Collectors of Horner's music will hear his mannerisms in every corner of Wolf Totem; there is nothing unfamiliar here. But the treatment of two concepts, massive natural displays and raw animal hunts, will cause some listeners to hear a fair amount of John Barry in his later 1980's mode in this score, especially in parallels to Dances With Wolves. Perhaps this observation is too obvious for some, though the desired impact on the films is roughly the same. Unlike Barry's classic, Wolf Totem has no battle for memorability in its themes, Horner staying true to one idea throughout his work and conveying it in every imaginable variant. Fortunately, this theme is a stunner, one of the best single film music themes in many years and conveyed with a kind of symphonic weight all too rare in the 2010's. In "Leaving for the Country," Horner introduces this theme with all the reverent historical majesty one could fit into a relatively short amount of time, the brass identity's descending secondary sequence particularly compelling. Listeners will recognize this cue from the film's trailers. Horner's ethnic and synthetic elements amongst the performances are largely inconsequential compared to the presence of the London orchestral players. The theme's renditions on brass and strings are as frequent as they are heartfelt, the lengthy "An Offering to Tengger/Chen Saves the Last Wolf Pup" exploring the idea in easy harmonic accessibility for minutes on end before its translation to alternating horn and trumpet in "A Red Ribbon" adds flair in orchestration to it. By "The Frozen Lake," the theme is interlaced with one of Horner's suspense and stalking rhythms, its full brass action mode setting the table for a distressed recapitulation on strings early in "Discovering Hidden Dangers." The resolute string performances of the idea in that cue and "Little Wolf" overcome Horner's faint brass calls to danger to yield touching secondary, family-like explorations of innocence late in both. More stern is the demeanor of "A Suicide Pact," in which the theme develops out of soft strings to a lengthy crescendo of melodrama. A propulsive variation on the melody's progressions (very Barry-like, once again) bursts forth in "Hunting the Wolves," its broad brass strokes eventually tapering off to allow strings to ramble with the idea while evoking romance from The Rocketeer at the end. Reprising the opening of "Leaving for the Country" is "Death of A'ba," utilizing the ethnic element for this quiet sequence. Finally, "Return to the Wild" features extensive development of the theme across the entire emotional spectrum before Horner (somewhat frustratingly but as per usual) devolves the score into barely audible ambience at the end. The theme's overall journey through this work is as cohesive as it is remarkable.

None of Horner's secondary thematic identities in Wolf Totem ever really thrive with frequency, but they do pack a punch when utilized. Three separate chasing or stalking motifs exist, and the only one to significantly repeat is the first to be heard chronologically. In "Wolves Stalking Gazelles," Horner unleashes his brutal, vintage rhythmic force at 2:25 into the cue, with an actual theme of sorts accompanying that rhythm at 3:02. The former is reprised at 2:21 into "An Offering to Tengger/Chen Saves the Last Wolf Pup." Don't be surprised if this material reminds you of several of Horner's past "panic" motifs. More stylish is the Brainstorm and Aliens outburst to the same end early in "Wolves Attack the Horses," the staggered rhythm familiar to Horner's career yielding another menacing melody at about 1:28 into that cue. Before the glorious adaptation of the main theme in "Hunting the Wolves," Horner offers up a third variation on his chasing/stalking motifs. All of these will be ear candy for Horner collectors, and any listener should be prepared to hear an overwhelming dose of the composer's trademarks in the score. Airy synthetic vocals meander through a few sequences. A solo piano seems obligatory for this kind of work. The aforementioned style of representing panic is typical, reminding most of Titanic during the brass calls early in "The Frozen Lake." Later in that cue, you hear the actual four-note "danger motif" humorously dominant in Horner's career. The composer's ability to conjure epic action and impressive discord simultaneously is incredible in "Scaling the Walls." Finally, there is some familiarity to the vocalizations in the ethnic element (Troy), though the erhu and pipa are tastefully applied as accents. If anything, even more of the ethnic flavor may have been merited. Ultimately, though, Horner opted for a very Western perspective on the score, treating the film's scenery and familial message with what he would probably consider to be "universal" tones. The entire package is a fantastic listening experience, but not one on par with Horner's past classics. Had the secondary motifs been better coordinated and the ethnic element a bit more engrained in the work, this could have stood as a five-star effort. While there is no denying the level of comfort this score brings to the ears of any Horner enthusiast of his 1980's and 1990's triumphs, there remain lingering issues with the lack or originality of practically every single ingredient in this music. As it is, though, Wolf Totem comes awfully close to receiving a top rating, and collectors initially struggling to find the score's hour-long CD from Europe were treated to an American distribution later in 2015. For Horner, the year represented a sudden and final return to the spotlight with a plethora of mostly small-scale works debuting in short succession, his musical voice remaining a very welcome one through the end.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download