MERLIN

TREVOR JONES

Rating:

Original Review: I admit I'm a little undecided about Trevor Jones as a composer. He tends to run hot and cold in terms of how good his music is (remember, this is the same man who brought us such eminently forgettable scores as Mississippi Burning and Brassed Off!), but one thing for sure is that, when he goes for an epic sweep, he's as good as anyone working today. One of the things that Jones really does well is write powerful main themes, and the one he has come up with for Merlin is another to add to a list that already includes the likes of The Last of the Mohicans and Cliffhanger. An epic TV movie directed by Steve Barron, boasting a cast including the likes of Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, John Gielgud, James Earl Jones, Miranda Richardson, Isabella Rossellini, Rutger Hauer and Martin Short, Merlin brought forth an absolutely top notch score from Jones, who career has now come almost full circle (his first major score was in 1981 for John Boorman's Excalibur, another film based on the old Arthurian legends). This unusually generously proportioned CD from Varèse Sarabande boasts a multitude of splendid themes, mighty action cues and soaring, heroic melodies, and is sure to become a popular and sought-after album. The score opens in terrific fashion with the 14-minute 'Age of Magic', a wondrous, full orchestra epic which begins by briefly introducing the main theme before heading off into a series of powerful action sequences and magical harp-led mystical melodies, all of which are offset with surprisingly effective and appropriate synthesisers. The rest of the score continues in this vein and, although quite a few of the tracks are rather lengthy (half are over seven minutes), there is virtually no "filler music". Instead, each cue is richly orchestrated and thematically driven, resulting in a score which is constantly entertaining, sometimes surprising, and never, ever boring. Highlights include the Kundun-esque chanting voices and the driving percussion-led action segment in 'The Walls Are Whispering', the whooping string figures in 'Griffins', the stirring brass fanfare that opens 'A Game of Intrigue', the elegant and longing love theme in 'May Angels Fly Thee Home', and the breathtaking final rendition of the main theme in 'In Search of the Grail' which brings the album to a close. People no doubt going draw comparisons between Merlin and Dragonheart (both films have a soaring theme, synthesisers and dragons) but, whereas Dragonheart had a spectacular theme but precious little else to back it up, Merlin has a much more solid foundation on which the main theme is built. The action cues are rousing and energetic without being overbearing, the love theme is delicate and touching but not excessively sentimental, and the whole score has a definite sense of awe, wonder and magic. Jones was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on this score and, if he picks up the award, it would be richly deserved.

Track Listing: Running Time: 73 minutes 41 seconds

Varèse Sarabande VSD-5929 (1998)

Music composed by Trevor Jones. Conducted by Geoff Alexander. Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra. Orchestrations by Trevor Jones, Geoff Alexander, Julian Kershaw, Edward Butt and John Bell. Recorded and mixed by Simon Rhodes. Mastered by Paul Baily. Album produced by Trevor Jones.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1998. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.