 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Co-Produced by:
|
Flavio Motalla
Jonathan Price
|
Conducted by:
|
Pete Anthony
|
|
|
|
|
Release Date:
|
September 11th, 2001
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
 |
| | Young | |
|
The Glass House: (Christopher Young) The genre of suspense is no stranger
to Christopher Young, whose long and busy career has been highlighted by several
popular suspense and horror scores. It is this genre which garnered Young his
fame, and while he may experment in other genres more and more as his career
matures, he never loses his touch for suspense and horror. Granted, he hasn't
produced a score with the overwhelming brute force of Hellraiser in many
years, but scores such as Copycat, Species, and now The Glass
House show a more delicately balanced side of the same style. There is
nothing flashy about Young's score for The Glass House, but it is sure to
impress the veteran composer's fan base. The storyline of the film involves the
adoption of two (presumably teen) kids by a couple who are the best friends of
the kids' parents, who were promptly disposed of early in the film via the
typical car crash scenario. Making matters worse is a creepy cliff-side house on
the ocean where the adopting couple become the target of the surviving teen
girl's suspicion of foul play. It's not a unique story-line, but the setting
plays a minor role in how Young chose to approach the scoring of the film.
Young's suspense scores usually contain two elements that the composer has
utilized to the point of mastery. First, the use of the piano figures into the
majority of the score. The cliff setting of the house, along with the grand
vista of the ocean offered through its enormous windows, present the tumultuous
sea in all of its glory and chaos, and Young counters by creating a fluid
movement in his trademark piano compositions. The title themes, exhibited
impressively in the opening and final track, include piano performances that
wander as elegantly, but unpredictably, as the ocean itself, and offer an aural
enhancement of the slow, but momentous build-up of suspicion in the plot. The
only unfortunate aspect of the piano is that the performances as described above
weren't used enough in the mass of the underscore. Nevertheless, their 8 - 10
minutes are a major highlight for both Young fans and general film music fans
alike. The second element which Young relies upon heavily is the use of very
high pitched strings. Nobody can use a string section to create an eerie feeling
quite like Young can, and there is an abundance of quivering violin work at the
extreme high ranges thoughout all of The Glass House. When the strings
and piano combine their efforts, they often form a remarkable duo. The closing
title sequence, complete with an enjoyable piano and flute pairing, represents
Young's current trademarks at their very best. Fans of Young will consider this
to be prime easy listening.
The first and last tracks on this relatively short album constitute seven fine
minutes of music together. While the melody may be stark and lacking in any kind
of personal touch, it is glorious in its soft, grim anxiety. The mass of
underscore in the middle tracks of he album are minimalistic in their need to
only set a basic atmosphere for the psychological turmoil on screen. There are
only a small handful of actual, full-blown terror scenes in The Glass
House, and likewise, Young's score only suffers from two or three extended
cues of harsh, blasting brass in a typical horror fashion. The chopiness of
these cues are difficult as always, and along with the rather bland nature of
some internal cues, the Young album is ultimately a mixed bag. However, you
cannot discredit Young for the powerful and enjoyable suspence cues in The
Glass House, even if you aren't a fan of dark and depressing scores. The
score and album won't win awards, but it will likely gain the same kind of
long-term respect that Copycat built over time, with its popularity
potentially spilling over into more general film music crowds. That said, Young
took no chances with this score, and it could very well end up a footnote in his
career if he continues writing comparable material. The final track of The
Glass House would make a fabulous compilation piece, and given the
Varèse Sarabande label's tendency towards end of the year compilations of
the scores they release, don't count out the possibility. If you aren't entirely
sure about your liking of Chris Young suspense scores, then the full album may
not be recommended. ***
 |
|
Viewer Ratings and Comments:
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
• 1. The Glass House (2:22)
• 2. Sunken Bells (3:17)
• 3. Even If I Had an Ax (3:25)
• 4. Through A Glass Eye (2:33)
• 5. Twice Told Tales (4:49)
• 6. Sotto Voce (2:12)
| |
• 7. Glasseration (3:27)
• 8. Diabetic Dancer (2:40)
• 9. Where in Time? (4:01)
• 10. Soubrette (2:55)
• 11. This Too Shall Pass (4:38)
|
Insert includes no extra information
about the film or score, except for a list of musicians who performed on the score.
|
