Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Evocative JAMES HORNER score for 2011 movie set in the Arab states in the 1930's
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
James Horner is a composer with his name attached to some of the biggest films of the past two decades, the most recent of note being his great score for Avatar. Despite his successes, some have been frustrated at his use of self-plagiarism with recurring themes and motifs across a range of different scores with his name attached. Black Gold didn't suffer from this problem - it sounded distinctly Horner in style, but there were no obvious references to his other well known work.
In terms of the music itself, it contains a full orchestra with a range of Midde Eastern influences in both orchestration and instrumentation (incuding Arabic style vocals). The majority of the album is fairly slow paced and majestic with wonderful orchestrations of the different themes across the duration of the album. The string and brass sections take centre stage throughout much of the album, however there are quieter tracks with some good Horner piano writing in "I Have Chosen You" (Track 4) and Father and Son (Track 7) to name a couple. In addition, there are some faster paced cues particularly towards the end of the album. Battle in the Oil Fields (Track 13) is the obvious standout.
There are 14 tracks on the album, and this comprises of shorter and longer tracks. "Main Title - A Desert Truce" (Track 1), "One Brother Lives, One Brother Dies" (Track 12) and finale "A Kingdom of Oil" (Track 14) are all over 6 minutes in length. I am a fan of longer tracks because the flow of the album isn't disrupted, and it allows for more in terms of thematic development. The mix of shorter and longer tracks over the course of the album does work well and allows it to flow nicely. The score runs in at just short of 56 minutes which felt like a decent length. Given that portions of the album do have quite weighty orchestrations, on a long album that can sometimes be a somewhat tiring experience. In Black Gold, this doesn't happen because the album length isn't too long. Regarding the sound production, the quality of the recording/mix is exceptionally good.
Overall, the soundtrack to Black Gold has Horner's stylistic tendencies and the fusion of the Western orchestra and Middle Eastern influences. At times the music is majestic and sweeping, in others it is quiet and contemplating (particularly in the piano tracks). The quality is consistently high throughout its duration. For fans of James Horner, I do think you would love this release, and for those who like the score within the film. For fan of more modern sounding scores with electronic elements and a faster pace, this album may not be for you. However, this is a release that shows that Horner is still a fantastic composer for film despite a reduction in the number of scores he writes. This score won't be to everyone's tastes, but I couldn't find anything to dislike in this release. If you happen to find yourself on this page (and I would imagine this will not be as popular with the public as scores such as Titanic and Avatar), I would strongly recommend buying it.
In terms of the music itself, it contains a full orchestra with a range of Midde Eastern influences in both orchestration and instrumentation (incuding Arabic style vocals). The majority of the album is fairly slow paced and majestic with wonderful orchestrations of the different themes across the duration of the album. The string and brass sections take centre stage throughout much of the album, however there are quieter tracks with some good Horner piano writing in "I Have Chosen You" (Track 4) and Father and Son (Track 7) to name a couple. In addition, there are some faster paced cues particularly towards the end of the album. Battle in the Oil Fields (Track 13) is the obvious standout.
There are 14 tracks on the album, and this comprises of shorter and longer tracks. "Main Title - A Desert Truce" (Track 1), "One Brother Lives, One Brother Dies" (Track 12) and finale "A Kingdom of Oil" (Track 14) are all over 6 minutes in length. I am a fan of longer tracks because the flow of the album isn't disrupted, and it allows for more in terms of thematic development. The mix of shorter and longer tracks over the course of the album does work well and allows it to flow nicely. The score runs in at just short of 56 minutes which felt like a decent length. Given that portions of the album do have quite weighty orchestrations, on a long album that can sometimes be a somewhat tiring experience. In Black Gold, this doesn't happen because the album length isn't too long. Regarding the sound production, the quality of the recording/mix is exceptionally good.
Overall, the soundtrack to Black Gold has Horner's stylistic tendencies and the fusion of the Western orchestra and Middle Eastern influences. At times the music is majestic and sweeping, in others it is quiet and contemplating (particularly in the piano tracks). The quality is consistently high throughout its duration. For fans of James Horner, I do think you would love this release, and for those who like the score within the film. For fan of more modern sounding scores with electronic elements and a faster pace, this album may not be for you. However, this is a release that shows that Horner is still a fantastic composer for film despite a reduction in the number of scores he writes. This score won't be to everyone's tastes, but I couldn't find anything to dislike in this release. If you happen to find yourself on this page (and I would imagine this will not be as popular with the public as scores such as Titanic and Avatar), I would strongly recommend buying it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A Wonderful Sweeping Score From James Horner
14 Mar 2012
Format:Audio CD
Black Gold is a great score from James Horner. It's a story that takes place during the 1930's in the Arab states at the start of the oil boom. What is unique about it is that James Horner is going into territory you rarely see him in. It's always magnificent to see composers trying new genres or subject matters you wouldn't think of them doing. James Horner nails it and is successfully able to give his style the ethnic undertones it needs to craft the setting. The score is definitely a James Horner score as it bleeds with his style. With heavy strings he is able to create a wonderful romanticism that flows in the music and makes this a great listen.
We start off with Arabian vocals that bring us to the setting and set the atmosphere. The lush orchestrations envelope you and carry you on this very rich journey. I know it's lame to use the term "rich", but the music is indeed rich. The quality and emotional impact of the music will leave a lasting imprint on the listener. There are tragic undertones and the score builds towards a climactic battle cue. You'll feel like you're listening to a classic film score just because the orchestrations and thematic variation feel so traditional. I would classify the score as a sweeping epic because it definitely has that feel. After the almost 1-hour running time is over you feel a sense of emotional satisfaction. It's a wonderfully structured score worth listening to.
I know there are a lot of James Horner critics out there, but he applies his style quite wonderfully to Arabia. He never tries to make an Arabian sounding score. Some people may find similarities to Lawrence Of Arabia, but I promise you it feels very much like a James Horner score. The rich quality of his strings craft a classic romanticism rarely heard in scores anymore, and the music really soothed me. It's a wonderful score and if you're a fan of James Horner (how can you not be?) then you must check out Black Gold despite the fact that the movie is relatively unknown.
We start off with Arabian vocals that bring us to the setting and set the atmosphere. The lush orchestrations envelope you and carry you on this very rich journey. I know it's lame to use the term "rich", but the music is indeed rich. The quality and emotional impact of the music will leave a lasting imprint on the listener. There are tragic undertones and the score builds towards a climactic battle cue. You'll feel like you're listening to a classic film score just because the orchestrations and thematic variation feel so traditional. I would classify the score as a sweeping epic because it definitely has that feel. After the almost 1-hour running time is over you feel a sense of emotional satisfaction. It's a wonderfully structured score worth listening to.
I know there are a lot of James Horner critics out there, but he applies his style quite wonderfully to Arabia. He never tries to make an Arabian sounding score. Some people may find similarities to Lawrence Of Arabia, but I promise you it feels very much like a James Horner score. The rich quality of his strings craft a classic romanticism rarely heard in scores anymore, and the music really soothed me. It's a wonderful score and if you're a fan of James Horner (how can you not be?) then you must check out Black Gold despite the fact that the movie is relatively unknown.
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
