| K-19 the Widowmaker |
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Composed by Klaus Badelt |
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Orchestrated by Klaus Badelt, Robert Elhai, Blake Neely, Brad Warnaar, and Ladd McIntosh Conducted by Valery Gergiev Additional Music by Richard Einhorn Performed by the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus Release Date: 2002 |
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Though formally one of those "additional music by" credits in Hans Zimmer scores, Klaus Badelt continues his solo career with this score to the new submarine flick K-19 the Widowmaker. His previous score to The Time Machine was an interesting, if somewhat uninspired effort. One could easily dismiss this as a symptom of the film itself, though his new score highlights a disturbing trend that his music is taking. Simply put, K-19 is Gladiator retooled for a more Russian feel. From the themes to the action music, Badelt's score kept reminding me of Gladiator, and even worse, how much better Gladiator was. Though submarine flicks are exactly numerous in number, such films as The Hunt for Red October, Das Boot, Crimson Tide, and even U-571 have had the pleasure of being associated with some great scores. Unfortunately, this trend seems to have been broken with K-19. The music is surprisingly low-key and brooding, and in direct contrast to the kind of film that the trailers seem to present. It is possible that more of the action music could have been left off the album, but with such a long running time that seems highly unlikely. That said, even scores of this type can be interesting and enjoyable, but again, K-19 fails to deliver. The themes are dull and uninspiring. Say what you will about James Horner, but at least Enemy at the Gates pulled off what it needed to. Like the majority of Media Ventures releases, this album is replete with long track running times. Though I usually don't have a problem with this in good scores, the arrangements here only serve to make the music even more frustrating, as it seems to take forever to move through certain tracks. Though the credits tout the inclusion of the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus, the chorus part is severely underused. Usually, the chorus is mixed in on a level that barely makes it noticeable, and the first full appearance of the chorus doesn't take place until the seventh track (Journey). This is a shame since when it finally does appear, it's one of the highlights of the score. Poledouris handled it much better with The Hunt for Red October. Still, Badelt had to be careful as I'm sure he didn't want his chorus movements sounding like they were ripped off from that score. The "additional music" credit in this case comprises a lengthy track of music from "Voices of Light" composed by Richard Einhorn. It's inclusion is an interesting decision, but it manages to blend in with the rest of the score pretty well. With it's primary usage of chorus voices and the mournful bell sequences, it's actually one of the more interesting moments on the CD. It's interesting to note that the trailers for K-19 have featured the music from Gladiator given how close both scores are. It's sad that what looked to be such a promising film could be given such a tepid score, though perhaps the film actually got what it deserved. Only time will tell on that count, but regardless, K-19 is only an average score that has a whole host of better competition from the other flicks of its type out there. **1/2 |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 68:54 | |
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