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The Affair of the Necklace
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Composed, Co-Orchestrated, Conducted, and Produced by:
Co-Orchestrated by:
Gregory Jamrok Rebecca Liddle
Performed by:
The Hollywood Studio Symphony
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LABEL & RELEASE DATE
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Regular U.S. release.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you're tired of mundane period scores and seek an
alternative that takes the same ingredients and beautifully merges them
with a slight touch of contemporary style.
Avoid it... if you were not impressed by Lee Holdridge's similar
music for the television film The Mists of Avalon and once again
can't fathom ethereal female vocals in this genre.
BUY IT
 | Newman |
The Affair of the Necklace: (David Newman) The
lavish and dramatic production of the true 18th Century controversy of
countess Jeanne de la Motte Valois, titled The Affair of the
Necklace, was an ill-fated attempt by Charles Shyer to insert both
intrigue and romance into a setting just prior to the French Revolution
and make the combination appealing enough to overcome the countless
copies that came before. He failed in that task, partly due to the
ludicrous circumstances of a script that can't decide who the audience
should sympathize with and partly due to the arguable miscasting of
Hilary Swank in the lead role, and Warner Brothers' hopes of awards
consideration for the picture evaporated from the heat of steamed
critics. The romantic, mysterious, and decadent film experienced only a
limited theatrical release in 2001, attempting in vain to gain better
chances with the awards by opening fully in early 2002. Often overlooked
because of the past and current achievements of the other famous Newmans
of his family (Randy and Thomas), composer David Newman continued to
produce some of the most varied music for films in the 2000's. From
urban pop rhythms to orchestral action and adventure bombast, David
Newman's music had gone sorely missed in the commercial album scene
throughout the 1990's, mostly because of the diminished quality of the
films to which he was assigned. With so many of his best works
unavailable on album (or existing only in promotional form), he remained
one of the most active composers to be overlooked by the majority of
film score collectors. A surprising turn in his career, The Affair of
the Necklace offered yet another side of Newman's compositional
skills to shine. Like the film, the score was also initially mentioned
for award consideration, for Newman's music is a grand and memorably
stylish orchestral and choral accompaniment for a marginally compelling
story.
The score may, at first, seem like a typical
harpsichord and string period piece, but Newman creates a much more
modern atmosphere than you might think. In fact, the harpsichord itself
may be one of the few weak elements in the entire effort, with the rich
themes and other diversity in instrumentation stealing this score away
from the usual realm of 18th Century European stereotypes. Newman
deserves significant kudos for a marvelous composition that, in its more
intimate portions, is breathtaking. The work's only major flaw exists,
unfortunately, in the lack of massive scope in the full ensemble
performances. While a smaller version of the usual Hollywood Studio
Symphony did an adequate job performing Newman's work, the writing for
The Affair of the Necklace deserved a far more robust existence
with, perhaps, a London group. Newman compensates for the lack of sonic
muscle, however, by introducing just enough exotic and unusual
instruments for the genre (in addition to the lovely harmony that exists
almost continuously throughout). Over half of the score's cues are
accented by an impressive choral array, sometimes deep in chant,
sometimes wordless and ethereal, and sometimes echoing with distant solo
female tones. The chorus carries The Affair of the Necklace in
nearly all of its best cues, punctuating surprisingly gothic action
sequences and those of mystical romance with little problem maintaining
a cohesive whole. In these regards, the score is very stylistic similar
to Lee Holdridge's music for the television film The Mists of
Avalon earlier in 2001. The female vocals offer a curious ethnic
twist on the score, Celtic in some parts and almost East Asian in
others. They're often inserted in short bursts to accent a thought or
action by the main character of the film and are sometimes even more
compelling in their sharp and rugged edge (through electronic
manipulation, likely). A layering effect in some places gives them a new
age feel.
Newman's touch for a romantic theme is not lost in
The Affair of the Necklace, either. The enchanting "Jeanne's
Theme" introduces and finishes the score in the form of elegant and soft
piano performances, which is appropriate given the countess' goal of
reacquiring her childhood home. Its consistent presence in the bulk of
the score brings a more contemporary appeal to the scenes of romance
between the countess and her lover. The softer cues are among this
score's most engaging; aside from the longer cues of piano, female
vocals, and the occasional burst of a full orchestra, the mysterious and
haunting choral passages will bring back memories of Danny Elfman's
excursions into the same emotional realm. Perhaps more intriguing about
the score is its Middle Eastern style of intense rhythm in parts. The
gothic, drum-pounding "Rohan's Arrest" yields to an exotic counterpart
in a later courtroom scene, further displacing this score from the usual
style for the setting. Harmonic resonance isn't neglected either, and
the combined material of "Cagliostro Leaves Town" and "Going Home"
provide some of the most beautiful orchestral and vocal music of 2001.
Overall, Newman's success in producing both an uneasy score of mystery
and choral romance in a single package is why his achievements for
The Affair of the Necklace are among the best from any composer
for the entire year. The score features frightening moments of despair,
sharp individual vocals for ethnic flavor, delicate and heartbreaking
themes of romance, and extended choral performances that range to all
levels of emotional power. It reaffirms its place in the period while
also reaching towards the guilty pleasures of contemporary romance. No
one section of this score will unilaterally impress; in fact, it takes a
while to gather its steam. The album release includes only forty minutes
of music, though the sound quality (especially in the layering of
vocals) is crisp. The all too close mixing of the harpsichord is the
only detractor. Otherwise, this score is the definition of a diamond in
the rough.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check: |
For David Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.17
(in 12 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.27
(in 19,638 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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Trailer music too Expand >> Birger - February 7, 2002, at 5:29 a.m. |
2 comments (4469 views) Newest: February 23, 2002, at 6:04 p.m. by soundtrekkie |
Trailer Music? Yumbo - January 30, 2002, at 11:56 a.m. |
1 comment (2887 views) |
Total Time: 41:09
1. Opening (1:13)
2. Jeanne's Theme (1:05)
3. Bohmer (0:54)
4. Jeanne is Found Guilty (2:59)
5. Jeanne & Retaux (0:42)
6. Jeanne's Plan (1:06)
7. Rohan's Arrest (3:15)
8. In Court/Childhood (3:49)
9. Minister of Titles/On the Lake (4:40)
10. Jeanne & Retaux Love Scene (1:18)
11. Feast of the Assumption (1:29)
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12. Going to Meet Antoinette (1:17)
13. Communion (2:09)
14. Rohan Meets with Fake Antoinette (3:02)
15. Courtroom/Cagliostro Leaves Town (2:54)
16. Going Home (3:21)
17. Jeanne's Sentence/Antoinette (2:30)
18. Antoinette is Finished (0:40)
19. Arrival of the Necklace (0:34)
20. Jeanne & Retaux's Plan (0:45)
21. Jeanne Reads Her Memoirs (1:18)
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The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information
about the score or film.
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