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Because of the music's dominant role in the production, it was no surprise that the album was initially pushed as one of the biggest releases of the late summer season of 2001. Surely, Decca and Universal hoped to duplicate the success that The Red Violin proved to be for Sony, and it is no coincidence that the main instrument of performance in the score is also in the title of the film. From only the listening experience on album, it is not readily apparent that the score was written first. Technically, only the themes and overall tone of the score were recorded first, with the majority of the work recorded after principle filming, but before editing, which allowed the length of cues to determine the length of scenes in the finished product. Therefore, the biggest difference that process causes on album is the lack of any kind of abrupt synchronization points or changes in direction. Each cue is structured like a movement in a symphony, with a distinct flow of evolution from beginning to end. This kind of concert construction causes Warbeck's music on album to be extremely smooth to the ear, and yet, without any of the trademark aspects of a traditional film score, it lacks the usual stimuli that usually keep film score fans interested in the music. It is because of this fact that the album will likely sell better to collectors of the classical or opera genres. Whether or not you (the average film score listener) will enjoy Warbeck's lengthy piece depends on how vivacious you like your scores to be. Some will be lost immediately due to the simple fact that the mandolin isn't exactly a very attractive instrument to anchor a score with. Mandolins as a supplemental tool of ethnicity for a large ensemble are fine, but presenting them on their own for entire cues is asking too much of the instrument. Additionally, the score is a very subtle and subdued work. Its themes will not reach out and grab you, with the primary idea, "Pelagia's Song," surprisingly cold in some of its performances. Instead, Warbeck relies upon the delicate emotions of the mandolin, guitar, and woodwind solos to convey the love story trying to assert itself against the string section's bleak backdrop of world war.

The darker half of Warbeck's score, usually involving scenes of army activities, is handled well enough, though it never achieves a status of fright that interrupts the continuous musical emphasis on scenery and character. On the other hand, the moments of romance don't pick up steam until "Reunion" at the very end, drawing comparisons to the introverted tone of Gabriel Yared's The English Patient. On the whole, the score for Captain Corelli's Mandolin is, frankly, uninteresting on its own. Enthusiasts of stately and slight classical listening experiences will find the work to be a delightful and refreshing presentation of consistently pleasant harmonies performed with restraint and tact. In terms of liveliness, Warbeck's music here lacks far behind the giddy happiness and fantasy of Shakespeare in Love, with a considerably slower tempo from start to finish. Not the entire album contains straight Warbeck score, though. Several tracks of traditional interpretive cues add the needed flavor to the Greek/Italian source music heard during party and dance scenes in the film. The "La Scala Songs" are necessary inclusions, but not particularly pleasant to hear in conjunction with Warbeck's surrounding music. One of the main attractions of the album are the two short, but poignant vocal performances by rising British tenor Russell Watson, and it was no coincidence that the Decca label took the opportunity here to promote his debut album, which had been performing very well on numerous charts at the time. Unfortunately, his spectacular voice is only heard on just a few minutes of this album's material. Easily a highlight is "Ricordo Ancor," during which Watson performs "Pelagia's Song," the primary theme that Warbeck wrote near the very beginning of the project. Overall, this album will be a treat to those classical and opera listeners who want to supplement the vocal and source performances with Warbeck's mellow score. If you are not in tune with mandolins, guitars, and other instruments of Mediterranean flavor, especially without dynamic accompaniment by the full orchestra, then the score for Captain Corelli's Mandolin could very easily bore you. And if you want to test the waters with your first Warbeck score, Shakespeare in Love remains a better choice.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Stephen Warbeck reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.29 (in 7 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.23 (in 9,321 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 60:21