| The Lion in Winter |
| Composed by John Barry |
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Conducted by Nic Raine Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra Produced by James Fitzpatrick, Reynold da Silva, Ricky Clark, and Geoff Leonard Release Date: 2001 |
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I am always happy to delve into the other works of John Barry aside from his ever popular scores to the James Bond films (of which, rumors now abound that he may return to score the 20th Bond film). It is unfortunate that CD releases of Barry scores are rather few and far between, but Nic Raine, along with Silva Screen records, have sought to bring new digital recordings of Barry’s score to a more widespread release. Such is the case with this new release that primarily showcases the score to The Lion in Winter, but that also offers cues from Mary, Queen of Scots. It is immediately apparent as soon as the CD begins that this is not a typical Barry score. On the other hand, perhaps it is. After all, Barry commented after receiving his 3rd Oscar that “the Bond movies were the departure.” It’s not that Barry’s style does not permeate the score, because it does so just as much as his other works. Instead, it is really the choral movements that make The Lion in Winter such a unique score. The choral pieces are much more classical in nature that those that are widely heard in modern film scoring and it is the choral scoring that gives the music the flavor that it has. In fact, the chorus is used so often that it tends to sound rather odd when the music is simply orchestration. Barry’s strong use of themes is again present in this album. His main theme is scattered about, though used in some quite subtle ways during certain moments that, while very nice, is something that I wasn’t experienced with Barry pulling off. I’m not trying to say that Barry cannot be subtle, but that the main theme is incorporated at some moments (God Damn You) that are incredibly subtle, yet movingly powerful at the same time. On the down side however, aside from Barry’s thematic usage, the orchestral passages tend to get a little typical (typical being well over 30 years after the fact however), especially when contrasted with the amazing chorus work. The last third of the CD presents a suite from the score to Mary, Queen of Scots. This score is more of a lush romantic one as compared with the epic score to The Lion in Winter. It is a pleasant score that stands well on its own and is a great selection from Barry, but yet again stands as a pale contrast to the power of the previous score. Indeed, with The Lion in Winter being the main focal point of the CD, both in artwork and running time, Barry’s work on Mary, Queen of Scots mainly serves as a nice afterthought. Given that this is a reconstructed score, the release from Silva Screen will definitely irk a few (in fact, I’ve already seen the irate posts on the Internet). Since I have not heard the original score, I cannot directly compare this recording with Barry’s original. That said, I have been more than happy with Nic Raine’s work in the past, sometimes even preferring it to certain selections from the original recording. One thing that no one can argue however is that this album does pack a punch and the sound quality is excellent. The chorus work especially thrills on this album due to the tremendous presentation that Silva has endowed the disc with. The Lion in Winter is truly a masterpiece of Barry’s typically masterful scoring and whichever version you end up with is sure to please. However, those who have enjoyed Silva’s excellent past releases of John Barry’s scores should definitely check this one out. **** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 54:22 | |
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