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Performed by:
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Members of The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
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Release Date:
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April 16th, 2002
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release, however the album
was delayed by over sixth months due to a moving theatrical release date in the U.S.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Enigma: (John Barry) The film Enigma is an international endeavor
that originally gained its momentum in the film festival scene of 2001. After
debuting at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2001 and making a showing
at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October of 2001, the film finally
opened in a regular, though still limited, showing across theatres of the U.S.
in April of 2002. It had been seen in theatres in the U.K. since September of
2001, and the film's staggering release date in nearly every nation has caused
the album of John Barry's music for the film to be a frustratingly delayed
product for the six months prior to its final street date. John Barry himself
has been suffering his own professional slowdown since the mid-1990's. Somewhat
failing health, bitter court battles over the ownership of the James Bond theme,
needless allegations thrown in about young Danish women, and a series of scores
rejected (including an effort for the 1999 film Goodbye Lover recently)
have all contributed to a semi-retired state of settlement in Barry's career.
His rejected works have been released in the form of concert albums in recent
years, though the actual production of new feature film scores has ground to a
near halt. His score for Enigma is the only one which he composed between
1999 and 2001, and it's a November, 2000 recording that is finally making it
onto album nearly a year and a half later.
Fans of John Barry's work have been able to hear the slowdown in his creative
volume ever since the scores which followed 1995's The Scarlet Letter
and Cry, the Beloved Country, which are his final two resoundingly
powerful scores to date. He is still known, however, for his ability to meld a
historically dramatic setting with a modern romance. Director Michael Apted
encouraged Barry's work for Enigma because of exactly this quality.
Enigma is, as you would expect, a love story set around the code breakers
who deciphered the German Enigma code in World War II. Barry's touch for
romantic drama does not go to waste. His score is as melodic as ever, taking
three main themes and running with them for nearly the entire length of the
album. True to reputation, the score maintains a level of simplicity that keeps
its rhythms consistent and its themes repetitious. The themes are performed by
strings and the piano, the latter of which is the true treat. The moments of
drama in the score, often pulsating with string rhythms and underlaying brass,
are nothing new for Barry fans. But his elegant love theme, especially on piano,
will be a delight for anyone, regardless of the fact that it is repeated
endlessly for the length of the album. The chase and action sequences, such as
that which can be heard on the third track on the album, offer a slightly more
bold striking of the simple rhythms, incorporating the snare drum and brass in a
more dominant role. The score is a predominantly string affair, however, and it
is this style that pleases the fans of this trademark.
In its ability to function as a timeless score in a film that blurs the lines
between love and history, the John Barry music for Enigma is
representative of Barry's styles in the same way that the music for Pearl
Harbor last year is representative of Hans Zimmer's style. It may or may not
work in the film, but it makes for a relaxing and fluid listening experience on
album. If you are one of those people who holds Barry with disdain because his
music is simplistic and repetitive, then surely stay away from this album. On
the other hand, if you enjoy a subtle John Barry love theme no matter its length
or unoriginality, then Enigma will be a very enjoyable listen. By the
sixth track, you will indeed be wondering just how many times the same themes
can continue over and over and over again. But if you're listening that hard to
it, then you're missing the point. If you tune out the actual melody and enjoy
the ambience, then Enigma could be a fantasic listening experience for
you. We also have to recognize that Barry, while still only in his late 60's in
age, is finishing his career by slowly phasing out his scoring assignments.
Having this score recorded in a public Amsterdam arena with members of The Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra is something of large-scale abnormality for Barry in
recent years, and fans of his music should appreciate this music just in case it
turns out to be among his last recordings. Hearing Enigma in 2002 adds
some comfort for die-hard Barry fans, however, and his continuingly stubborn
--and enjoyable-- styles will not disappoint those people. The album contains 45
minutes of score and is finished off by three period songs. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Main Title (3:41)
• 2. Where Does One Pee? (1:21)
• 3. Police Chase (1:16)
• 4. The Quarry (2:50)
• 5. Tom Explains Enigma (1:23)
• 6. Is That What Happened? (4:25)
• 7. Wigram Arrives (1:39)
• 8. The Convoy (5:36)
• 9. Waiting For Signals (2:46)
• 10. Tom Goes to Cottage (1:26)
• 11. She Moved On (2:06)
• 12. Simply Wonderful/Finding Crib (1:53)
• 13. Trip to Beaumanor (0:59)
• 14. At Beaumanor (0:59)
• 15. The Train (2:40)
• 16. Goodbye to Hester (3:00)
• 17. Puck Dies (1:17)
• 18. London 1946 (2:26)
• 19. End Credits (4:58)
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• 20. The Black Bottom (2:54)
Bunny Bergin Orchestra
• 21. You'll Never Know (3:23)
Anne Shelton w/ Ambrose Orchestra
• 22. Dives & Lazarus (2:49)
Composed by Vaughn Williams
The New Queen's Hall Orchestra,
Conducted by Barry Wordsworth
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Insert includes a note from director Michael Apted about John Barry and the scoring process for the film.
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