| Evelyn (Stephen Endelman) | |
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Orchestrated and Conducted by Stephen Endelman Produced by Stephen Endelman Release Date: November 26, 2002
When not in the process of saving the world or getting the women as the suave James Bond, Pierce Brosnan tends to bide his time between 007 flicks by engaging his acting talent in smaller, quieter, and more emotionally relevant films such as Evelyn. Quite a departure for many I'm sure, but actors should always stretch their talent in new directions, and as such it's great seeing Brosnan take these side-roles that allow him to fully develop an overall spectrum of acting ability. Filling in the musical world of Evelyn is Stephen Endelman who has proven his adeptness at scoring these sorts of dramas with such credits as Bride of the Wind, Finding Graceland, and the elongated title of The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. Comparisons to John Williams Angela's Ashes could be the first to come to mind as both are essentially dramas about family life in Ireland, but Endelman's score has two major differences: it strives to stay as close to the Irish style as possible and it is generally upbeat as opposed to the bittersweet composition that Williams provided. The music itself is smaller and more intimate, rarely delving into moments of full orchestral power. Most of the instruments are Irish in nature and thus gives many of the cues a feeling of listening to street musicians enthrall the crowd. Brosnan lends his own voice to the tracks On the Banks of the Roses and The Parting Glass. Aside from being the kind of music you'd probably hear in an Irish pub somewhere, their most interesting aspect is hearing Brosnan's Irish accent come out in full fashion. While Endelman's compositions are pleasant enough (and the Irish atmosphere does give it a unique edge), there's not very much going on musically, and the score seems to be thematically barren. While themes are not always a necessity, they do help a lot in garnering interest as they are put through their typical permutations. While Angela's Ashes may not have fully embraced the Irish feel as Evelyn does, Williams still planted a killer theme in that score and it grew the music to great heights. While it's suited to the nature of the film, the music just doesn't grab at the listener's attention on CD. |
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As far as intimate Irish scores go, this is one of the best of the lot.
Though unless you're looking for an intimate Irish score (or you just want
to hear Pierce sing), there's not much for the casual listener outside of
the film itself. |
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| Track Listing | |
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1 - Sitting On Top Of The World (Van Morrison) 2 - Opening Credits 3 - Mom Leaves on St. Stephen's Day 4 - The Nuns 5 - The First Judgement 6 - On The Banks of the Roses (Pierce Brosnan) 7 - Desmond Hugs Evelyn 8 - The Chase 9 - The Parting Glass (Pierce Brosnan) 10 - D'you Fancy Him 11 - Grandpa's Angel Rays 12 - Fight the Good Fight 13 - Desmond Loses 14 - The Rugger Game 15 - Jig Two 16 - Statue of Justice 17 - The Verdict 18 - Angel Rays (Sissel) |
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| Total Running Time: 63:50 | |
