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Review of Willow (James Horner)

1988 Virgin

2022 Intrada

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you are any fan of superior fantasy and adventure scores that combine orchestral majesty with exotic beauty, for James Horner's Willow is among the best such works of the digital era.

Avoid it... if you have absolutely no curiosity about the initial inspiration for most of Horner's self-references later in his career.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Willow: (James Horner) As the writer and producer for Willow, George Lucas promised more than he delivered with this fantasy adventure spectacle, though it's hard to blame rising director Ron Howard for the 1988 film's perceived failure at the time. Being as campy as it is, perhaps Willow was destined to be a guilty pleasure or cult classic at best, despite strong production values, a decent concept, and Lucas' ability to inspire the most menacing villain's masks in the history of cinema. An unseasoned Val Kilmer is the stud and lovable Warwick Davis is the underdog, an unlikely pair on the run from and eventually seeking to conquer an evil queen in a land from long ago. A baby, Elora Danan, is foretold to mark the overthrow of that queen, and the heroic group of misfits has to battle their way to the lair of the queen and exercise magic to win the day. The special effects from Industrial Light and Magic were heavily advertised at the time, and because of their efforts, Willow is visually passable decades later. The movie gained in stature twenty years after its release, eventually prompting a sequel in the form of a television series featuring some of the same actors. In terms of its auditory experience, few have ever questioned the effectiveness of James Horner's score in the original film. Marking the second collaboration between Horner and Ron Howard, Willow exceeded all expectations in its music. While Horner had already been recognized by mainstream awards and produced the music for several blockbuster films, he had never tackled a composition of this sheer magnitude. It is often considered the sister score to The Land Before Time, with both works using mostly the same crew, performers, and general quality of mix. These two superior works together in 1988, along with Glory the following year, yielded the kind of undeniable five-star results that had eluded Horner for much of his early career. In relation to the film score collecting community, Willow has always maintained a broad and loyal following from its debut, and it set the foundation for many of Horner's more popular scores to come. In the years that followed, the legacy of the score grew, and its extremely blatant incorporation into the elaborate trailers for 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves produced a flurry of demand for Willow's music.

The lingering controversy over the composer's habit of borrowing material from himself can usually be linked directly or indirectly back to Willow, a score which Horner admitted was a creative breakthrough in his development of ideas inspired by others. The cynical sorts who write off much of Horner's early career because of his unashamed tendency of pulling inspiration from modern classical music (or, in the case of the Willow theme here, the Bulgarian harvest song, "Mir Stanke Le") can make their own reference points in Willow, though Horner's re-packaging of these ideas is so well executed that few mainstream listeners will care or even notice. There are several reasons for the success of Willow's score, and one of them relates to the ingredients that Horner assembled. The performances by the London Symphony Orchestra have always been strong in popular film scores, but rarely have they excelled to even these levels of precision. The King's College Choir of Wimbledon provides women's and boys' ensemble voices, and while Horner used light choral accompaniment throughout his career, rarely has it sounded as engrossing in the fantasy mode as it does in Willow and The Land Before Time. A collection of exotic, rarely applied instruments would be discovered by Horner here and used in scores throughout his career, including the controversial shakuhachi flute. Joining it in an oversized woodwind section are the quena, penny whistle, pan pipes, didgeridoo, conch shells, and medieval shawms. The groaning didgeridoo in particular is an intriguing contributor to "Airk's Army" and "Bavmorda's Spell is Cast." The sprawling percussion section includes Chinese opera gong, South American drum, Irish bodhran drum, and even a plastic cup. Keyboard performers ranged from two pianos to two synthesizers, celesta, and harpsichord. The synthesizers standard to Horner for the era were used to accentuate the percussion in providing some ambient sound effects for scenes involving either dread or magic. A variety of folk music is added for the source-like passages, performed by alpine horns, bagpipes, cimbalom, Uilleann pipes, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, and acoustic guitar. These recordings marked the early days of collaborations between Horner and specialty soloists like Ian Underwood and Tony Hennigan that came to define much of his later music.

The complexity of Willow as a composition is astounding, with countless passages in which the composer instructed performers to improvise within harmonic schemes, most notably on piano rumbles and the distinctive puffing and wails of the shakuhachi flute. Violins were at one point instructed to alter pitch in succession, each performer in the section moving upward a moment after the previous player. One of the reasons for the success of Willow is the abundance of tonally accessible statements despite a fair amount of disharmony built into its many chase and suspense sequences. Horner wrote more than a dozen themes for the film and utilizes them often during the score; even at its most chaotic moments, the score typically references at least one of these ideas. The mutilation of these themes is impressive, but more remarkable is the composer's ability to maintain both their tone and recognizable structure even when twisted into alternate purposes. Some of the melodic lines are very long, requiring substantial air time to fully convey them, and they are countered by other ideas that can be expressed in only a measure or two. The mammoth expanse of the score assists in allowing full development of each idea. At the time of its release, Willow was by far the longest score of Horner's career (by half an hour) and, like The Land Before Time, this endeavor featured wall-to-wall music requiring that many cues be at least five minutes in length. Some cues could range to nearly 20 minutes in length, which presented a problem during the recording sessions if one of the unusual composer instructions caused a performer to misfire. The constant thematic reminders cause many of the long cues to become miniature symphonies in and of themselves, much in the same style as "The Great Migration" from The Land Before Time. Horner made comments at the time about the numerous synchronization points demanded per cue, causing the need to hit bold statements of several of the score's themes in the same pass. As such, Willow is a work that irritates some listeners in its lack of concise rearrangement for album, though anyone with decent editing software could achieve this themselves. In that endeavor, all eight tracks on the original album release offered highlights and most would require some cutting; the same advice applies to the longer cues unreleased until an expanded presentation of the score debuted in 2022.

There exist five major themes in Willow, with three of them dominating the proceedings. First is Willow's heroic adventure theme itself, teased lightly in "Airk's Army" and "The Enchanted Forest" but introduced fully in "Escape from the Tavern" and anchoring the concert suite and end title arrangements. Its spirited brass fanfare is the catchiest of Horner's ideas for the film, and it produces a significant amount of raucous fun in the score. Detractors, however, mock Horner's claim that this theme was meant to be Eastern European in style, citing similarities between it and Robert Schumann's "Symphony No. 3." Regardless of its origins, Horner's intent was to satisfy the request of Lucas and Howard that he provide a swashbuckling theme for the film's set action pieces, and he succeeds brilliantly. The specialty instruments contributing to these performances were Horner's self-proclaimed attempt to avoid mirroring Erich Wolfgang Korngold's established swashbuckling sounds too closely. The only fallacy of this theme in its application to the film is that it doesn't really represent Davis' Willow character as well as it does the action and playfulness of Kilmer's Madmartigan, though by the time it's heard in the film, the two are a typically together. The second theme in Willow is its easy highlight, representing the inner strength and plain kindness of Willow himself and featured by Horner over the opening title and a gorgeous traveling scene in "Willow's Journey Begins." It's the domain of the shakuhachi flute in lyrical duties, existing in perhaps the most eloquent and beautiful form until Horner's strangely functional use of the instrument in The Mask of Zorro and its even better sequel. Whereas Horner would often use the shakuhachi, as well as the pan pipes, in a supporting role as rhythm setters of accent pieces (akin to the percussion instruments, really), they are given the primary role of conveying the magical spirit of the softer themes in Willow as well. A third related theme consists of falling, four-note phrases and dominates the latter half of "Elora Danan." It is a better match for Elora Danan, the baby, and Willow's concept of family, as well as the provincial simplicity of their village. The downright gorgeous statements of this theme in this cue lead to peppering later on whenever the fate of the baby is in focus. The idea enjoys smart shifting to the minor key at the end of "Tir Asleen" but returns to its lovely self at the outset of the resolution in "Willow the Sorcerer." In the opening and closing cues, the theme's rotation between woodwind instruments (in between string and choral interludes) is an undeniable highlight.

The remaining two primary themes in Willow represent the film's two dominant villains. A menacing series of ascending brass and choral progressions for Queen Bavmorda offer fright in "Elora Danan" and achieve a gloating posture in "Bavmorda's Castle." This idea increases in frequency as the film approaches her battle with Willow at its climax. The majority of synthetic effects in Willow accompany Bavmorda's spells, and they contribute significant dissonance to the last twenty minutes of the score's action pieces. Horner uses this long-lined melody more often than you might think, its presence in bass strings frequently existing below other melodies. Sometimes, this usage ends up usurping the higher melody, as it prevails over the baby's theme at roughly two minutes into "Canyon of Mazes." It shifts to compelling violins at the outset of "Arrival at Snow Camp." The most memorable theme from Willow is ironically its most simplistic, and that is the dreaded four-note motif of evil that Horner would use frequently and to almost the point of comedy throughout the rest of his career. Performed most prominently by harsh tones on pairs of trumpets and horns, this danger motif is pervasive in the score, ranging from subtle applications in the bass to the full collection of brass in unison. It's a convenient motif because Horner can use it to easily establish a new key, heightening its effect by serving as a transitional tool. While the theme occasionally represents glimpses of the frightful General Kael in the film (what sensible child wouldn't get nightmares from looking at that mask?), the most victorious moment for Kael in the film, as he rides by horse with the captured Elora Danan back to the Queen, is absent the motif. (Instead, Horner lets rip at the end of "Tir Asleen" with some of the most resounding orchestral crashes ever to announce a defeat on screen.) Perhaps the most intriguing use of the danger motif comes against Bavmorda's material in the latter half of "Bavmorda's Castle" on bass strings. Outside of these themes, Horner offers secondary ideas for a few concepts and places. His swelling love theme for Madmartigan and the queen's daughter, Sorcha (and between Willow and Elora), debuts in the chaos of "Escape From the Tavern" at 0:47 and teases again at 1:46 into "The Sled Ride" before consolidating beautifully in the third and fourth minutes of "Canyon of Mazes." Other themes are more singular, such as the one for the enchanted forest location on whimsical high choir in the latter half of "The Enchanted Forest" that also closes out the score in "Willow the Sorcerer." Horner's soft, three-note choral motif bookending the work is an extension of this material.

On album, none of these themes for Willow holds the court for very long, and their alternation keeps the score fresh. Because the action of the film moves so quickly, abrupt changes in tone and theme occur frequently. As such, the score rarely becomes dull outside of the ethereal music accompanying the middle third. The rowdy action sequences make sure of this, sometimes maintaining their energy for as long as ten minutes within a cue. The opening two minutes of "Escape from the Tavern" and the middle portions of "Tir Asleen" present Horner's action sensibilities at their finest, using the powerful percussion section and specialty instruments to their fullest. Moments of silence in Willow are rare and positioned strategically, and as a listener you always have to be ready for the next jolt of action to arrive quite suddenly. Horner takes Willow past most other adventure scores by balancing these action explosions with elegant fantasy elements. The exotic instruments, including not only the shakuhachi and pan pipes but bagpipes, harps, and woodwinds of all kinds, are a key element in building Willow's supernatural presence. By employing these instruments in the rhythms of the action pieces in addition to their carrying of the themes at times, he effectively creates the illusion that this story is taking place in a far away, mystical land. The choir opens and closes the film with the aforementioned, simple, three-note motif that would become a Horner trademark in his children's film scores of the early 1990's, also adding sensitivity to the softer moments of this one. This motif is an intriguing major-key variant of the four-note motif of evil with the first note expunged. During the use of this motif to bookend the film, Horner also employs the sound effect of blowing wind; it's difficult to determine whether this was accomplished using metallic percussion or a synthesizer. Horner wrote two source-like cues for the Nelwyn culture from which Willow comes, summarized in the two "The Nelwyns" recordings heard immediately after the opening cue, and these do really break up the listening experience. This festive, non-vocalized material, largely improvised, comes to the forefront at the end of the film, a Lucas carryover of the obnoxious Ewok celebration music in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Horner handles the basic rhythm with bagpipes and the exotic woodwinds, creating a grating sound that could remind collectors of Horner's obscure score for Where the River Runs Black. He does, though, mirror John Williams in that he slowly re-introduces the orchestra back into cue before the score returns to the full concert arrangement for the end titles. It's a subtle but neat touch.

For listeners seeking a summary of protagonist themes from Willow, the arrangement of the primary two themes for the end credits is identical to that which appears in "Willow's Theme" on album, except for the diverging reprise of the forest theme that represents a lengthy decrease in volume to close the score in the same manner as in The Land Before Time. These slow conclusions, in both these scores andGlory, are rather annoying in that they waste time that could otherwise be used for major thematic statements or at least the kind of rousing conclusion that sends off The Rocketeer and a half dozen other Horner action works with bravado. Overall, Willow is a score that precedes those in Horner's career that aggravated film music collectors tired of his repetitious sound. This score was the inspiration for it all, and it's not surprisingly his best. The elements that combined to make this score so well balanced in theme, instrumental use, and sound quality proved elusive for Horner in the following decades. Taunting fans over that period of time had been the original 1988 album for Willow, which suffered from a limited American pressing by Virgin Records America to coincide with the film's release. Despite the score's availability on European store shelves for regular prices during the 1990's, the Willow album sold in America for prices as high as $100. In the mid-1990's, however, Virgin began re-pressing the CD everywhere and the prices dropped with the new availability. Die-hard collectors were long unsatisfied with the 73 minutes of music available on that CD, however, and there had been much speculation that Horner's fans would support a 2-CD release containing the remaining 30+ minutes of material existing from the score. Such talk continued unabated in light of the interesting fact that no substantial bootleg of this material was ever leaked to the public. With fans opening their wallets and paying $40 for a 2-CD set of a score like Horner's Krull, there was always a solid market for an expanded treatment of Willow. That product finally arrived from Intrada Records in 2022, and the demand for the 2-CD set was so robust that the label had to release a statement responding to the extraordinarily number of orders placed for the product. After buyers reportedly hammered the label's staff with queries about these orders, Intrada finally resorted to simply stating, "Please have mercy!" Certainly, few film scores of the digital age can merit such overwhelming excitement, and, just as the label had accomplished with The Land Before Time not long before, the expanded product for Willow provides a clean presentation of the film score with no alternate takes or other bonus cues.

The 2022 Intrada set for Willow provides the cues of the original 1988 album intact but sprinkles in the unreleased selections in chronological order, causing all of the newly revealed material to exist on the first CD since that's where the prior product chose to neglect. The two source tracks, "The Nelwyns" and "The Nelwyns" and "The Nelwyns No. 2," are mostly redundant with the previously released finale music and will be skipped by most. In "Death Dogs," Horner unleashes his pounding, Brainstorm-style piano and percussion rhythms of force with the danger motif and Bavmorda theme in tow, largely an angrier extension of the same material in "Elora Danan." The crashing opening to "Bavmorda's Castle" yields to a softly threatening performance of Bavmorda's theme with the danger motif for Kael joining for strings and bassoons. Showcasing the specialty instruments is "Airk's Army," with a hint of snare for the marching men, though a penny whistle breaks through with Willow's theme. That soloist continues with the Elora Danan theme and a preview of the main adventure theme in an otherwise somewhat dour cue. The first two minutes of "The Enchanted Forest" are arguably the highlight of the expansion, with soft expressions of Willow's theme, secondary material for his village, a giddy rendition of the adventure theme, and more Elora Danan beauty on flute. Comedy material disrupts the cue, but it eventually smooths out to the forest's theme on choir for the remainder. (The fade out in this cue is a disappointment.) The largely atmospheric "The Island" is this score's nod to Vibes, with Elora Danan's theme peeking through otherwise bleak treble tones. The solid action returns in "Willow Captured," Elora Danan's theme pitted against Bavmorda's and the danger motif against the adventure theme. Melodrama for Bavmorda's theme, this time in counterpoint to the adventure theme, occupies "Arrival at Snow Camp," the danger and baby motifs not far behind. The final new cue is "The Sled Ride," which starts slowly during the sneaking around but eventually fleshes out the love theme against the adventure theme nicely, culminating in chase material akin to "Escape From the Tavern." The expanded set is a mammoth treat for enthusiasts of Horner and this score, a clear necessity for any Horner collection. It may not be necessary for casual listeners or as revelatory as the expanded Legends of the Fall equivalent, but it's nearly as satisfying. The sound quality is not significantly improved. Decades later, Willow remains a modern classic, its majestic and exotic power emulated by Horner and others but never truly replicated. It is an indisputable triumph among the best fantasy and adventure scores of the digital era.  *****

TRACK LISTINGS:

1988 Virgin Album:
Total Time: 73:16

• 1. Elora Danan (9:45) • 2. Escape from the Tavern (5:04) • 3. Willow's Journey Begins (5:26) • 4. Canyon of Mazes (7:52) • 5. Tir Asleen (10:47) • 6. Willow's Theme (3:54) • 7. Bavmorda's Spell is Cast (18:11) • 8. Willow the Sorcerer (11:55)

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2022 Intrada Album:
Total Time: 108:02

CD 1: (55:08) • 1. Elora Danan (9:51) • 2. The Nelwyns (2:41) • 3. The Nelwyns No. 2 (2:37) • 4. Death Dogs (2:29) • 5. Willow's Journey Begins (5:30) • 6. Bavmorda's Castle (1:24) • 7. Airk's Army (3:27) • 8. The Enchanted Forest (5:34) • 9. Escape From the Tavern (5:08) • 10. The Island (5:11) • 11. Willow Captured (2:04) • 12. Arrival at Snow Camp (1:19) • 13. The Sled Ride (8:00)

CD 2: (52:54) • 1. Willow's Theme (3:58) • 2. Canyon of Mazes (7:55) • 3. Tir Asleen (10:50) • 4. Bavmorda's Spell is Cast (18:14) • 5. Willow the Sorcerer (11:59)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The packaging of the 1988 Virgin album is minimal and includes no extra information about the score or film. That of the 2022 Intrada set contains extensive details about both. The following is a note from director Ron Howard about the score:

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Featured Willow Soloists:

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Comments from James Horner about the score:


The following liner notes by Daniel Schweiger for the compilation Passions & Achievements: A 20-Year Retrospective of the Films of Ron Howard include the following:

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The following is an excerpt from "Wall-To-Wall in WILLOW," an interview with Horner by David Leytze for the July, 1988, issue of Keyboard magazine.

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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 Willow are Copyright © 1988, 2022, Virgin Records America, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 5/23/98 and last updated 8/22/22.