: (Benjamin Wallfisch) With tensions
between contemporary Moscow and Ukraine flaring once again, it is no
surprise that Ukrainian financiers supported the 2017 romantic
historical drama
, a love story set against the
Holodomor famine of the early 1930's. Although some scholars have
resisted labeling it an act of genocide by Joseph Stalin as the Soviets
seized the crops in Ukraine and caused an extraordinary famine that led
to 7 to 10 million deaths, history has generally concluded that Stalin
intentionally caused the suffering as a way of quelling resistance from
the region. The event had not been depicted on screen before, and a
combined effort of Ukrainian money and filmmakers from Canada and the
United Kingdom brought the English-language
to
life by packaging it as a solemn romance in which two young lovers are
separated by the tumultuous campaign and fight to reunite despite the
widespread gulags and executions. The project turned out to be a
surprisingly boring affair, a financial disaster of tens of millions of
dollars as critics bemoaned its tepid impact. (Fans of English actor
Terence Stamp could at least rejoice in a supporting role for the
veteran of glowering menace.) Attempting to boost the dramatic punch of
the film is Benjamin Wallfisch's typically respectful but understandably
emotional orchestral score. The English composer was the orchestrator
and conductor for the accomplished Dario Marianelli throughout the
2000's, collaborating on many outstanding Marianelli dramas during that
time. Since exploring a solo career as a composer, Wallfisch has tackled
a number of documentary-style productions in the 2010's, though his
career was enveloped later in that decade by his collaboration with Hans
Zimmer's Remote Control Productions that, in its early ventures, has
somewhat tarnished Wallfisch's classical brand. Listeners familiar with
the composer's better-known horror and suspense efforts of 2017,
highlighted by
, a shame given that the obscure drama is among the top film
score highlights of the year.
In a positive twist for film score enthusiasts, a fair
amount of the money lost on the production of
Bitter Harvest was
allocated to its music, Wallfisch offering a surprisingly robust
composition to be performed by a London orchestral ensemble, a vocal
group, and a variety of nicely utilized soloists. The ensemble's string
section receives the bulk of the work, with woodwind and brass accents
occasional but impactful when present. Of vital importance are a variety
of solo contributors, led by the usual mournful female voice and the
lending of regional character to the recording through a bayan accordion
and domra lute. Solos by cello, violin, and recorder are also of note,
especially the presence of the cello for many of the score's romantic
interludes. The style of the composition is largely accessible, with
several recurring themes all relatively easy on the ears and not
overplaying the ethnic components. The mix of the score is particularly
well handled, each soloist clearly defined without an unnecessarily dry
and flat ambience, the reverb applied perfectly during the striking
percussion sequences in the later action cues. The themes of
Bitter
Harvest allow for the bulk of the score to remain lovely in
demeanor, singed with sadness throughout but enticingly harmonic despite
the despair on screen. Rather than play to the fear, suspense, and
limited action of the story, Wallfisch concentrates on the romantic
element, soliciting a more heartfelt response to the tragic events as
seen through the love story. There exist four recurring themes of
significance in
Bitter Harvest, the primary idea representing the
region's history and culture. Summarized in full during "Rusalka," this
theme is often the domain of the accordion and lute for regional
identification in the score, their typically paired performances
continuing similarly in "Ancestors" and "The Icon." A light choral
effect is often layered into these passages as well. Less ethnic
renditions include the woodwinds early in "Letter From Home" and the
conclusive "Bitter Harvest." The secondary phrases of the theme, as
heard gorgeously later in "Rusalka" with the help of beefier mid-range
strings and an almost Celtic-like recorder, return later with impressive
weight in "Smila is My Home" and "Cossack Prayer." Wallfisch also
appropriately fragments the theme as necessary to denote oppression, as
in "Reign of Terror."
The love theme supplied by Wallfisch for
Bitter
Harvest is no barn-burner, and it may even pass unnoticed by some
listeners, but it exists during the many conversational and letter
sequences involving the two leads. Explored immediately on woodwinds and
strings in "Portrait," the identity returns in "Natalka," "Moonlight,"
and "Letter to Yuri," all of which shifting the melodic performance to
solo cello. Woodwind treatment returns in "Letter From Home." The third
theme of
Bitter Harvest is its flashiest, one always for female
vocals of lament and accompanying the humanitarian implications of the
genocide. It is heard first in "Kiev" and extends to "Elegy For Ukraine"
(with stunning performance inflection), "Women's Revolt" (in more
disorganized formations against the Soviet theme), and softer moments of
reflection in "Orphans" and "In Memoriam." The Soviet theme is built
upon a churning, rising force in "Red Star," reprised in "Leaving the
Village" before transforming into a choral chant during "Sense a
Change," receiving intense low string treatment in "Gulag," and
interfering in spirit during "Women's Revolt." The three major themes
(main, love, and lament) are melodramatically combined late in "River,"
after the last of Wallfisch's four main action sequences. These cues,
rounded out by "Escape," "Field Ambush," and "Battle For Ivan," feature
memorable percussive pounding placed well in the mix, and the style of
these moments come closest to resembling Marianelli's vintage action
highlights. These passages are certainly not the score's strength; in
fact, some listeners may consider them downright mundane. But they are
serviceable. One final cue worth mentioning is the choral and full
ensemble "Phoenix," a moment of almost super-hero redemption that feels
a little out of place in the work but is no less satisfying on its own
merits. All together,
Bitter Harvest is a dramatically engaging
score despite Wallfisch's clear effort to restrain its demeanor wherever
possible. Only the female vocal theme of lament leaves a lasting memory,
the remaining motifs beautifully functional but not as compelling. One
must theorize that a little dose of over-the-top James Horner-inspired
melodrama may have propelled this score to the highest rating. Still,
Wallfisch accomplishes this really fine score without any apparent
assistance from ghostwriters, and Varèse Sarabande's 65-minute,
1,000-copy CD run of the score is highly recommended at its initial
price point. Don't be surprised if this rare album becomes a respected
collectible someday if Wallfisch continues to ascend.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Benjamin Wallfisch reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.46
(in 13 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.2
(in 3,361 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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