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Composed and Orchestrated by:
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Bruno Coulais
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Conducted by:
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Deyan Pavlov
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Produced by:
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Paul Lavergne
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Release Date:
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April 22nd, 2003
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you enjoy expansive orchestral and vocal creativity with
an international flavor for an IMAX-like setting.
Avoid it... if the idea of bird calls in several cues and the lack of a
dominant thematic presence deters you.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Coulais | |
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Winged Migration: (Bruno Coulais) Among the contenders
for an Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature" in 2003 was Winged
Migration, a film of several years in the making about the migration
habits of several bird species around the world. The French film (with a
limited opening in America in April, 2003) used several pilots and
cinematographers, as well as state of the art technology, to achieve
breathtaking visuals and sounds of the birds during four years of their
north/south flights. Following countless species of birds, the film shifts
to each continent during the journey, creating a truly international flavor
for French composer Bruno Coulais to emphasize in his music for the project.
Prolific in Europe, Coulais is likely an unknown for many American film
score fans. His work for Winged Migration, however, may change that.
He has assembled for the project an ensemble of vocal and instrumental
performers greater than those of most other scores, akin to the kind of
collaborative efforts put forth by Hans Zimmer in the same time period.
Coulais' performers include a moderately-sized orchestra, specialized
quartets of strings and woodwind instruments, an Orthodox chorus, several
solo and group vocalists, and an array of sound effects that often feature
bird calls and ocean waves. The eclectic nature of Coulais' music for
Winged Migration separates it from the typical, generic film score
and classifies it closer to the Benoit Jutras, Cirque du Soleil genre of
large-scale orchestral adventure. The resulting score for Winged
Migration is fascinating at the very least, and enjoyable in other
parts.
Coulais does follow the basic film score standard of
establishing themes and motifs for the documentary, though none of them is
powerful enough alone to shine through the instrumentation and performances
of those themes. The motifs are often simplistic, but they are performed
with such a wide variety of ethnically diverse vocalists and unorthodox
instruments that they are made interesting by their combinations of sounds.
The juxtaposed sounds of a music box/child's voice, bird calls, ethnic
percussion, a deep male chorus, and a handful of solo instruments from the
orchestra constitute the typical cue for Winged Migration. Its
highlights are the moments when the small ensemble of vocalists perform
melodic passages with the force of the orchestra behind them, with five to
ten minutes of the resulting magic spread throughout the album. Other
sections, such as cue "Amidst the Factory Smoke," are fascinating solely
because of their sound effects, and if this score has a weakness, it is its
lack of consistency in the choice of which sounds to emphasize. The music
for Winged Migration is certainly consistent in its unconventional
instrumentation and editing, but there are just a few too many sound effects
and unrelated vocal mixes to listen with total comfort to the score at great
length. The songs are well balanced into the mix, with Nick Cave and Robert
Wyatt's natural voices fitting the attitude and approach very well. The
album (enhanced with several features) is the premiere and welcomed venture
of the Higher Octave Music label into the realm of international
soundtracks, and the choice of Winged Migration is a strong one. Fans
of adventurous instrumentation and vocal creativity, with the backing of a
large ensemble, will enjoy this flight. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. To Be By Your Side - Nick Cave (4:04)
• 2. Masters of the Field - Robert Wyatt (3:22)
• 3. Northern Bound (2:25)
• 4. The Crossing (2:04)
• 5. The Highest Gander - Robert Wyatt (3:14)
• 6. Beating Drums (3:33)
• 7. The Return of the Cranes (2:34)
• 8. The Blue Thread (1:18)
• 9. The Red Forest - Robert Wyatt (2:25)
• 10. Like a Breath of Air - A Filetta (2:04)
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• 11. The Takeoff (1:23)
• 12. Amidst the Factory Smoke (1:31)
• 13. The Glider (2:01)
• 14. After the Hunt (2:55)
• 15. The Paper Parrot (1:06)
• 16. The Swans Flight (1:21)
• 17. Feathers and Stripes (2:48)
• 18. The Wounded Dove - Gabriel Yacoub (3:05)
• 19. Off Camera (2:03)
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The insert includes extensive notes and lyrics regarding the score. The enhanced CD contains a film trailer, fact about birds,
links to bird sites, and an opportunity to enter a contest for a bird-watching trip.
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