The soundtrack's expansive reach is countered by
moments of introversion and contemplation that exist in the same style
of writing, creating a remarkably cohesive whole. Goldenthal employs a
nucleus of several acoustic instruments native to the style of Mexican
and greater Central American circles, including Mexican guitars,
classical guitars, Mexican bass guitars, an accordion, Mexican harp,
marimba, and glass armonica. Because the guitars turned out to provide
more than adequate lyricism and rhythmic movement, Goldenthal adds only
a small orchestral ensemble of primary strings to the mix. Also of vital
importance to the construct are several vocal performances that very
tactfully blend the motific ideas in the score and songs together
seamlessly. Goldenthal explained at the time that it was a difficult
task to capture the "spirit of Mexican music" since it varies so much
around different regions of the country. However, his choice to stay
true to the standard simplicity of rhythms and themes in Mexican music
(a documented trait of the heritage of authentic Mexican music)
translated into success. He states with humor, "The few times I tried to
reach for more complex harmony and structure, the movie kicked me out
with pointy Mexican boots. These ideas remain on my studio floor under a
pile of empty Corona bottles." For people who cannot tolerate
accordions, rest assured that they are only present at the forefront of
two short cues, and one of them is as accompaniment to a great outburst
of the score's main instrumental theme in "The Journey." The score
sequences are pleasant and lively on the whole, with only the "Suicide
of Dorothy Hale" and the gruesome "La Cavalera" (back to back) showing
signs of the Goldenthal's more familiar brooding mannerisms. Otherwise,
there is nothing to connect these fantastic Latin-flavored cues with
Goldenthal's larger body of work. Given that the
Frida album was
immediately selling out in nearly every store and ranked very highly
worldwide upon its release, this originality was probably a favorable
turn of events regardless of what qualms established Goldenthal
collectors had (and still harbor) about the work.
As interesting as the score selections (which appear
scattered throughout the album) may be, so too are the songs.
Traditional songs are a vital part of past and present Mexican culture,
and they are central to this soundtrack as well. Goldenthal pays close
attention to the indigenous songs that Kahlo would have probably
listened to herself, based on era and subject matter. Chillingly, one of
Frida's lovers was legendary singer Chavela Vargas, now in her 80's and
a performer of new material for this film. The album presents a
comparison of her performances forty years ago with her performances of
the same songs today. Goldenthal composed a few original songs heard in
the film, including material for Lila Downs and Caetano Veloso, whose
voices grace the film with their spectacular authenticity. The album is
very true to the music heard in the film, which is a rarity in
soundtrack releases these days. The score and songs are seamless in
their continuity, and although the film and album become more somber as
they reach their conclusion, they both end with excellence. The duet
"Burn It Blue" is a lovely and compelling compilation of Goldenthal's
themes from the score, with additional harmonious development to create
an elegant and strong finish to a diverse, emotional roller coaster of
an album. That suite-like song was alone responsible for much of the
magnificent response to the music for
Frida (and consequently its
album). The coordination of music, as well as the often spectacular
recording quality of the songs, makes this album a definite winner. Its
only weakness is the occasional shift back to older studio sound
quality. An awards promotional CD with only the score selections and
"Burn It Blue" exists, and while this presentation includes three
additional score cues, it somewhat defeats the authenticity of the
commercial album's presentation of the film's broader range of music.
The enhanced features of that Universal product include video and text
interviews with Goldenthal, Taymor, and Hayek about the music, as well
as musical excerpts from the film. Overall, the texture and rhythmic
breadth of this score is outstanding, and if you're only familiar with
the composer's avant garde experimentation,
Frida will cause you
to gain an enormous amount of respect for the reach of Goldenthal's
talents.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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