: (James Horner) From
National Geographic Studios and narrated by Harrison Ford, the
documentary
by Brian J.
Terwilliger surveyed the history of flight's impact on civilizations in
monumental IMAX scope. Detailing how airplanes have changed cultures and
travel to the far reaches of the planet, the film was shot on seven
continents and in countless nations. Terwilliger's passion for flying
yields a positive look at aviation in general, and his documentary
premiered at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in April of
2015. While accomplished,
remains
more than a footnote in the genre because of the involvement of composer
James Horner in crafting its music. Long an aviation enthusiast himself,
Horner spent much of his time in his later years in flight with his
vintage aircraft. To Terwilliger's surprise, a casual mention of the
documentary tickled Horner's fancy to the extent that he
enthusiastically agreed to score the picture. The composer had lost
interest in the wrangling of the film industry by the 2010's, and
gave him the opportunity to write
what essentially amounted to a concert piece dedicated to flight, even
if he ended up financing the recording himself. The debut of the film
came just two months prior to Horner's own death in a plane accident,
making this score one of the composer's final completed works. The
soundtrack is a fitting coda to Horner's career in many ways, as it
reflects not only a number of his trademark artistic mannerisms but the
very same passion that ultimately ended his life. The score clearly
plays like a labor of love for the composer, even if it occasionally
seems to chase temp tracks without much attempt to hide that intent.
Being a documentary,
allowed
Horner to explore musical vignettes without competing with multitudes of
synchronization points or other layers of sound, thus accentuating its
concert-like qualities. For enthusiasts of the composer, it's both a
rush of comfortable familiarity and bittersweet sadness all in one
easy-going and sometimes exhilarating listening experience.
While the scope of Horner's recordings by the mid-2010's
was inconsistent, he clearly had no interest in restraining the
perceived size of
Living in the Age of Airplanes. Assembling his
typical crew, he employed the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and
recorded the ensemble portions in Slovakia before returning to London to
complete the production. He also utilized vocals by Graham Foote, who
has a history partnering with ensembles in Central Europe. The mix
factors in a variety of synthetic enhancements not unusual to Horner's
sound, some providing sampled alternatives of live musicians as a matter
of style. Significant roles for acoustic guitar and piano often combine
with these electronic tones to create a friendly demeanor. The
orchestral performances aren't the deepest, nor can they match the best
of Horner's career, but as a budget alternative they acquit themselves
quite well. The score maintains a positive spirit, alternately calming
and inspirational from start to finish, with only one distinct sidetrack
of genre in the "Flowers" cue. Horner intriguingly matches the major and
minor modes with seeming laser-like focus in
Living in the Age of
Airplanes, using minor modes to represent ground transportation and
the struggles of life without flight; not surprisingly, the major mode
then corresponds with the answering elegance, sophistication, and
possibilities of flight. The narrative of the score isn't dominant, but
it follows the pathways of the documentary as well as it can, taking
stylistic and motific excursions as needed but retaining a core set of
three themes that connect certain plot elements well. Of these three
ideas, one represents the film as a whole while the other two seem tied
to the concepts of ancient times and perseverance. The main theme
bookends the score and defines "Opening Sequence" (at the start and
again at 1:08) with assistance of the male vocals that also open and
close the story. A brief phrase of the theme keys "The World Before the
Airplane" on ethnic flute, but the idea really shines in its driving,
inspirational performances during the fantastic "Nearly Perfected."
Horner creates shades of doubt by shifting the primary line to the minor
mode on trumpet like an interlude at 0:34 before a major performance at
the end includes drum pad accents for victorious emphasis.
Horner's main theme for
Living in the Age of
Airplanes shifts into full
Avatar mode, one of several
notable temp track influences, during "Migration Vacation," the
percussion, electronic bass, and vocals carrying over dutifully. A
redemptive but brief interlude on horns and strings at 1:31 is a
highlight, though most listeners may be too distracted by the
Avatar and
Glory resemblances to appreciate the cue. The
theme returns at 2:16 into "Ancient Civilizations" on piano to resolve
the cue and returns to the "Opening Sequence" style of vocals with the
fuller ensemble at 0:12 into "Home." The vocals carry over in this theme
to 0:10 into "End Credits," with softer guitars and synthetics
underneath. The album's "End Credits (Remix)" extended variant removes
some vocals to leave only the underlying instrumentals, though its
additional length explores a fuller and relaxing treatment of the theme.
Meanwhile, the ancient times theme delicately accompanies the film's
examination of progress with a style highly reminiscent of an early
1990's character drama theme from Horner, slightly somber in its minor
mode. Solo string treatment of the idea will remind of
The Spitfire
Grill. You first encounter the ascending theme on piano and light
electronics in "200,000-Year Timeline," after which the orchestra joins
with force for a shot of a timeline bringing viewers forward. The theme
returns very similarly in instrumentation and development during
"Ancient Civilizations" but is provided more impressive heft at 1:39
into "Exponential Progress." By 2:07 into "The Golden Age is Now," the
first three notes of the melody become a secondary interlude to that
cue's rousing material. A final perseverance theme debuts at 1:07 into
"Antarctica" on piano and consists mainly of descending pairs of notes;
a fuller arrangement on piano over guitar at 2:12 turns longer and more
fluid on strings at 2:53 in that cue. Horner returns to the theme on
piano at 0:17 into "Perspective," remaining contemplative throughout the
cue as choral shades smooth out the end. The theme serves as a formal
interlude to the rock motif conveyed in the splashy "The Golden Age is
Now," defining much of the latter half of that cue at 1:11 and 2:29. The
phrasing of these themes is deconstructed and intermingled at times,
with satisfying results.
Aside from the application of these three recurring
themes in
Living in the Age of Airplanes, Horner uses the
opportunity to express singular ideas in vignettes throughout the score
as well. Some of these are massively impressive while others are
potentially annoying, though none is insufficient to the task at hand.
The trip back in time in "The World Before the Airplane" predicts John
Powell's
The Call of the Wild in its guitars, drums, and piano in
rugged rhythms. Listeners seeking a more driving minor key presence will
appreciate "History of Transportation," its synthetic rhythms for shots
of trains leading to the chords of a typical Horner crescendo in the
middle and offering a particularly exuberant ensemble performance in the
cue's second half. In "Portal to the Planet," the composer presents a
cello theme as a variant of the main identity, elegant against soothing
synthetic layers and female vocals. A distinct atmosphere of Thomas
Newman occupies "Maldives," its mostly synthetic, rhythmic pleasantness
a strong foreshadowing of Newman's later
Tolkien. The score's one
significant detraction may be "Flowers," a bright mambo piece largely
unique for Horner but somewhat close in spirit to his vintage swing and
jazz material in execution. A highly fluid theme closest to
A
Beautiful Mind's movements is highlighted in "Exponential Progress,"
with a solo vocal performance over full ensemble at the end that
represents Horner at his most inspiring. The glitziest cue is easily
"The Golden Age is Now," a combination of phrases from the main and
ancient themes that is a direct temp track holdover from French
electronic music project M83's song "Outro," which was used in the
documentary's trailer. The rock elements here fit decently well with the
score, and some casual Horner listeners may equate the vocals with those
Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan provided to
The Four Feathers. An
alternate version of that cue on the album, "The Golden Age is Now
(Remix)," pares back the guitars and percussion but loses most of its
bass power in doing so. Overall,
Living in the Age of Airplanes
is a loving tribute to not just flight but Horner's career as well, and
it will bring both nostalgic joy and solemn heartbreak to any of his
ardent collectors. The 50-minute album presentation is widely available
digitally and released on a limited, now sold-out 2018 CD by Intrada
Records. For all of those who flew with Horner's music for so long, it's
a satisfyingly fitting farewell.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
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