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.
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