As expected, Hirschfelder's approach to
Legend of
the Guardians is impressively loyal to the orchestral traditions of
the children's fantasy genre. The Australian recording features a
dynamic mix of all sections of the orchestra and is accented by varied
choral employment and several notable instrumental solos. Not a single
outwardly electronic element is to be heard in the score (outside of
some minimal, separate contributions by Lisa Gerrard for the film). The
composer frequently references his soaring title theme and maintains a
consistent atmosphere of wonder and adventure throughout. It's a
pleasure to hear orchestral majesty of this unashamed heroism in a day
when composers so often brood in the depths of the bass region to
satisfy modern notions of fantasy ambience. There is, unfortunately, a
downside to Hirschfelder's embrace of the genre, and it comes with the
familiarity of his inspiration. To a small extent, there are figures
that, when combined with specific instrumentation, are reminiscent of
James Horner's vintage children's scores, but the primary area of
concern involving
Legend of the Guardians is its constant
references to John Williams' contributions to both that genre and
patriotic, family-oriented music from the latter half of his career. The
title theme, which is immediately conveyed in several forms to begin the
score, is distractingly similar in progression, demeanor, and brass
rendering to Williams'
Amazing Stories television music and his
offshoot Americana concert works of that same era. Of top of these
reminders are fragments of counterpoint and instrumentation (especially
in harpsichord, flute, and light metallic elements) that recall the
whimsy of Williams'
Harry Potter scores. Hirschfelder's work
seems saturated with the mannerisms of Williams to such an extent that
he even employs a secondary theme in the form of the maestro's usual
scherzo routine in "A Long Way to the Guardians" and briefly late in the
score. Other themes include a rhythmic representation of dread in "Taken
to St. Aggeles" and "Welcome to the Pellatorium" that is adequate but
not overtly scary due to the disjointed insertion of jazzy bass and
percussion interludes in those cues. An eerie theme of mystery also
enunciates itself clearly on high choir as the score reaches its climax,
first heard in its final form in "Sharpen the Battle Claws." Ultimately,
though, it's the title theme at really defines
Legend of the
Guardians, and it's partly because of Hirschfelder's constant return
to the idea that the influence of Williams is so pervasive in the
score.
Despite the derivative nature of this excursion by
Hirschfelder into an established set of genre parameters,
Legend of
the Guardians remains a technically impressive and generally
pleasing score. It does contain enough unique measures to make the whole
a recommended experience on album, starting with some notable
instrumental solos. The harpsichord is often employed for soft,
slow-tempo performances of the title theme. A solo cello in "Sharpen the
Battle Claws" is elegantly beautiful. An unexpected role for duduk in a
few of the score's later cues provides a timeless quality that, in
"Follow the Whale's Fin," actually recalls Dario Marianelli's
Agora. The choral applications are often unrestrained attempts at
broad majesty, achieving fantastic results (along with the duduk and a
harp) in "The Boy Was Right." The voices will please Harry
Gregson-Williams enthusiasts at the outset of "Into Battle" and are
unleashed in full chanting mode at the height of "My Soldiers My Sons."
If there is one overarching concern with
Legend of the Guardians
(outside of the stylistic references), it's that the score has a
tendency to play like sonic wallpaper due to the fact that Hirschfelder
tries so hard to push all the right fantasy buttons at every moment.
Granted, it's almost always harmonically undemanding, but it also
threatens to become somewhat generic as a result. In this regard, it
suffers from the same lack of memorable catch as Christophe Beck's
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, another 2010
score of robust fantasy constructs that almost tries too hard to please.
Still, both scores are leagues beyond many of their contemporary peers
in terms of orchestral intelligence. On the flip side, the album
situation for
Legend of the Guardians is bafflingly inept (even
beyond just the wretched song at the start), limited by Warner's
Watertower branch to only a regular download release from the usual
major online outlets while offered as a CD (minus the poorer-quality
tracks "A Friend or Two" and "Hello Brother") in physical Borders stores
for $8. Not surprisingly, with film score fans clamoring for lossless
copies of the music, the Borders copies ended up in auctions fairly
quickly. Not included on this album is the lovely Harry
Gregson-Williams/Lisa Gerrard song "Coming Home," performed by Gerrard
as a cue for a flying scene in the film. Also of note is that the
download version of the album (and it may be the case with the CD as
well) contains questionable editing and mastering. High gain levels
caused distortion in the choral highlights of "My Soldiers My Sons" and
"More Baggy Wrinkles," as well as in the brass of "Taken to St.
Aggeles." An abrupt, badly faded cut at the end of "Into Battle" is also
unacceptable. Overall, however, despite these album issues and the
score's familiarity, Hirschfelder has delivered a satisfying success.
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