The commendable aspects of Marianelli's approach to Anna Karenina is his ability to seemingly effortlessly weave together the folk and waltz movements into a single identity that really does set the stage well for the literal and figurative dancing involved between the characters in the plot. Much of the first half of the score is dominated by this musical play, prancing with ethnic authenticity through situations as frivolous and pretentious as those that existed in Russian socialite society. The orchestra, led by numerous violin solos, is joined by balalaikas and accordions to provide this flavor, highlighted by the amusing "She is of the Heavens," which also features whistling and sung folk elements. While effective, these cues diminish the weight associated with the mores that squashed civil rights during that era (perhaps an intentional choice by Marianelli), and, more importantly, they fail to establish the gravity of importance that the romantic tug-of-war will inevitably cause this story due to those values and customs. It takes the score a very long time arrive at some of the weighty melodrama that Marianelli is accustomed to writing, and even then, it remains rather tepid and unfitting of such grandiose aristocratic mechanisms. The composer does utilize a handful of thematic motifs throughout, most of them waltz-related, but none is specifically tailored to individual characters. Rather, Marianelli chose to associate his themes with general emotional conditions, thus allowing them to weave in and out of otherwise incongruent scenes as a way of tying all of the characters together in a reflection of the mores themselves. The primary of these ideas is introduced in "Overture" and continues all the way through "Curtain," only receiving significant attention from the whole ensemble as the story approaches its crushing end. Instrumental solos are once again key to another of Marianelli's works, this time with the violin, clarinet, and piano at the forefront (you can hear their interplay best in "Unavoidable"). A lack of either pizzazz or depth causes this music to flow aimlessly as background accompaniment, however, never utilizing itself as a true tool of romance. Source-like cues such as "Can-Can" and "Seriously" don't help the equation, leaving the whole experience a cold one. Marianelli seemed stuck between the romantic needs of the characters and the flighty ambience of their lifestyle, and the score therefore fails to integrate them with much satisfaction. There are many technical aspects of this work to like (the intentional degeneration of "Dance With Me" among them), but Anna Karenina is a love story at its heart, and this score remains too frigid and inaccessible to function as it should. If you approach this music with the expectation that you will hear some of the passion of the composer's prior period projects, be forewarned; this one is grimly and coolly capricious.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download