Not only does
Lionheart contain a multitude of
easily identifiable themes, but each one is above average for the
composer. The primary identity exists for Robert, the boy leading the
children on their journey; his anthem has the characteristics of a
mature hymn above an often accelerated and heroic rhythm that reminds of
both the composer's Western scores of a previous generation and a
major-key regurgitation of the relentless pulsations in
Capricorn
One. The first three notes of the idea are hinted at the outset of
the unused "The Castle (Main Title)," but stoic brass and soft woodwinds
illuminate the melody in the first half of "The Ceremony." The theme
increases its doses of bravado as the character matures; a secondary
phrase in this theme, extended out to full performances in the memorable
"King Richard/End Title," is redemptive in its shifting to lofty string
shades, mingling with the love theme for
Lionheart. This
sensitively alluring idea, heard most prominently in "Robert and
Blanche," retains the epic quality and optimistic nobility of Robert's
theme (as well as a reliance on an opening three-note phrase that
connects the two ideas' basic personality) while still offering a lush
alternative to the larger than life identity of the score as a whole.
The theme becomes a beacon of hope in the score's middle passages,
gently expressed on woodwinds and strings in "The Future" and "Gates of
Paris." The bulk of the melody's romantic duties carries over to "The
Dress" and "The Lake," combining the eerie synthetic and string whispers
of
Under Fire with slight fantasy from
Legend. Goldsmith
saves a few momentous performances of the idea for "King Richard" at the
end. The third major theme exists for Gabriel Byrne's villain in
Lionheart, the dark prince who pursues the children for the
purposes of selling them as slaves. Explored in its full form in
"Children in Bondage" and culminating in its stomping victory posture in
the latter half of "The Wrong Flag," this intriguing idea is placed over
a militaristic rhythmic procession that suggests the inevitable
brutality of the period. Its rigid structure, slightly disembodied
character, and melodic progressions remind significantly of John Barry's
brutal military music for films like
The Last Valley and
The
Lion in Winter. The repetition of phrases in the idea gives it a
determined, almost robotic demeanor, especially when synthetic layers
build upon its depth.
The long thematic lines of
Lionheart, along with
its swaying romanticism and repetition of phrases in many of its
melodies, may remind listeners of Barry's expansive tones of the era as
well, perhaps a nod to that composer's dominant and successful influence
on defining the scope of landscape and romance-oriented concepts at the
time. In addition to the three major themes of
Lionheart,
Goldsmith supplies a number of secondary motifs, and these identities
also sometimes defy the composer's own playbook. The three-note figures
that define the Robert theme from the first cues are highly flexible in
structure and eventually yield to a heroic four-note variant that is
revealed to exist for King Richard. This motif bursts forth briefly in
"The Castle (Main Title)" but builds momentum in the synthetic,
Hoosiers-like dream sequence of "The Lake" before transferring to
Explorers-like symphonic exuberance in "King Richard" at the end.
The three note phrases shared between these themes allows for extremely
creative implementation by various players throughout the score, thus
serving as the glue that holds
Lionheart together as such a
consistent work, and it invariably connects this score to the highly
related
First Knight. Other secondary motifs include a more
exotic, almost Arabian tilt to the children's group as a whole,
interjecting its descending phrasing into "Robert and Blanche" and
offering playful and/or dejected renditions for the group's antics
thereafter. A spritely theme akin to Basil Poledouris folk mannerisms is
revealed in "Mathilda" for the secondary female love interest of the
tale, and her theme is the basis for several upbeat interludes of humor
in subsequent cues. Perhaps most impressive about
Lionheart is
that the score has no weak element, no single obnoxious cue in its 83
minutes that has survived on album. Even the less engaging moments in
the work maintain the same level of thematic and instrumental mastery,
all of which leading to the stunning, summarizing "King Richard/End
Title" suite, easily among the best eight minutes of Goldsmith's career.
With electronics largely dropped in this cue, making it an alluring
choice for concert performances than never stuck later in his concert
repertoire, prominent chimes and xylophone are comfortable elements of
Goldsmith's style. A generous role for snare and timpani will appeal to
enthusiasts of martial tones while the whimsical sound of Goldsmith's
highest violin themes brings in the opposite end of the spectrum.
Intelligent counterpoint in the form of the main three-note phrasing
will satisfy those seeking depth.
A digital recording allows
Lionheart to be as
dynamic in its soundscape on album as any Goldsmith score until his
reverb-happy period of the late 1990's. The score was an object of much
attention from Varèse Sarabande at the time of the film's debut.
The label released two concurrent CDs in 1987 to coincide with their LP
record issues of the score. Nearly the entire score (over 80 minutes of
it) was provided over two separate products that were simultaneously
released as "Volume 1" and "Volume 2," likely to accommodate LP running
times. The bulk of important material was included on the first volume,
but the second one, despite containing some filler material, features
its own unique highlights in the form of variations on the three main
themes. A third CD, released in 1994 and titled "The Epic Symphonic
Score," took the entire first volume and added half of the second,
omitting much of the less engaging, Paris-related material and bringing
the combined running time up to 62 minutes. Despite reissues of the
first two albums from Varèse's European distributor, Colosseum,
from 1992 to 1994, all three volumes went out of print but remained in
demand, often selling for over $50 apiece. Always deserving a limited,
deluxe, 2-CD treatment despite the film's failure,
Lionheart
finally enjoyed such attention in 2021, Varèse returning to
provide all available music from the score in a long-overdue
chronological ordering that was absent on earlier products. The label
was unable to uncover additional tracks in the same master quality as
the previously offered music, but it did find and include two additional
unused cues from a lesser source. This pair of cues represented the
formal introduction of the villain material in "Bondage" and "The Black
Prince," and while most of its four combined minutes is dedicated to
bleak renditions of that theme, the first of the two cues offers a
pretty harp, oboe, and synthesizer performance of the love theme. The
sound quality of these two cues is noticeably poorer, and the label
decided to divide the music across the two CDs in such a way as to
include the two new cues at the end of the first CD while maintaining
narrative ordering. As such, the two CDs aren't remotely balanced in
length, but the tactic still makes good logical sense. On the whole, the
sound quality of the previously released cues isn't radically improved,
but the album is still highly recommended despite production problems
that didn't stop it from quickly selling out of its 2,000-copy run. More
so than perhaps any other music from the latter half of Goldsmith's
illustrious career,
Lionheart truly defines the overused term,
"hidden gem."
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