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Gregson-
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Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: (Harry Gregson-Williams)
While Walt Disney Pictures continued to revive relatively conservative stories for
their animated ventures of the early 2000's, Dreamworks was overflowing with fresh
ideas to offer in their feature films. Both
Chicken Run and
Shrek
were wildly innovative story concepts for the studio, though their topic of 2003,
the "Sinbad" legend, was hardly new. To keep the creative wheels turning, however,
Dreamworks took pieces from several of the seven "Sinbad" tales of famed journeys
and made an adaptation of their own,
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. The
summer of 2003 was extremely successful for the animation genre, though the
Disney/Pixar film
Finding Nemo surfed past competition at the box office,
vanquishing Dreamworks' entry this time around. Whereas
Finding Nemo is a
more subdued, serious-minded project, the similarly oceanic
Sinbad: Legend of
the Seven Seas is a full-fledged action-adventure spectacle. The Dreamworks
franchise of animated productions had featured the services of composers Harry
Gregson-Williams and John Powell since their emergence as a studio competitor to be
reckoned with in 1998 (with
Antz). The pairing of Powell and
Gregson-Williams often resulted in quirky and energized scores performed by a wide
range of orchestral, electronic, and acoustic specialty instruments, developing a
following of younger film score collectors for their works on album. In 2003,
though, both Powell and Gregson-Williams found themselves tackling big budget
pictures by themselves, and the latter was left with the task of scoring
Sinbad:
Legend of the Seven Seas. Many composers have stated through the years that
swashbuckling scores for pirates on the high seas are the most enjoyable to write
and record, if only because the genre allows for enormous freedom in thematic
expression and instrumental ruckus. Gregson-Williams followed suit and mostly
dropped his electronic and close-range acoustic instrumentation in favor of a
large-scale orchestral and choral ensemble in London.
To say that Gregson-Williams' score for
Sinbad: Legend of the
Seven Seas is a generic swashbuckling effort is an injustice, for it excels
beyond most others in the genre. The music does utilize many cliches, simple
harmony of grand proportions, and stereotypical pirate-related motifs and thematic
swings, but Gregson-Williams compensates by injecting the score with unrelenting
energy and enthusiasm. For over an hour, the score explodes with so much vitality
that it places the listener into the environment of a ship on stormy seas during
its action material. It's a score that won't impress you with fresh thematic ideas,
but rather their consistent execution. The title theme, as well as several
secondary motifs, is very appropriate for the genre, and he inserts distinctive
female voices brilliantly throughout the score to represent Eris, the evil God of
Chaos. The full chorus of the Metro Voices of London functions to serve the fantasy
elements of the film as well. Several of the themes by Gregson-Williams are
malleable enough to be interpreted for quieter, more contemplative moments, such as
the fine flute solo in "Is It the Shore or the Sea?" Most of the time, however,
the themes are blazing at full speeds that likely put the brass performers out of
breath after a few hours of recording. This verbosity is where the success of the
entire package originates. Composers can't create all of the life required in a
score by themselves; often it is the conductor that has to accurately and
emotionally inspire the orchestra to perform with vigor. In the case of
Sinbad:
Legend of the Seven Seas, Gregson-Williams himself conducted the score, and
given the overwhelmingly positive response from the players in their resulting
performance, one wonders what kind of jig Gregson-Williams must have danced in
front of them to whip them into the sword fighting mood. In an era when studio
orchestras have produced uninspired scores by the dozens,
Sinbad: Legend of the
Seven Seas comes to life and envelopes the listener with the sheer magnitude of
its power and frenetic enthusiasm. If you thought that the "Building the Crate"
cue in
Chicken Run was the definition of symphonic energy for animated films,
then this one will impress you equally.
The most lovable aspect of
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
is Gregson-Williams' use of the adult chorus, and its female members more
specifically, to add spirit to the enchanting elements of the seas, as well as
Eris. The prancing vocal accents by Lisbeth Scott culminate into a cue for the
"Sirens" which adds three more voices interwoven into a waltz-like song of
seduction and comedy. The full chorus performs a variety of fantastic background
roles and thematic expressions during nearly every cue. The fluidity of their
performances ranges from bouncing, rhythmic requirements for comedy scenes to
harmonic counterpoint accompaniment on a large scale that equals the finale cue of
Chicken Run. The merging of vocals and varied percussive effects will remind
some listeners of James Newton Howard's
Atlantis: The Lost Empire, among
others. Even more impressive about Gregson-Williams' score is its consistency from
start to end. With over an hour of running time on album, there is no stumble, no
flaw in his work. Thus, the album is a remarkably enjoyable listening experience
from start to end, featuring no songs (a delightful surprise for the genre) and a
generous quantity of substantive material. Even in moments of despair or dialogue,
when any score can be banished to the realm of unimposing ambient duties,
Gregson-Williams finds a way to continuously state themes with a gorgeous solo
instrument or tighten the suspense with an always active string section or faint
timpani roll. With a lively, thematic score that has no apparent weaknesses, your
enjoyment of the work as a listener depends on your tolerance of that reliable
swashbuckling style of themes and motifs.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
is so saturated with such unyielding enthusiasm and stylistic cliches of the high
seas that you may find yourself overwhelmed and potentially irritated by its
massive waves of sound. Otherwise, if you have an ounce of sailing ship adventure
in your blood, then this score will strike the same chord that made John Debney's
genre-defining
Cutthroat Island so appealing. The sum of
Sinbad: Legend
of the Seven Seas, at the very least, surpasses all of Gregson-Williams'
collaborative efforts with Powell, and stands as arguably the strongest score for a
Dreamworks animated film.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Harry Gregson-Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3
(in 40 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.98
(in 55,230 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
