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For such uninformed viewers (people who were completely clueless as to the allegory and absent-mindedly turned the film on the television for their four-year-olds), the inclusion of grand, Russian anthems, hymns, and battle music probably seemed grossly out of place. But Harvey hit the nail right on the head with the tone and style of his music. If you excuse the temptation to write songs for the animals, the score is expansive and robust enough to actually accompany a film depicting the real life humans of the Russian Revolution. If you take out a few of the light woodwinds and change a few rhythms here and there (taking all references to a light, British setting out of the equation), you get a score with all the weighty drama necessary to represent the event itself, placing the score in an even more curious place when you once again consider that it's a "talking animal" story. In these regards, Harvey handles the assignment almost as though it was a comedic parody, infusing as much broad scope into his music as possible to counter the film's visuals. Harvey coins an emotional anthem for animals, one that goes from oppression ("Dumb Animals") to full glory ("Commandments") and then, finally, to performances of tragic expanse ("Jones Destroys the Windmill") as the pigs of the farm ruin the animal utopia. Hearing this theme mutate through the score, including appearances in song form, is a delight, because Harvey manages to take the same melody and convey it at every emotional level that the film requires. The falsely triumphant performance of the title theme in "Glorious Leader Napoleon!" is perhaps the highlight of the theme's evolution (or revolution, whichever you prefer), and also proves that songs in these circumstances don't have to be the fluffy affairs that the genre usually entails. Harvey pulls off the Russian marches with convincing power, remarkably conjuring a theme that doesn't seem to raise memories of any other score and utilizing the Budapest Radio Choir to provide the expected Russian chorus that the genre demands. For listeners seeking redemption, the airy "At Last We Are Free" and "End Titles" are major-key alternatives of deceptively hopeful character, complete with lofty adult choir accents fitting for an animated Disney film.

More importantly, the orchestral performances of the driving, Russian movements in Animal Farm avoid the usual problems of similar contemporary statements. So many listeners associate deep male choirs, or any adult choir in the minor key, with Hans Zimmer's programmed sound of the era. Harvey's traditional approach here is more effective in portraying a realistic angle to the story's hard edge, not afraid to also use brute percussive force in cues like "The Battle of the Barn" and "The Big Battle." The lyrics of these chants and marches are in English, which may seem out of place given the underlying progressions, but considering the setting of the film in Britain, the language is acceptable. There is a considerable amount of thunderous battle music in Animal Farm, and when the full orchestra and choir aren't squashing you with their might, Harvey provides percussion-pounding dramatic underscore through nearly every other cue of the composition (his use of percussion carries over well to his score for the television production of Arabian Nights). The only purely positive romp of bittersweet might, "The Harvest and the Flag," is also of note, introducing a heroic theme for the workers themselves and their great productivity. A reprise of this theme is briefly heard at the very end of the story, exposing the slight, but significant change to its unhappy ending. On album, the progression of the story is very evident, and you can almost follow Orwell's plot in your head as you hear Harvey take you on a most effective musical journey through the allegory. Unfortunately, that album from Varèse Sarabande fell out of print in the early 2000's, so your search for the product will likely cost you more. But the quality of Harvey's music is worth the inconvenience. The composer succeeds in his effort to produce convincing revolution music, deeply rooted in Russian dramatism, without either referencing other composers' take on the genre (including Basil Poledouris, most notably) or allowing the music to be sucked into a Babe-like atmosphere of child-like mentality. Considering the lack of vast resources for the project, the result is outstanding, and only a larger number of performers in the ensemble and perhaps a wetter ambient mix would have been able to improve upon the recording.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 66:21