AYN RAND: A SENSE OF LIFE

JEFF BRITTING

Rating:

Original Review: The renowned writer Ayn Rand was born Alisa Rosenbaum in the Soviet Union in 1905, but left her home for United States in 1926, fearing that the oppressive, tyrannical regime of the time would, in her own words, "force her to abandon her most personal values in exchange for service to others". In coming to Los Angeles, Alisa changed her name, and embarked upon a career in movies, appearing as an extra in Cecil B. De Mille's silent epic The King of Kings. After Rand found her true vocation - literature - she eventually became one of the most respected and admired female writers in America, though works such as the acclaimed "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged". However, her political past, her devout atheism and her subscription to the philosophy she named objectivism ultimately led to her being forced to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947. The documentary feature Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life tells her fascinating life story through a combination of old footage and the dramatic restaging of key events. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1998, and was a true labour of love for director/producer Michael Paxton, and producer/composer Jeff Britting.

Britting's CD combines tracks of his own original score with narration from Cagney and Lacey actress Sharon Gless, source music from the period and odd snippets of archival footage featuring Rand's HUAC testimony and a staged performance of Kay Gonda's reading of "The Man on the Rock". The original music is certainly engaging enough, and undoubtedly complements the documentary perfectly, but unfortunately the CD is a little too lifeless and seems to come across as being far too subdued for its own good to truly succeed as a standalone work. Most of the music is synthesised, performed by Britting and his collaborator Greg Haggard, with the occasional inclusion of acoustic elements such as pianos, chimes and harps. As well constructed and appropriate as the score is, though, the lack of any recurrent and, most importantly, memorable melodic content is the CD's ultimate downfall.

By attempting to be appropriately reverential to the life story of someone for whom he obviously has a deep regard, Britting has unfortunately tended to under-write the vast majority of the music, stepping back and being more reserved where, from a purely musical perspective, a more strident and forceful attitude would have provided much more emotional resonance. Curiously, Britting also seems to have left too much of his music in a somewhat sparse and barren state, simply presenting repeated themes and textures with very little in the way of countermelody or musical complexity. With the wide range of synth technology available to composers today, it is almost unforgivable for an underscore to sound quite so bland and so bare as Ayn Rand does.

Having said that, several tracks in the score are actually quite lovely, especially the opening moments of the 'Main Title' and 'Writing Machine', both of which remind me a little of James Horner's twinkly, moody synths from Field of Dreams. Other notable cues include the idealistic themes in 'Family, Youth and Independence' and 'Return to New York', both of which could be considered major highlights, the former especially capturing the naïveté of Rand's childhood before the reality of life under communism began to sink in. Similarly, the dramatic and passionate 'Revolution, Victor Hugo and God' hits home, as do the striking 'Russia As Hell' with its portentous synthesised wordless choir, the hopeful 'Arrival in America, Movies and De Mille', the surprisingly bouncy and light-hearted 'We The Living' and the surprisingly grand 'Permission Denied, Anthem and the Birth of The Fountainhead'.

'Benevolent Inevitability' and the aforementioned 'Writing Machine' are, in my opinion, two of the best cues on the album, with solemnly beautiful piano solos accompanied by a bed of synthesised strings and an occasional choir effect. It is not the final cue on the album, 'Man At His Best/End Credits', that the thematic content of the score comes steaming through. The last track on the CD is an absolute scorcher. As Sharon Gless's insightful, poetic narration comes to a close, Britting's music swells, the pianos, synths and chimes finally coming together in joyous unison for the first and, sadly, only time. If only the rest of the score could have been as well-written and well-developed as these three magnificent cues.

Unlike the marvellous documentary it accompanies, Britting's original score ultimately fails to truly capture the imagination or stir the intellect and, with the exception of admirers of Rand's work, I can only wonder just to whom this CD will appeal. Nevertheless, kudos should go to the AG Media Corporation for producing the CD and giving the consumer the opportunity to hear Britting's music. The inquisitive may purchase the CD from the Ayn Rand website, www.asenseoflife.com.

Track Listing: Running Time: 73 minutes 22 seconds

AG Media Corporation ARASOLCD-1 (1999)

Music composed by Jeff Britting. Performed by Jeff Britting and Greg Haggard. Orchestrations by Gregg Haggard. Special vocal performances by Janne Peters. Recorded and mixed by Timothy J. Borques. Album produced by Jeff Britting and Michael Paxton.

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