SIRENS

RACHEL PORTMAN

Rating:

Original Review: Director John Duigan's homage to sun, sand, sex and supermodels starred Hugh Grant and Tara Fitzgerald as a straight-laced English preacher and his wife who, while on a trip to Australia, encounter bohemian artist Sam Neill and his bevy of beauties (including Elle MacPherson), and receive some rather unexpected pointers on the finer points of lovemaking. To match the romantic, slightly erotic, but definitely life-affirming nature of the film, Rachel Portman's accompanying score accentuates the on-screen beauty with equally beautiful music which invokes a generally playful but slightly sultry tone throughout. The score, on the Milan label, opens with a refrain of Ralph Vaughn-Williams' jaunty and amusing "March Past of the Kitchen Utensils" before entering Portman's score proper. The two main themes are both presented fully in 'The Yearning/Sirens Suite', and are repeated constantly throughout the score. As is usual for Portman, her music is enchanting and elegant, with prominent roles given to flighty woodwinds and delicate harps and xylophones working within a regular orchestra. Tracks such as 'Sam Sawnoff's Pipe', 'Sam Sawnoff's Horn' the wonderfully vibrant 'Hylas and the Nymphs' and 'Terra Australis' feature the first theme - a charming, lively and generally light-hearted march which acts as a leitmotif for the quietly bickering couple and the unusual comedic circumstances in which they find themselves, and employs Portman's trademarked buoyant flutes and lush strings to good effect. Incorporated into this first theme is a pretty little xylophone motif which crops up most noticeably in the cues 'The Sprightly Don' and 'Candide', and adds a touch of whimsical magic to the performance. The other theme, which captures the slightly more serious and sensuous side of the film, is dreamy and mysterious, and has an unusual but not altogether unpleasant calming and relaxing quality which seems to evoke visions of sunsets, lakes, rivers and scenes of nature. Tracks such as 'Allure', 'Sirens', 'Waves' and 'Beckoning/Promise and Regret' feature this theme prominently, and as such are my favourite parts of the score. The final cue on the album, 'Ophelia', is a wonderfully evocative solo flute performance of the Sirens theme. Portman's orchestrations in these cues are as light as a feather, and the orchestra, conducted by David Snell, perform incredibly sensitive renderings of the gentle melodies with a quite uncommon delicacy. As well as the Vaughn-Williams piece, two other non-Portman works make their way onto the album: a Gaelic-inspired dance called 'Calliope House', performed by folk group Boys of the Lough; and a slightly surreal rendition of the old dockworkers dirge 'Grey Funnel Line', performed almost acappella by the unusually-named Silly Sisters, Maddy Prior and June Tabor. Fans of Portman's should not be without this score. For me, it captures perfectly what so many people find endearing about her work, and it's beautifully lyrical romanticism makes Sirens a pleasurable indulgence which many people, especially those with an affinity for her other works such as Emma or The Joy Luck Club, will find extremely enjoyable. Now all I need is one of those sirens to accompany me while I listen to the score...

Track Listing: Running Time: 40 minutes 56 seconds

Milan 74321-21302-2 (1994)

Music composed by Rachel Portman. Conducted by David Snell. Orchestrations by Rachel Portman. Recorded and mixed by Chris Dibble. Edited by Mike Brown. Album produced by Ian P. Hierons.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1999. 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.