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There are drawbacks inherent to this redundant style of performance, however. This is indeed a score best represented by its concert arrangements of about 16 combined minutes. The remainder unfortunately does not vary much in tone. A writer for Boxoffice Magazine noticed the same trait, though went a little too far in stating in a review of the film that "an offputting score is simple-minded in its support." Another unfortunate aspect of the final recording is its inconsistency in its mix on album; due to the score's hectic recording schedule (the score was recorded haphazardly in three days with three different groups of players), the sound quality, as well as the quality of the performances themselves, sometimes varies noticeably from cue to cue. The most notable of these differences comes after the magnificent sound of the "I Sing His Elegance," after which "Five in the Shadow of the Afternoon" is a tad flat in depth and gravity by comparison. Still, individual performances assist in connecting the dramatic thematic statements by the full ensemble. Several lightly elegant piano and acoustic guitar performances highlight the score. To spice up the score with the Spanish flavor necessary to capture the spirit of the poet, McKenzie, after a perilous search (and a good story), found flamenco singer Manolo Segura. In the tracks "Main Title," "Blood of a Poet," "Death Calling" and "Lorca's Elegy," Segura provides a distinct sound that some might confuse with Native American chanting. The sound of three flamenco singers is actually the one performance tracked three times, a technique that McKenzie uses masterfully in his scores to compensate for smaller ensembles. On the whole, this score further demonstrated McKenzie's growing maturity in the art of composition at the time. Even though he maintained a healthy career as an orchestrator (especially for Danny Elfman), his scores in the latter half of the 1990's qualified him for better assignments that unfortunately never came. His achievements in the area of combining thematic development with a growing sense of ethnic form would become even greater with his 1999 score for Durango. A generous album release of The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca by Intrada Records may be somewhat redundant, but it's a must-have product for any McKenzie enthusiast.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Mark McKenzie reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.9 (in 10 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.39 (in 4,295 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 55:16