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Composed and Conducted by:
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Bruce Broughton
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Performed by:
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The Sinfonia of London
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Produced by:
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Ford A. Thaxton
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Release Date:
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November, 1998
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Availability:
Limited Belgian release, available only through the label or soundtrack specialty outlets.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Broughton | |
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The Master of Ballantrae: (Bruce Broughton) Already
known in the television scoring arena for his The Blue and the Grey
score, Bruce Broughton was presented with the opportunity in 1984 to score
this remake of the 1953 Errol Flynn swashbuckler. The film, which aired on
the CBS network in America, was a lavish production of 150 minutes in length
and starred Michael York and Timothy Dalton in leading roles. Although the
budget for the project as whole was quite large, Broughton only received
enough money from the producers to write a score for an unbelievably
restricting 36 musicians. He would strip the Sinfonia of London down to its
bare parts, including only six brass players. In the face of such adversity,
Broughton still managed --somehow-- to provide a score that has moments of
large swashbuckling action and drama. To do this, Broughton inserted as much
melody as possible into the score in order to counterbalance the lack of
power to carry the music in the film. The score revolves around two themes;
the first is an excellent, flighty affair for the titles of the film. It
leaps and bounds with all the energy that a tale on the high seas requires.
The opening few tracks, including "Main Title" and "Setting Out" have
magnificent performances of this theme. Broughton adds a touch of Scottish
and Irish flavour to the score with the help of some bagpipe accompaniment
and distinctly Scottish rhythms that dance lightly under the thematic
material. The second theme is softer, and includes performances by a
harpsichord and flute. The score functions a bit better during these softer
moments, because the lack of an adequate number of players isn't as
obvious.
Compared to many of Broughton's other efforts at the time,
this score holds its own due to its loyalties to locations and themes.
Speaking about the composition itself, Broughton offered a musical product
that is far more deserving of its performance and, likely, the film.
Broughton and film score enthusiasts alike agree that it would be
interesting to hear what Broughton could do on this score with a fully sized
orchestral ensemble in a modern studio. The themes are noble, the suspense
riveting, and the romantic courting scenes melodic --although not lush. With
so few players, there's constantly the feeling that something is missing
from the score. The sound quality is adequate (in stereo), but not stellar.
Muddled sound from the 1984 recording in some parts, combined with the lack
of power from the orchestra itself, makes The Master of Ballantrae a
score rich with potential, but ultimately lacking. A better mix of the
original recordings may have assisted to correct this situation, but limited
ensembles are much easier to dub, edit, and flesh out in the digital age
than it was in the 1980's. To the credit of Prometheus, the music heard
during the teaser advertisements for the film is included at the end of the
album. With only 1,500 products in circulation, The Master of
Ballantrae was the first release in the Prometheus Records CD Club. The
series would go on to feature nearly twenty obscure scores from mostly the
modern ages of film music (1970 - 1995). This first entry is an interesting
study, especially for Broughton collectors, but is often difficult to enjoy
because of the limited performance. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Main Title (2:40)
• 2. Off to Fight (0:41)
• 3. Rowan Tree (1:28)
• 4. Setting Out (2:36)
• 5. The Battle at Sea (Part 1) (6:15)
• 6. The Battle at Sea (Part 2) (1:24)
• 7. Adirondacks (3:56)
• 8. The Letter (1:02)
• 9. James' Return (2:34)
• 10. James Closes In (2:32)
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• 11. Courting Alison (1:19)
• 12. Trouble Sleeping/Dead Man Gone (4:23)
• 13. The Devil's Diary (1:08)
• 14. Closing In (2:49)
• 15. Colonial Minuet (2:04)
• 16. Dreams of the Dead (0:53)
• 17. James' Death (7:19)
• 18. The Legacy and Finale (3:32)
• 19. Teaser (1:04)
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Insert includes detailed notes about both the score and film.
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