Taken: (Laura Karpman) In the early 2000's, Steven Spielberg
increased his efforts in producing large-scale, epic mini-series for television,
and after the great success of his World War II series "Band of Brothers," he
turned his attention to the ultimate story of UFO abductions. Following a spread
of alien-related ideas Spielberg explored in classics such as
E.T.: The
Extra-Terrestrial and
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the 20-hour
mini-series "Taken," produced for the Sci-Fi Channel and debuting in November of
2002, immediately became (at the time) the highest ranked show ever for the
channel. Winning an Emmy award for "Best Mini-Series" and enjoying a plethora of
positive reviews from critics, "Taken" went on to several rebroadcasts and a DVD
set in 2003. In addition to the hype about the series, the score for "Taken,"
written by rising composer Laura Karpman, also experienced a separate album
release to the public at the time of the DVD set's initial offering. The story of
the series spans the entire latter half of the 20th Century, chronicling in a
very serious manner the abductions of average and not-so-average Americans by
aliens in saucer-shaped UFOs. The script does play to some pop culture
representations of alien abductions and their visual representations, but the
scale of the treatment of the subject is refreshingly new. Three generations of a
single family at the heart of the story deal with their supernatural encounters
while the overarching series roots itself strongly in real-life historical
events. To capture the spirit of the American people, Karpman was asked to write
music for all 20 hours of the series that represents the best pastoral
environment possible. Even if the contents of the music were in doubt, there was
no denying that the physical task of the scoring the lengthy project was
impressive, and Karpman managed to write a massive amount of music at breakneck
speed with only a few, limited resources. Those limitations (outside of the quick
post-production schedule of the series) included a smaller orchestral ensemble
than you'd regularly expect for a project of this magnitude. With only 40 members
of the Hollywood Studio Symphony performing for "Taken" (the budgetary needs for
a regularly sized ensemble to perform for 20 hours of a show would have been
jaw-dropping), Karpman was forced to increase the melodrama of her themes and
motifs directly in the construct of the music, as well as experiment with a
sometimes bizarre set of electronic effects.
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
| | |
|
Only $9.99
| | | |
|
Karpman's thematic constructs are sweeping, lushly imagined, and
harmoniously wondrous, and she maintains an epic level of tone throughout most of
the writing. By accentuating every instrument's performance and featuring each
section of the orchestra prominently, it might be tougher for an average pair of
ears to notice the lack of sonic depth. Seemingly accentuated more than any other
element is a pair of flutes, which helps root the score firmly in the treble
region. Audiophiles will probably be able to immediately notice the shallow
performances in some sections, but Karpman's spreading of the duties to each
instrument of the ensemble is easier to hear and appreciate without the mass of
additional strings or brass drowning out those performances. The style of her
writing is predictably similar to that of John Williams (it's hard not to believe
that this sound in "Taken" was only a coincidence). Just as Michael Giacchino
captured and extended the habits of Williams' action music in his "Medal of
Honor" video game scores, Karpman successfully utilizes motifs and techniques the
raise memories of the maestro's fluffy cues of wonderment, as well as the large
strokes of string-led color painted by that section during thematic swells. There
are also a few individual colors that Karpman inserts, keeping "Taken" original
in overall approach, including the hypnotizing "Implant Mania" cue, with vocal
chants, operatic performances, and distortion over grand, harmonious strings (in
a strangely enticing result). The use of synthetic manipulation can be a
detraction on the album presentation at times, but is at least interesting. In
"Tom's Revenge," Karpman employs rattling percussion with violent hits of the
orchestra at an increasing pace, and in "Truth Kills Owen," she inserts
child-like whistling over a sinister backdrop of slicing strings. The "Mary's
Dream" cue has broad strokes of pulsating strings and brass that will remind of
Jerry Goldsmith's styles. Her title theme, raising memories of Williams' "Amazing
Stories," is heard in the opening and closing cues, as well as in extended
treatment in the triumphant "To the Rescue." Overall, the limitations of the
smaller ensemble make the score difficult to enjoy for fans who are accustomed to
hearing larger products in this genre, but you still have to be impressed by
Karpman's creative compensation and the magnitude of the project as a whole. If
you enjoyed the series on television, then the score for "Taken" will be a
rewarding (if not too short) listening experience. While the assignment was
thought to be a good launching pad for Karpman's career, she unfortunately did
not use this score to move up to more regular mainstream work in the industry.
**** Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
The insert includes a short note about the score from writer/producer Les
Bohem.
