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Dragonheart: A New Beginning
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Performed by:
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The Slovack Philharmonic
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Conducted by:
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Peter Breiner
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Release Date:
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August 15th, 2000
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Mckenzie | |
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Dragonheart: A New Beginning: (Mark McKenzie/Randy Edelman) With the
original Dragonheart feature film of 1996 still popular for kids of all
ages, it is no surprise that a made-for-video sequel of sorts was produced. The
newer film doesn't contain the same main cast or crew of the original, but
composer Mark McKenzie is a good friend and colleage of Randy Edelman. The
original Dragonheart score by Edelman has sold very well on album, and
McKenzie continues that success by incorporating much of Edelman's material and
style into his own effort. The sequel, slowed by production delays for nearly a
year, changes location from the original, now taking place in the Orient. This
opportunity allowed McKenzie to adapt what material he felt necessary from the
Edelman's Dragonheart score and infuse it with a touch of Far Eastern
interpretation for the new setting. The resulting score is both functional and
inspirational, although the ethnic influence is unfortunately only slight.
The first and most obvious difference between the two scores is that McKenzie
relies much more heavily on the symphony rather than the synthesizer. What's
interesting, though, is that Dragonheart was one of Edelman's few
electronically dominated scores which actually enhanced the fantasy-driven
spirit of its film successfully (as opposed to, say, Gettysburg, for
which the electronics were inappropriate). McKenzie has always been an
orchestrator at heart, and it shows in his tendency to use whatever sized
orchestra is available to him. He usually does pretty well with undersized
performing groups, too, sometimes double or triple mixing a section of the
orchestra onto itself in order to add needed "oomph" to the score.
Dragonheart: A New Beginning, although well crafted as an original
composition, seems restrained by the Slovack Philharmonic --not so much in the
performances of the themes, but mostly during the action cues, which lack much
needed depth of power. Edelman was able to compensate by pumping up the bass in
Dragonheart, and perhaps something similar might have helped with
McKenzie's score. Even with this flaw noted, Dragonheart: A New Beginning
is still a fantastic effort for an otherwise unknown video spin-off film. The
opening titles suite, as well as the original Oriental theme, "My Heart Goes
With You," are superb, as are McKenzie's interpolation/integration of the
Edelman "To the Stars" theme into his own cues.
The underscore is solid, though the action cues, as mentioned, lack bite. On the
whole, Dragonheart: A New Beginning is a strong score, and yet, it has a
few nagging flaws that will likely send people back to their shelves for the
Edelman original. The underpowered symphony is a problem; however, I had the
opportunity to hear an early, 1999 edit of the score, and the final album mix
has improved the problem substantially. The other minor flaw is the voice of
Rona Figueroa, the actress in the film who performs the song version of "My
Heart Goes With You." Her voice, while spectacularly talented, is too high
pitched for the key of the song, and causes that song to become fluttery during
its higher notes. McKenzie notes that the opportunity to write a symphony score
for a film involving dragons and myth was grand, but as someone who knows his
music very well, I was hoping for an even more daring score for Dragonheart:
A New Beginning. While his scores since Durango have been enjoyable,
McKenzie hasn't yet raised the bar another notch and produced that five-star
score that his fans know he can create. Even though those fans were hoping that
Dragonheart: A New Beginning would be that five-star venture, there
remains plenty of time and opportunities for McKenzie in the coming years. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Dragonheart: A New Beginning, Main Titles (4:52)
• 2. I'm Flying?! (2:20)
• 3. Kinghthood and the Old Code (2:00)
• 4. Friar Peter Went to Heaven (1:32)
• 5. Lian's Awesome Fight (1:37)
• 6. My Heart Goes With You - (instrumental) (2:19)
• 7. Dungeon, Skeletons, & A Dragon (3:45)
• 8. Serenade to the Stars (1:06)
• 9. Dragon Heaven (1:21)
• 10. Roland Bullies Geoff (1:25)
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• 11. Renaissance Banquet (1:28)
• 12. Chinese Battle the Knights (2:14)
• 13. Withered Heart Tale (0:56)
• 14. Tai Chee (0:49)
• 15. Terragoth Ambush! (2:14)
• 16. Prophetic Transformation (1:24)
• 17. Dragon Fight! (1:28)
• 18. My Wise Master and Closest Friend (1:32)
• 19. Of My Heart to Thee I Give (1:43)
• 20. My Heart Goes With You - Rona Figueroa (3:19)
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The insert includes notes from McKenzie and director Doug Lefler, as well as
lyrics from the song.
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