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Winged Migration

Composed and Orchestrated by:
Bruno Coulais
Conducted by:
Deyan Pavlov
Produced by:
Paul Lavergne


Label:
Higher Octave Music
Release Date:
April 22nd, 2003


Audio Clips:

1. To Be By Your Side (0:31), 156K winged_migration1.ra

10. Like a Breath of Air (0:30), 151K winged_migration10.ra

12. Amidst the Factory Smoke (0:30), 150K winged_migration12.ra

17. Feathers and Stripes (0:31), 155K winged_migration17.ra



Availability:

  Regular U.S. release.


Awards:

  None.









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Winged Migration

Audio | Availability | Viewer Ratings | Tracks | Viewer Comments | Notes & Quotes
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  List Price: $17.98
  Our Price: $10.97
  You Save: $7.01 (39%)
  Used Price: $7.24

  Sales Rank: 14506

  Avg. Rating: 4.50

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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:

Coulais
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. ***

Purchasing Options: CD Universe (New), Amazon.com (New or Used), eBay/Half.com (Used)




   Viewer Ratings and Comments:



   Track Listings:
Total Time: 45:25

    • 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)
    • 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)




   Notes and Quotes:

    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.







All artwork and sound clips from Winged Migration are Copyright © 2003, Higher Octave Music. 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 4/21/03, updated 4/22/03. Review Version 4.2 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2003-2008, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved.