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Review of Restoration (James Newton Howard)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you appreciate intelligent adaptations of baroque style into a modern, richly melodic, and powerfully performed score.

Avoid it... if you've never cared for the 17th Century style of Henry Purcell and his contemporaries, for such works both exist as source material throughout the film and are the basis for the original score.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Restoration: (James Newton Howard) Based on the novel by Rose Tremain, Restoration applies its title to both England and to its title character. The film is set in the storied 1660's, during the return of Charles II to the English thrown and the lavish excesses of society until London burned later in the decade. Against this backdrop is the story of a physician whose rise and fall from grace is both tragic and comical. In the leading role, Robert Downey Jr. exercises his talents in medicine but unfortunately falls for the King's mistress. His banishment and improbable return is decidedly positive in spirit, and despite a few factual kinks in the storyline (as well as Meg Ryan's miscasting in a major role), Restoration was generally well-received. Because of the story's lack of authenticity, the film never gained the long-term success of the other British period films of the 1990's, including the Jane Austen adaptations. One of the film's great ironies is that while much of the story was fictionalized and almost inappropriate for the era, the sets, costumes, and original score were all very well suited to a more seriously dramatic picture along the same lines. Composer James Newton Howard had never scored this kind of period piece in his expanding career, one that had spent considerable time in the darker action realms. With that fact in mind, Howard claims to have done extensive research on this segment of period music before beginning his assignment. The target of his research was Henry Purcell and his piece "If Love's a Sweet Passion" from "The Fairy Queen" in particular. Along with other Purcell accomplishments and the work of Marin Marais, Howard's study of 17th Century music from the region would allow his score to weave in and out of actual source references to those pieces in the film. He would use the structure of "If Love's a Sweet Passion," among other usual techniques of the time, to form the title theme for his underscore. While his baroque adaptations are both competent and enjoyable in Restoration, it's the gravity of his dramatic underscore in the film's second half that steals the spotlight.

Early on the album, the tone of the film is established with crisp recordings of Purcell's material. Howard's "Main Titles" open with a roar of the timpani and unleash the full extent of his research into the period with a rousing adaptation through gorgeous lead performances by trumpet and harpsichord. Howard's baroque music is sufficient in its role, though the underscore tracks begin to show a tender quality of a more melodramatic variety when solo woodwinds eventually state Howard's own "healing theme." The choice of utilizing a full, modern ensemble to translate the baroque style into an acceptable sound for contemporary ears allows Restoration to flaunt its period aspects while also providing the resounding sense of gravity that those modern listeners will expect. At no time is this choice better illustrated than in the massively rendered rhythmic crescendo of the entire ensemble heard with magnificent force in "The Fire." The problem that some listeners will have with Restoration is the dominance of the harpsichord early in the proceedings, and the stigma involved with that instrument will deter some people. But the second half of Howard's score is largely devoid of the harpsichord's prancing. The duo of "Night Sweats" and "Hospital" are among the best six minutes of Howard's career. The cue "Night Sweats" in particular is a haunting combination of Flatliners and Lady in the Water; it's the only choral track on the album, but its elegance in progression rivals the appeal of Howard's fan-favorite 2006 score above. It is in these cues that the influence of the 17th Century styles is cleverly masked by Howard in underlying structures, proving that without the stereotypical harpsichord, the baroque style can be twisted by an intelligent composer to serve any modern need. A victorious, redemptive statement of theme in "Your Child I Believe" closes Howard's original material with the appropriately soaring spirit. As an album, Howard's original music may seem scattered amongst a significant amount of Purcell source, but a consistency in sound quality and adept adaptations by Howard allow for a smooth flow most of the time. If not for an extraordinarily strong year for film music in 1995, Restoration could very well have been among the year's best.  *****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 61:23

• 1. If Love's a Sweet Passion (from 'The Fairy Queen' by Henry Purcell) (1:31) • 2. Main Titles (2:58) • 3. Frost Dance in C (from 'King Arthur' by Henry Purcell) (1:34) • 4. A Night with Lulu (1:21) • 5. Minuet in G (from 'Abdelazer' by Henry Purcell) (0:53) • 6. Here the Deities Approve (from 'Ode Welcome to All the Pleasures' by Henry Purcell) (2:28) • 7. A Creature of the New Age (1:09) • 8. Overture in D (from 'The Fairy Queen' by Henry Purcell) (2:25) • 9. The Wedding (1:39) • 10. Horn Pipe in D Minor (from 'The Fairy Queen' by Henry Purcell) (1:26) • 11. Arrival in Bidnold (1:08) • 12. The Cabinet of Curiosities (2:54) • 13. The Land of Mar (1:10) • 14. The Lie (1:19) • 15. A New Ground in E Minor (harpsicord transcription by Henry Purcell) (0:53) • 16. Merivel Woos Celia (2:26) • 17. Katharine Sleeps (3:23) • 18. Taking Bidnold Back (1:35) • 19. Muzette 1 in A Minor (from '3e Livre Pieces de Viole' by Marin Marais) (2:57) • 20. The Right Knowledge (2:06) • 21. The Plague (2:10) • 22. Katharine's Death (4:37) • 23. Night Sweats (3:03) • 24. Hospital (2:54) • 25. Doctor Merivel (1:50) • 26. Listening to Celia's Heart (1:39) • 27. The Fire (3:18) • 28. Allegro from Sinonia (from 'The Indian Queen' by Henry Purcell) (1:19) • 29. Your Child I Believe (1:12) • 30. Newcastle (Traditional) (0:38) • 31. 2nd Overture in D (from 'King Arthur' by Henry Purcell) (1:28)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes notes from the composer about the score.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Restoration are Copyright © 1996, Milan Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 3/25/00 and last updated 4/22/07.