, produced by a
studio in Kazakhstan, is as obscure an epic as can be found in modern
days. Directed by Sergei Bodrov, Ivan Passer and Talget Temenov, the
film summarizes the fantastic folkloric tales of the country's greatest
fighters and uniters of the 1700's. The legendary character of Erali in
Kazakhstan's culture draws an army that would bring all three of the
country's hostile tribes together, with the proceedings glorified by
massive production qualities in
. One of the
few reasons the film received international attention was because of a
single Golden Globe nomination. That recognition came for the score by
Carlo Siliotto, one of the most surprising music nominations to be
announced from any major awarding body in years. The Italian composer
was originally an arranger of popular Mediterranean songs until
exploring his own film score composition career in the 1990's and 2000's
for films of the same region. The tragedy inherent in his 1992 score for
in 2004. While that
comic adaptation wouldn't launch Siliotto on to an immediate
international scoring career, the same dramatically Mediterranean
tragedy that prevails in that score would influence the primary theme
for
. The composer's skill with handling
instrumentation from around the world proved vital for this project,
with the sounds of regional specialty instruments augmenting his usual
collaboration with The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. Along with the
shehnai oboe, dombra lute, kobiz cello, mouth harp, and an ensemble of
vocalists that includes the talents of throat singers, Siliotto would
record as well with the Kazakh Kurmangazy Orchestra to capture the most
authentic folk and Kazakhstani environment possible. This is the kind of
attention to multicultural detail that you hear from the likes of
Alberto Iglesias or Mychael Danna, and the combination of Italian
lyricism with the texture of the Middle-East proves to be fascinating at
every turn in
Many composers would be content relying upon the
texture of these combined elements to provide the sonic backdrop for the
picture. But Siliotto's knack for melodramatic themes helps
Nomad:
The Warrior transcend to the level of historical epic while sounding
different from anything in a film music collection. The throat singing
adds a layer of bass below the natural confines of the orchestra while
the shrill female vocals exist at the highest most regions. The
percussion section creates an ambient ruckus not heard often since
Howard Shore's
The Lord of the Rings trilogy of scores, frightful
and terrorizing in several sequences. The shehnai, among other specialty
instruments, is not incorporated as a token element, but instead offers
itself in the role of primary thematic performer. Several themes grace
Nomad: The Warrior, with the title theme (or theme of tradition,
it could be termed) existing in the two concert performance variants
presented at the end of the album. This title theme (featuring
progressions very similar to
The Punisher) is often split into
two duties by Siliotto; the primary segment of the theme represents the
unity of Kazakhstan while the second verse in the theme usually receives
its own statements in moments of victory. A Jungar theme is heard during
their tribe's periodic attacks, introduced in "Jungar Encampment" and
strikingly blasting into several cues with their throat singing and
strident brass motif. Far more buoyant and enjoyable is the theme for
Shangrek, introduced in the track of that name and heard frequently in
the second half of the score before one final heroic variant near the
start of "Kazakh Victory." A theme for the dream of unity is heard in
several of the storytelling cues, culminating in a full ensemble
performance of significant beauty later in "Kazakh Victory." Several
smaller themes abound; an idea representing sorrow is heard immediately
in the score's opening and serves as a grim reminder of the past at the
end of "Kazakh Victory" as well. A lush and attractive theme accompanies
Gaukhar and is gracious performed in "Meeting Gaukhar." The end of that
cue offers a motif for agony, an idea that would be heard in its boldest
expression with choral layers in the middle of "The Duel."
A plethora of other recurring motifs exists in
Nomad: The Warrior, and it would be difficult to track all of
them without a detailed analysis of the film. A curious rhythmic motif
for bass strings worth noting is one that is hinted at in "The Duel" but
plays a significant role in "Death of Erali;" it's extremely reminiscent
of Cliff Eidelman's suspense motif for
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered
Country, one of the stronger elements in that score. The quantity of
themes in
Nomad: The Warrior, as well as the nearly constant
rotation between them and the fact that they seldom mature significantly
in structure (outside of the Shangrek theme) makes this score similar in
terms of its capacity for intellectual appreciation to Alexander
Desplat's
The Golden Compass, one of 2007's other more heralded
scores. Both works share some specialty uses, including the throat
singing and a tendency by the composers to use the piano as an element
to emphasis the bass region. It could be argued, however,
Nomad: The
Warrior is a superior effort in that it better balances the need of
the specialty instruments with the expansive, epic recording mix
necessitated by the genre. Whereas Desplat's recording of The London
Symphony Orchestra is so blinded by the emphasis on intimacy that it
loses the resonance of power that could have made it equal to the Howard
Shore trilogy it was modeled after, Siliotto's more modest Bulgarian
performers manage to provide surprisingly satisfying power without
drowning out the specialty instruments. Ironically, Siliotto's
internationally 2006-eligible
Nomad: The Warrior was beaten for
the Golden Globe by Desplat for
The Painted Veil. At seventy
minutes in length on album (Varèse Sarabande produced the album
in early 2007 after the nomination), the Siliotto score has its fair
share of noisy dissonant explosions. But the composer's longingly
romantic sensibilities provide for over fifty minutes of harmonically
rewarding material. Only the source material in "1000 Fires" and the
redundant concert performance of the title theme at the end of the album
stands apart from the otherwise cohesive listening experience. A hidden
gem of grand style,
Nomad: The Warrior is easily among 2007's
best.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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