| Legend |
|
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith |
|
|
Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith Performed by The National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus Produced by Jerry Goldsmith and James Fitzpatrick Release Date: 2002 |
Purchase this CD at:
|
|
Legend was one of those films that suffered for American audiences. Ridley Scott’s fantasy adventure was heavily edited for the U.S. domestic release, both time-wise and score-wise. In the original European version, Jerry Goldsmith provided the score while the U.S. release saw the inclusion of music from the group Tangerine Dream. While I’ve heard differing comments on the merits of Tangerine Dream’s music, being somewhat of a purist, I was far more interested in Goldsmith’s score. With the DVD release of the film, which will contain both cuts of the film, fans here in the U.S. will finally have a way of being able to see Legend as it was originally intended. Jerry Goldsmith’s music for this score is quite interesting. As with usual Goldsmithian constructs, it blends in a traditional orchestra with his own unique brand of electronics. In addition, Goldsmith includes a wide range of chorus work, from full-blown choruses to lone sopranos. The lone soprano work here is the best, and is actually used in song as opposed to operating as a wordless instrument. The lyrics mostly consist of the joys of romantic love, but the lovely voice and excellent background accompaniment from the orchestra makes these moments quite nice. There are a myriad of themes and motifs in here, and it can be a little hard making them all out on the first couple of listens (as in Planet of the Apes), but they are quite effective and enjoyable. This even goes for the Goblin motif, which itself is based entirely on some sort of synth trumpet blares (or something along those lines). It can be a little annoying at times as the dissonant notes have a tendency to interrupt the many beautiful pastoral sections. Of course, this is probably due to the movie itself. The style is at once definitely Goldsmith, but at the same time it really departs from what I usually hear from him. The synth work is far more unique here than in most of the other Goldsmith scores I’ve heard and only occasionally does it sound like something from out of Star Trek: The Motion Picture or other staples of Goldsmith's career. It is quite refreshing in this way, though I’m sure it can be a little disheartening for some expecting something a little more familiar (of course, you probably wouldn’t admit it even if you did). This is a great score, and while it used to be quite expensive to obtain, Silva has been kind enough to re-release this album to coincide with the DVD release of the film. So, if you’re anywhere near being a fan of Goldsmith, or just like fantasy scores in general, pick this up as soon as you can, before it becomes a rare disc again. You won’t be disappointed. ***** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 70:50 | |
|
|
