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Winged Migration
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(2002)
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2003 Higher Octave |
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Composed and Orchestrated by:
Bruno Coulais
Conducted by:
Deyan Pavlov
Produced by:
Paul Lavergne
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LABELS & RELEASE DATES
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Both albums are regular U.S. releases.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you relax to expansive orchestral and vocal creativity
with an extremely optimistic personality and international flavor for an
IMAX-like setting.
Avoid it... if the dominant sounds of bird calls and other nature
effects in the mix of several cues, as well as the lack of a
satisfyingly dominant thematic presence, deters you from a truly unique
experience.
BUY IT
 | | Coulais |
Winged Migration: (Bruno Coulais) Among the
contenders for an Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature" in 2003
was Winged Migration, a film of several years in the making about
the migration habits of several bird species around the world. The
French production (which experienced a limited opening in America in
April of 2003) used several pilots and cinematographers, as well as
state of the art technology, to achieve breathtaking visuals and the
authentic sounds of the birds during four years of their northern and
southern flights. Following countless species of animals, the film
shifts to each continent during the journey, creating a truly
international flavor for French composer Bruno Coulais to emphasize in
his music for the project. Prolific in Europe, Coulais was likely an
unknown for many American film score collectors at the time, though not
even the composer's Academy Award nomination for The Chorus not
long thereafter really changed that fact. His dynamic score for
Winged Migration, however, is a work that did gain him
significant international attention. He assembled for the project an
ensemble of vocal and instrumental performers greater than those of most
other scores, akin to the kind of collaborative efforts put forth by
Hans Zimmer during the same time period. Coulais' performers include a
moderately-sized orchestra, specialized quartets of strings and woodwind
instruments, a typical small chorus, several solo and group vocalists,
and an array of sound effects that often features bird calls and ocean
waves (among other sounds of nature). The eclectic nature of Coulais'
music for Winged Migration separates it from mundane, generic
film scores (and is more striking than many of George Fenton's more
grandiose takes on nature) and classifies it closer to the Benoit
Jutras, "Cirque du Soleil" genre of large-scale orchestral adventure for
non-traditional applications. The unconventional employment of the human
voice competes in the score with more familiar tones that listeners will
recognize from the layers of singing in The Chorus. Almost every
instrumental use is creative in its performance aspects, and the
resulting score for Winged Migration is fascinating at the very
least and enjoyable in some of its more accessible parts.
Coulais does follow the basic film score standard of
establishing themes and motifs for the documentary, the primary identity
provided in the song "To Be By Your Side" and developed without many
obvious statements in the score. This theme, while harmonically
pleasing, isn't powerful enough in its structure alone to shine through
the instrumentation and performances of the idea. Other motifs are often
simplistic, but they are performed with such a wide variety of
ethnically diverse vocalists and unorthodox instruments that they are
made interesting by their unexpected combinations of sounds. The
juxtaposed tones of a music box, child's voice, bird calls, ethnic
percussion, a deep male chorus, and a handful of solo instruments from
the orchestra constitute the typical cue for Winged Migration.
Its highlights are, just like The Chorus, the moments during
which the small ensemble of vocalists performs melodic passages with the
force of the orchestra behind them (along with the woodwind beauty of
"The Swans Flight"), resulting in five to ten minutes of magical appeal
spread throughout the album. Other sections, such as cue "Amidst the
Factory Smoke," are fascinating solely because of their sound effects,
and if this score has a weakness, it is its lack of consistency in the
choice of which sounds are emphasized. The music for Winged
Migration is certainly consistent in its unconventional
instrumentation and editing, but there are just a few too many sound
effects and unrelated vocal mixes to listen to the score with total
comfort at any great length. The attitude of Coulais' music is extremely
stable, however, featuring a positive and inspirational attitude in
almost every moment. The songs fit snugly in this tone and are well
balanced into the mix, with Nick Cave and Robert Wyatt's natural voices
fitting the attitude and approach very well. Cave's performance of "To
Be By Your Side" is perhaps the highlight of the album, with a style of
inflection that reminds of the old Highwaymen classics. The original
2003 album, enhanced with several features for computer use, was the
premiere and welcomed venture of the Higher Octave Music label into the
realm of international soundtracks, and their choice of Winged
Migration as a debut was a strong one. In late 2012, the
Varèse Sarabande label re-issued the album intact and with no
alterations, despite the prior product's continued availability. Fans of
adventurous instrumentation and vocal creativity, boosted by the backing
of a moderate ensemble, will enjoy this optimistic flight of fancy. *** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
subtle
Patrick Bodin - December 28, 2003, at 9:27 a.m. |
1 comment (1965 views) |
Winged Soundtrack Expand >>
Mark Chenoweth - October 1, 2003, at 7:07 p.m. |
2 comments (3482 views)
Newest: October 1, 2003, at 7:21 p.m. by
Mark Chenoweth |
| Both Albums Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 45:25 |
• 1. To Be By Your Side - performed by Nick Cave (4:04)
• 2. Masters of the Field - performed by Robert Wyatt (3:22)
• 3. Northern Bound - performed by A Filetta (2:25)
• 4. The Crossing (2:04)
• 5. The Highest Gander - performed by Robert Wyatt (3:14)
• 6. Beating Drums - performed by A Filetta (3:33)
• 7. The Return of the Cranes (2:34)
• 8. The Blue Thread (1:18)
• 9. The Red Forest - performed by Robert Wyatt (2:25)
• 10. Like a Breath of Air - performed by A Filetta (2:04)
• 11. The Takeoff (1:23)
• 12. Amidst the Factory Smoke (1:31)
• 13. The Glider (2:01)
• 14. After the Hunt (2:55)
• 15. The Paper Parrot (1:06)
• 16. The Swans Flight (1:21)
• 17. Feathers and Stripes (2:48)
• 18. The Wounded Dove - performed by Gabriel Yacoub (3:05)
• 19. Off Camera - performed by Robert Wyatt (2:03)
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The inserts for both albums include extensive notes and lyrics regarding the
score and songs. The enhanced CD portions of the 2003 product contains a film trailer,
facts about birds, links to bird sites, and an opportunity to enter a now defunct
contest for a bird-watching trip; you'll definitely satisfy your craving for
bird-related entertainment.
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