Thematically,
Eragon is a rich and vibrant
score. The opening suite establishes the major themes for the boy, the
dragon, and other associated motifs in clear view, with some form of one
of these themes almost constantly present in each cue of the subsequent
score. What will punch you in the face immediately is the force of the
major key, with valiance so prominent in Doyle's frolicking statements
of theme that they border on almost orgasmic; it's as though the
sprightly and jubilant attitude of
Much Ado About Nothing's
ceremonious crescendos is bloated to the ultimate proportion. Given the
story's upbeat, conquering spirit and the omnipresent goal of pleasing
the younger crowd, Doyle doesn't step too far out of bounds with this
blatant, cymbal-crashing optimism, but be warned that
Eragon
could easily rub you the wrong way if you're in a bad mood. If Doyle's
goal was to achieve the same broad depth of sound that Howard Shore
demonstrated with his
The Lord of the Rings score, then he's a
step or two behind, for rarely in
Eragon's score is there
convincing danger or genuine contemplation. The score
seems to be
one glorious statement of theme after another despite its softer
interludes, and perhaps this phenomenon can be attributed to the fact
that Doyle's more thoughtful pieces (starting with "Roran Leaves") are
pleasantly conservative and non-descript. The meandering statements of
theme in
Eragon rarely feature notable solos; the mix of the
score is one of ensemble first, individual last. The only solo of any
impact is the
Legend-like female voice in "Together," a sadly
underutilized element. There's an interesting note about Doyle's overall
writing for the fantasy genre that needs to mentioned here, for it might
have something to do with precisely that mix. More than any other
composer in recent memory, Doyle seems fascinated with the high end of
the orchestra's aural spectrum. In simplistic terms, you could say that
his fantasy music is heavily weighted towards the treble region rather
than the bass one (the exact opposite of his rather unique --in
retrospect-- score for
Great Expectations in 1998).
From
Quest for Camelot to
Eragon, Doyle's
adventures maintain their happy-go-lucky attitude because of a
significant emphasis on performances by cymbals and violins, trumpets,
harp, and flutes in their highest ranges. Both the title theme and
Saphira's theme (the dragon) are punctuated by extremely high ranges
that could possibly be the reason for the score's tendency to be
intrusive. The truly interesting cues in
Eragon are those like
"Battle for Varden," which offer sequences where the middle ranges of
the string section, the trombones and French horns, and the rolling beds
of percussion are presented without these flourishing high ranges. Of
particular note are snippets of rhythmic progressions at 2:30 and 8:50
in that lengthy battle cue. When Doyle needs to rumble the floors with
dread --something Shore was extremely effective at in his trilogy of
scores-- Doyle clutches to that faintly positive, melodramatic spirit
and never allows an expansive bass to convince you that true evil exists
(this applies mostly to "Ra'zac," which occasionally and amusingly
sounds like a Shakespearian skit gone horribly awry). Perhaps this was
intentional, but it seems odd. The choral presence in
Eragon
waits to make its presence felt until the final half, but is satisfying
despite a somewhat weak level of mixing. On the whole, however, it's
important to remember that despite its persistent flaws,
Eragon
is a worthy listening experience with a handful of roaring cues that
will impress. While being a blunt instrument of happy intent for most of
its length, Doyle's music still provides all the expected thematic
integrations, heroic crescendos, and rhythmic battle accompaniment.
Given the very low expectations for the film, Doyle succeeds quite well
in providing a score that attempts to transcend the bias against the
circumstances of the story. Those circumstances do reach up to bite you,
the listener, in the butt at the end of the album, however. Two insipid
female pop performances beg for coolness, the latter of which is
actually a sickly variation on Doyle's main theme. These rock song
entries aside, Doyle's hyperactive 45 minutes of score on album will
attempt to leave you with the same hopelessly upbeat mood that
Much
Ado About Nothing did. Whether or not you accept that fluffy spirit
from a massive fantasy score is your choice.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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