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Lauras Stern

Composed by:
Nick Glennie-Smith
Hans Zimmer
Henning Lohner
Produced by:
Kringel Medien
Orchestrated by:
Bruce Fowler
Walter Fowler
Suzette Moriarty
Elizabeth Finch
Rick Giovanasso
Performed by:
The German Filmorchestra of Babelsberg
Conducted by:
Nick Glennie-Smith


Label:
BMG/Warner (Germany)
Release Date:
October 4th, 2004


Also See:

Spanglish


Audio Clips:

6. A Star is Born: Part 2 (0:29), 146K lauras_stern6.ra

17. Flying Bow (0:32), 160K lauras_stern17.ra

18. Flying in the Rain (0:37), 184K lauras_stern18.ra

23. Lullaby (0:30), 150K lauras_stern23.ra



Availability:

  Regular commercial release in Germany. Another CD for the film with similar cover art and 14 tracks was concurrently released featuring dialogue over much of the underscore. Available in America only through select online soundtrack specialty outlets for $30.


Awards:

  None.









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Lauras Stern

Audio | Availability | Viewer Ratings | Tracks | Viewer Comments | Notes & Quotes
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   Sorry, there are no commercial ordering options for this title. However, you can search for this title at the soundtrack specialty outlets listed on the Filmtracks Links Page.



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Filmtracks Recommends:

Buy it... if you enjoy lyrical, orchestral children's scores with lovely themes and a charming demeanor.

Avoid it... if the cost of importing the German-only release is not worth a merely pleasant surprise.



Filmtracks Editorial Review:

Zimmer
Glennie-Smith
Lauras Stern (Laura's Star): (Hans Zimmer/Nick Glennie-Smith/Henning Lohner) Slipping under the radar for most American film score collectors in 2004 was Lauras Stern, a German feature animation scored by top-name composers. For Europeans, the story of Laura's Star is well known; based on the wildly popular children's book of the same name by author Klaus Baumgart, the lovable tale follows the tender emotional journey of seven-year-old Laura as she adapts to her family's move to the big city. Missing her garden and friends she left behind in the countryside, Laura becomes a loner until one day a star falls injured out of the sky. Communicating through its magical ability to make her stuffed animals talk, the star teaches the girl how to fly while she, in turn, helps mend its injuries. In the end, of course, the star has to go back to the heavens, but the good cheer is a decent diversion for young children in the audience. While the popularity of Baumgart's book could very well have enticed the composers of the former Media Ventures group to flock to Lauras Stern, there is little else connecting this project to Hans Zimmer specifically. The only major previous project by the writers and producers of Lauras Stern was the similarly popular animated German film The Little Polar Bear in 2001, which has no musical credit connections to Lauras Stern. No matter the circumstances, Hans Zimmer, Nick Glennie-Smith, and Henning Lohner collaborated to write a charming orchestral score to be performed by the German Filmorchestra of Babelsberg in Berlin and featuring few of the characteristics that have defined the composers in their years of work in America. The bulk of the score's material is largely the work of Nick Glennie-Smith, whose simple but lovely title theme for the primary character inhabits the majority of the score. While the three composers split many writing duties from cue to cue, their music maintains strong continuity from start to end. To say that Lauras Stern is a lightweight and leave it at that would do some injustice to the consistently pleasant quality of the score.

Glennie-Smith's primary theme is performed by woodwinds and string in several cues, with the same sensitivity of James Horner's children's writing of the early 1990's. Much of the lyricism in the simple thematic construct of Lauras Stern will remind you of Once Upon a Forest or The Pagemaker in its sole focus on soothing the heart of a child and imply a touch of magic in its instrumentation. While resorting to some light prancing in a handful of circumstances, Glennie-Smith's rhythms avoid the pitfalls of slapstick construction and instead flow with the same woodwind and string dancing often heard in Rachel Portman scores. Of the underscore cues, there really is no standout piece to describe in any great depth, testimony to the score's fluid conceptualization between the composers. As more of Henning Lohner's contribution is heard in the latter half of the score, a strikingly ambitious choral approach is provided for flying sequences. For American listeners only familiar with Lohner due to his involvement with the Ring films, there cannot be any greater of a contrast in style. The contribution by Zimmer seems to exist in a secondary lullaby that is introduced later in the score and is performed by solo cello in the final track on the album (Zimmer's only solo credit). The score lacks the heavy, neo-classical dramatic touch that often defines Zimmer's writing. While Glennie-Smith's lovely title theme will likely maintain your interest in the first half of that album, it is the grouping of cues with Lohner's work that truly causes this score to fly with beauty. A suite forming the "Finale" cue sums up Glennie-Smith's material and throws a performance of Zimmer's lullaby in at the end. Two English-language songs performed by the girl-duo "Wonderwall" are streamline pop injections, however the second song, "Touch the Sky," is partially based on material by Zimmer and Glennie-Smith. The first is a tad annoying, but the more relevant second one fits reasonably well with the attitude of the score. On album, Lauras Stern was released in two forms in Europe by BMG/Warner. One album contains 14 tracks of underscore with substantial dialogue, and that one is to be avoided. A 23-track score and song album is free from dialogue and provides a very satisfying selection for score collectors. Only available commercially in Europe, American collectors will likely pay a premium import price for the album (only through some online specialty shops). Overall, Lauras Stern is a spirited and pleasant surprise. ****

Purchasing Options: eBay/Half.com (Used)




   Viewer Ratings and Comments:



   Track Listings:
Total Time: 68:58

    • 1. Opening Title** (2:25)
    • 2. The Chase** (2:22)
    • 3. Lonely Laura** (2:13)
    • 4. Laura and Muschka** (1:25)
    • 5. A Star is Born: Part 1*/** (4:55)
    • 6. A Star is Born: Part 2*/**/*** (5:57)
    • 7. Leg Ballet/Repair*/** (7:42)
    • 8. Wake Up Guys** (1:22)
    • 9. 1st Flight*/**/*** (2:08)
    • 10. Planet Magic*/** (1:17)
    • 11. Stay - song performed by Wonderwall (3:02)
    • 12. Star Finds Sun and Moon: Part 1*/**/*** (1:52)
    • 13. Star Finds Sun and Moon: Part 2*** (1:47)
    • 14. Homesick*/*** (2:13)
    • 15. Laura at the Rescue*/**/*** (2:37)
    • 16. Star is Free*/**/*** (1:08)
    • 17. Flying Bow*/**/*** (3:23)
    • 18. Flying in the Rain**/*** (1:41)
    • 19. Laura Finds Star*/**/*** (4:05)
    • 20. Sun and Moon Ballet*** (2:09)
    • 21. Finale*/** (6:47)
    • 22. Touch the Sky - song performed by Wonderwall (3:56)
    • 23. Lullaby* (2:20)

    * contains music by Hans Zimmer
    ** contains music by Nick Glennie-Smith
    *** contains music by Henning Lohner





   Notes and Quotes:

    The insert contains extensive credits in German, but includes no extra information about the score or film.







All artwork and sound clips from Lauras Stern are Copyright © 2004, BMG/Warner (Germany). The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 3/18/05, updated 3/19/05. Review Version 4.2 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2005-2008, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved.