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Review of Lover's Prayer (Joel McNeely)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you're tired of typical period scores and seek an
extremely intelligent entry that uses devious instrumental layering to
elevate itself over the rest of the genre.
Avoid it... if any hint of classical influence in your scores reduces the "coolness" factor too far to compensate for an otherwise elegant maturation of Joel McNeely's John Williams-like sensibilities.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Lover's Prayer: (Joel McNeely) Of the many reasons
that contributed to this film's failure, one of the more interesting
accusations from a critic pointed to the simple fact that British
filmmakers who churn out their period melodramas with such zeal
shouldn't attempt to understand and thus re-create the deeper meanings
behind similar stories that originate in Russia. Based on Ivan
Turgenev's "First Love," the 2000 film Lover's Prayer,
alternately known as All Forgotten, places Kirsten Dunst in the
position of Russian aristocracy in the 1800's and, not surprisingly, as
the target of many affections from suitors. The film follows the
attempts of a nerdy neighbor of hers to gain her attention, only for the
young twit to discover that she's already carrying on an affair with his
own father. The tragedy of love in Lover's Prayer tries to cover
topics of class, manipulation, suitors, lust, deception, and all the
typically wonderful plots that extend from those basic elements. The
film missed the mark so badly, however, that it didn't even make a dent
in the American arthouse community. As usual, that didn't stop composer
Joel McNeely from writing his heart out for Lover's Prayer. You
have to love a composer who tries so hard even when faced with scoring
total trash, and the period from 1998 to 2000 was filled with such
projects for McNeely. Still trying to live up to his initial billing as
"the next John Williams," McNeely toiled with awful films during this
period, often producing music that far exceeded the quality of those
movies. Lover's Prayer is yet another entry in this string of
scores. His experience with the composition of period music was already
well documented at the time, with significant praise aimed at his
television score for the Sally Hemmings television film just
prior to the album release of Lover's Prayer. While McNeely had
dabbled with classically intimate film scores in the past (introducing
this style in Samantha in the early 1990's), Lover's
Prayer would prove to be a far more vibrant and engaging experience.
Several years later, it is still regarded as one of his most intelligent
scores.
With classical construction at its base, the music for Lover's Prayer is elegantly performed by the London Chamber Orchestra. It has hints of classical influence from Russian composers, but McNeely paints with broad enough strokes to imitate the basic structures of both Russian and British period styles while still maintaining easy listenability. It's a score that illuminates the period without becoming distracting while doing so, exuding the right ambience while exploring more modern thematic ideas. There is indeed John Williams to be heard in Lover's Prayer, mostly in the intelligence of McNeely's layering of instruments and unpredictable movements in chord progression. Never does McNeely allow a moment to pass without some devious counterpoint running in the background and it is instrumental creativity that elevates the score beyond your typical period affair. He has a knack for being both delicate and wildly dramatic at once, representing multiple emotions together. While the strings most often carry the themes, the piano is the score's heart and soul, often rambling with elegance in that counterpoint role. The piano's use in "Jealousy" is of a complexity that usually only comes from John Williams, echoing the sophistication of Presumed Innocent. Distinguishing this score with class, the crystal clear piano performances flow with a lighter touch than in Patrick Doyle's similarly constructed East-West at roughly the same time. The graceful title theme is performed in the final album track by Clifford Benson alone on the piano, offering a very strong concert piece from the score. Outside of the title theme statements that highlight Lover's Prayer, fans will enjoy "Suitor's Dance," a waltz that carries the Russian character of the closing moments of Virus over with similar resolve. While the aforementioned moments of the score present its more intense side, the great majority of the score is very easily listenable as a background source of relaxation. The mood that McNeely creates in Lover's Prayer will soothe fans of Richard Robbins and Patrick Doyle's similar works. The album's one flaw is the noticeable and distracting high-range distortion of sound during the momentous climax of the end credits (due to too high a gain in the mix, probably). Otherwise, it's a hidden McNeely gem. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 43:48
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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