The hype generated by
The Passion of the Christ extended
to its score, originally assigned to Rachel Portman and then James Horner (and
even absent any notion of a score for a while) before John Debney reportedly
battled Satan in his studio in the process of composing and recording the
eventual Oscar-nominated score. For
The Gospel of John, as a modernized
method of understanding Christ, a precarious opportunity for an intelligent score
for the man and the era was presented to the filmmakers. Where you fall on the
issue of musical appropriateness for the subject is one of those areas not too
distant from your attitudes about the film itself. Composer Jeff Danna, known for
his work in dramatic arthouse films, traveled the safest route possible for the
score: the intellectual one. Instead of getting wrapped up in the mysticism of
Christ and blushing with overt romance or melodramatic power in every cue, a
characteristic that would plague Debney's music for the topic, Danna balances on
that fine line between romanticism for the mythology and historical accuracy for
the era. This is one aspect in which Danna and
The Gospel of John always
had a huge advantage over
The Passion of the Christ. Danna and
orchestrator/conductor Nicholas Dodd began researching for this film over a year
in advance, allowing them to collect extensive information about what instruments
and vocal techniques and languages would have existed at the time of Christ's
life. This included digging around in music libraries, sound recording archives,
Internet sources, and correspondence with Biblical scholars. Even if you are a
religious historian and disagree with the merits of the film's translation of the
topic, you have to separate that distaste from your analysis of the score. The
chilling accuracy with which Danna and his associates strived to create an
authentic musical representation of the subject is outstanding, as is the score's
surprising accessibility outside of context. Understandably, Danna begins with
the Philharmonia Orchestra of London (recorded in a church, no less) and
incorporates the four sections of its mass to build a deeply involved,
harmonious, and sincere foundation for the specialty instruments and
complimentary musical structures that Danna would insert based on his research.
The end result is what you would expect to hear from Danna's brother, Mychael,
whose career has been largely defined by smart implementation of worldly sounds
into a Western symphonic environment.
Even if the dozen specialty instruments from ancient Roman culture
and the Middle East don't appeal to you, their integration into the Westernized
orchestral structures will. No better an example of this keen application is when
Danna calls the audience to attention in "Here Comes Your King" with the shofar, a
ram's horn used to signal or announce an arrival, and the tone of the instrument is
overtaken beautifully by the orchestral ensemble. The voice of French soprano
Esther Lamandier, a foremost performer of reconstructions of ancient Hebraic music,
is prominently featured in Aramaic chants that are operatic in lyricism and
proportion. Representing the soul of Mary, her voice is incorporated in "Mary
Washes Jesus' Feet," "The Prayer," and "Follow Me." Percussion work by renowned
Egyptian artist Hossam Ramzy includes performances on various instruments from the
era. A selection of drums set to different pitches is integral to nearly every cue,
as are the neys, which are early forms of a recorder. Danna's thematic development
exists with these instruments as constant accents. His two primary themes consist
of an elegant, but simple string theme for Jesus (lush when necessary, but usually
beautiful in the simplicity of its respectful harmony) and the drum-driven theme
for Roman forces, Pilate, and the general topic of betrayal. The powerful,
percussive and brass secondary theme asserts itself with force in three cues,
finally culminating in a bombastic brass explosion in "Jesus at the Temple."
Viewers and listeners will be tempted, however, as impressive as these full scale
sections are, to repeatedly enjoy the more contemplative, tender moments of the
score. For scenes of poignant dialogue, the underscore never ceases to warm the
heart and utilize the friendly, but foreign sounds of ancient instruments. If you
were to compare this religious score to another one of note in 2003, Mychael
Danna's
Ararat, it would be easy to say that both are superior
representations of religious authenticity. In rhythmic material such as "Jesus and
Nicodemus," a score collector could easily believe that this is a product of
Mychael. But
The Gospel of John is much more accessible with its combination
of grand orchestral applications, the specialty instruments, and the lovely vocals.
Jeff Danna inserts just enough romanticism without entering the realm of cheesiness
or melodrama, creating an atmosphere appropriate for the topic while exercising
stylish restraint. For that achievement, his score for
The Gospel of John is
a masterpiece deserving of attention no matter your opinion of the film's
interpretations or subject matter.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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