmith's Legend, which is giving far too much credit to the still somewhat safe overall tones of Dudley's score. The greatest weakness of The 10th Kingdom is Dudley's disconnect between the motifs she establishes throughout the score. Several ideas pop up (and sometimes repeat) in the work, but her statements of these motifs aren't always clear enough to be satisfying. The title theme is heard immediately in "The 4 Who Saved the 9 Kingdoms" and in fragments until "These Are Dark Days," which is easily the orchestral highlight of the score. Only in this one cue do we hear a fully lyrical presentation of the melody for the entire ensemble. In between are distinct motifs for the trolls and the sense of wonder for the concept of transportation, as well as others that don't really tie into one character or place. Part of the problem with this identity crisis exists in the fact that a significant portion of the music is absent from the album. The "Six Glorious Wishes" and "Kissing Town" cues are reminiscent of Rachel Portman's blissfully free-floating whimsy on woodwinds and strings. For viewers of the show, the obvious highlight is "Wishing on a Star," which served as the short opening song to the series and its promotional piece. The unique voice of British singer Mariam Stockley is often heard primarily in wordless form in film scores (such as Gabriel Yared's Autumn in New York, Patrick Doyle's Great Expectations, and more), but her contribution here with full ensemble is sung with lyrics. Unfortunately, this theme isn't integrated into the score itself, which is a major flaw in the overall picture. Ultimately, Stockley's great, 90-second vocal at the end of the album is almost worth the price alone, especially for fans of her "Adiemus" or solo works. Otherwise, there's really only one truly fantastic score cue ("These Are Dark Days") surrounded by decent, but somewhat underachieving genre sounds. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 54:50
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