East-West

Sony Classical

Music Composed by Patrick Doyle

Orchestrated by Lawrence Ashmore and James Shearman

Conducted by James Shearman

Performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra and Bulgaria Mixed Choir

Produced by Maggie Rodford, Air-Edel Associates Ltd.

Release Date: 2000

     Whenever a CD cover lists a featured soloist, you can almost be sure that the performance will be good. Just as Itzhak Perlman contributed his talent to Williams’ Schindler’s List, and Joshua Bell did his part for Corigliano’s The Red Violin, Emanuel Ax is here to provide some excellent piano playing for Patrick Doyle’s score to East-West.

     I believe that this film is French in origin and therefore I really no nothing about it other than that the overall story arc has something to do with the Iron Curtain. The music generally has a military tone to it, although there are plenty of straightforward dramatic tracks. The style reminds me of David Arnold’s type of music, especially in the opening track. There are some places that resemble of Independence Day, though they are not outright rip-offs. These pieces simply have the same type of feel. As I mentioned before, Emanuel Ax is the featured artist on the piano and Doyle gives him some wonderfully complex pieces to pound away on. The results are really great, and the piano pieces are some of the best on the CD. It is unfortunate that they only appear in four tracks. There are also some songs tracks that are sung by Ukrainian military officers. They are somewhat interesting to listen to at times, but I usually found myself skipping these tracks, which, thankfully, are few and far between. The dramatic, quieter moments really shine and build upon material that is evolved throughout the score.

     This is a really great score and I found it highly enjoyable all around. The excellent piano work in and of itself is a real treat, and Doyle did a great job in incorporating those moments with the rest of the score. I definitely recommend this album to anyone who enjoys great piano performances, or for those who like the kind of musical style that David Arnold has. ****

Track Listing

1 - Opening Titles (2:04)

2 - Farewell of a Slav (2:11)

3 - Arrival in Kiev (1:51)

4 - Forgive Me (1:22)

5 - Babouchka (2:08)

6 - Jeopardy (2:00)

7 - Smuglianka (2:39)

8 - The Church (1:07)

9 - You're Doing It For Us (3:16)

10 - Betrayal (0:42)

11 - Alexei and Olga (2:12)

12 - The River (1:50)

13 - The Race (1:26)

14 - Madame Bovary (2:52)

15 - I'll Never Forget You (3:26)

16 - The Plan (1:52)

17 - The Cliffs (0:50)

18 - The Black Sea (1:53)

19 - Nightingales (3:25)

20 - La Mer (1:29)

21 - You Must Stay Alive (2:43)

22 - Farewell Tango (1:21)

23 - The Escape (3:20)

24 - Freedom (1:29)

25 - The Land (3:57)

Total Running Time: 53:25