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Perhaps some of the lack of interest in Winter's Tale from the hype machine was due to the film's destiny as a failure, though it's difficult not to return to Zimmer's mentioning of the "proper" methodology he employed for this project. While on the surface, he may have been mentioning themes and orchestrations, there's also the more important issue of basic scoring procedure at issue here. Unlike the usual Zimmer score of this era, for which the composer writes a suite of thematic and stylistic ideas and his army of ghostwriters applies that intention to the film, all indications are that Winter's Tale was actually scored to the individual scenes in the film, the most common and effective (i.e. "proper") way to address the details of a story's musical needs. The marketing downside of the "proper" approach, however, is that Zimmer and his media relations team have fewer assets with which to milk the score. While traditional film score fans may celebrate this instance of capitulation to norms, the end result of Zimmer and Gregson-Williams' efforts oddly misses the narrative mark. Even among Zimmer's most ardent supporters, Winter's Tale has receive muted praise, most listeners discontent with the restraint exercised by the composers in what was a supernatural love story deserving of an outwardly romantic fantasy score akin to James Newton Howard's immensely effective Lady in the Water. All the same elements are employed in Winter's Tale, though the choral presence is limited to just a few cues. The nicely rounded orchestra is led by a softly layered piano, strings the most prominent feature otherwise. Largely monothematic is Winter's Tale, the same love theme literally opening and closing the score and meandering through countless interpretations in between. One of the ironies of this score is the common listener complaint that the themes don't enunciate themselves clearly enough for satisfaction. While that concern may be grounded solidly in terms of orchestration and emotional depth, there is no question that the main theme of the work is consistently stated. The piano identity's main phrase is the first and last thing to be heard in "Look Closely," with more cohesive development following in "Can You Hear Your Heart?" and "She Was Like a Bright Light" before the idea matures for the fullest ensemble performances in "Becoming Stars." The pastoral quality of the theme's first two phrases assists it in transcending the story's lengthy timeline.

There is nothing wrong with the construct of the main theme in Winter's Tale. Issues arise when analyzing how the theme is applied to particularly the first half of the love story, as well as a sense of incomplete realization of depth when the idea is stated. In other words, there is not enough gravity of romance to the theme's performances to anchor a story of this supernatural appeal. Another element of dissatisfaction results from the fact that the theme's secondary phrase is simply much more attractive that the preceding stanzas. Heard in the fullest form at 3:05 into "Can You Hear Your Heart?," this passage loses the heartbreaking piano melody of that phrase in subsequent returns by the composers to that idea, only the underlying progressions allowed reprises the ends of "Light as a Feather" and "Becoming Stars." The bulk of the romance material in Winter's Tale is similarly underplayed and somewhat anonymous, and the composers fortunately are afforded some opportunities to heavy the load at times with great dramatic flair in the suspense and action realms. In "It's the Ripple That Give the Work Meaning" and "You Don't Quit Me, Boy," shades of Zimmer's brooding electronic mixes dominate, and these tones merge effectively with the romantic side of the score in "I Love Blood on the Snow" (a distinctly James Horner-like cue of panic). For enthusiasts of Zimmer's vintage expressions of over-wrought, weighty ensemble romance, the duo of "The Girl with the Red Hair" and "Becoming Stars" add muscular tonal sequences of ripping snare and blaring brass that are highlights of the work. There exist moments in the score that will remind listeners of very specific moments in prior Zimmer entries as well, sometimes to a humorous degree. One such moment is a burst reminiscent of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron for a notable scene involving the horse in this film. Overall, Winter's Tale is better than most listeners have given it credit for, featuring enough four-star highlights to justify a twenty-minute collection of highly worthy genre entertainment. The mass of the score slides back to average territory due to the composers' seeming unwillingness to wear the drama of this story on their sleeve and let the emotional tone of the music play the kind of dominant role in the film that is necessary, especially during cues such as "Hello You Beauty" and "Princess Bed." The instrumentation and thematic constructs were there to make a winner, and the lack of their application into a truly congealed, obvious narrative arc will bother some film music collectors. But Winter's Tale will reward you upon further examination and beg for rearrangement into a condensed presentation.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Hans Zimmer reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.93 (in 98 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 2.95 (in 277,042 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 63:53