The Prince of Egypt

Dreamworks Records

Original Songs by Stephen Schwartz

Score Composed by Hans Zimmer

Score Produced by Hans Zimmer and Adam Smalley

Orchestrated by Bruce L. Fowler

Additional Orchestrations by Ladd McIntosh, Yvonne S. Moriarty, Marcy Dicterow-Vaj, Elizabeth Finch, Tom Fowler, Steven C. Fowler, Walter E. Fowler, Darryl Leonard, Erik Lundborg, Jack Smalley

Music Conducted by Gavin Greenaway, Harry Gregson-Williams, and Rupert Gregson-Williams

Release Date: 1998

     As anyone who has read my reviews of Aladdin, Stargate, and The Mummy, knows by now, I’m a sucker for Egyptian style music. Let me just say that as excellent as those scores are, The Prince of Egypt still tops them all. In fact, it seems that Goldsmith borrowed quite a lot in style from this one for The Mummy. In addition to the excellent music by Zimmer, the songs that were written especially for the movie are very good, and tie in well with the rest of the score, bringing a cohesiveness to the whole album.

     The CD begins with a rendition of When You Believe, sung by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I actually prefer the version that appears in the movie, mostly due to the fact that the orchestra provides the accompaniment instead of the pop music you get with this one. Deliver Us is the main song for the movie and it is the best out of the lot. Many of the major themes are introduced during this piece, and even though it is a rather long track, it is so enjoyable that the time passes quickly. Generally, the score and songs alternate in tracks, but the score  is so well put together that you cannot tell when the Zimmer's music ends and a song begins. The use of vocals by Ofra Haza during the score is perfect and goes the extra mile for that Egyptian style sound. The theme for God and His miracles (most notably the parting of the Red Sea) is awe-inspiring and works perfectly. I could do without the three song tracks at the end. Basically, they are rehashes of the songs from the film, except for the fact that they are performed by more conventional artists. I find all of them to be inferior to the original songs. River Lullaby is the best one out of the set, but I find Amy Grant's voice to lack the exotic quality that Ofra Haza's possesses. Probably due to the space taken by these songs, one of the best cues in movie is left off the album and can only be found in CD form as a Collector’s Edition disc. These are floating around here and there, and if you’re lucky enough to find one, you’ll want to snag it up. It has two extra Zimmer tracks: It Is Only the Beginning, and The Chariot Race. The first track is interesting enough, but The Chariot Race is the one that really stands out. The track is actually comprised of two cues. After the opening chariot race cue, it segues into the ending sequence music, with one notable exception. While the movie ends with a refrain of Deliver Us, the CD ends with the reappearance of the Egyptian theme. While the ending in the movie makes more sense, this alternate cut is still quite interesting.

     This is an excellent work by Hans Zimmer, and the fact that it is very good and still doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard from him in the past (like The Rock and The Thin Red Line), makes it even better. If you’re a fan Zimmer, or if you get a big kick from Egyptian-based scores, then you must give this one a try. ****

Track Listing

1 - The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe) (5:04)

2  - Deliver Us (7:15)

3 - The Reprimand (4:05)

4 - Following Tzipporah (1:00)

5 - All I Ever Wanted (with Queen's Reprise) (2:51)

6 - Goodbye Brother (5:33)

7 - Through Heaven's Eyes (3:41)

8 - The Burning Bush (7:17)

9 - Playing with the Big Boys (2:52)

10 - Cry (3:50)

11 - Rally (0:42)

12 - The Plagues (2:40)

13 - Death of the First Born (1:07)

14 - When You Believe (4:55)

15 - Red Sea (5:14)

16 - Through Heaven's Eyes (5:05)

17 - River Lullaby (3:57)

18 - Humanity (4:32)

19 - I Will Get There (A Cappella) (4:20)

Total Running Time: 76:00