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Track Listings
| 1. Burning the Past |
| 2. Crusaders |
| 3. Swordplay |
| 4. A New World |
| 5. To Jerusalem |
| 6. Sibylla |
| 7. Ibelin |
| 8. Rise a Knight |
| 9. The King |
| 10. The Battle of Kerak |
| 11. Terms |
| 12. Better Man |
| 13. Coronation |
| 14. An Understanding |
| 15. Wall Breached |
| 16. The Pilgrim Road |
| 17. Saladin |
| 18. Path to Heaven |
| 19. Light of Life (Ibelin Reprise) |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Filmmaker Ridley Scott has long been intrigued by historical events and their contemporary echoes, a fascination that evinces itself again here in the violent tale of Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom), a Jerusalem blacksmith who rallies his people against foreign invaders during the Crusades of the 12th century. Breaking with a successful modern collaboration with Hans Zimmer that yielded such eclectic riches as Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, and Matchstick Men, Scott turned here to fellow Englishman/former Zimmer associate Harry Gregson-Williams for his new film's music. The composer, perhaps weary of the electronica-suffused action film cliches he's so often been associated with, rises admirably to the occasion with a sweeping orchestral score that masterfully trades on a wealth of disparate historical and stylistic influences. Gregson-Williams echoes the film's religious and cultural conflicts via the tense musical axis at the soundtrack's core, one that sets the invading Church's medieval choral ecclesiastics on a collision course with the ancient Arabic modalities of the film's hero. The resulting score may occasionally trade on hoary Hollywood romantic traditions, but the composer infuses them with such bracing doses of historical/ethnic antecedents—and his own decidedly contemporary instincts—as to create a compelling new whole. Even the obligatory, pop-oriented version of Ibellin's Theme ("Light of Life") by Natacha Atlas shimmers with Middle Eastern-inflected enticement. --Jerry McCulley
Review
A consort of viols, an early music choir and a hurdy-gurdy, all mixed up with the pulsing synthesizers, electric cello and the drum loops of your typical big-budget Hollywood action score: Kingdom of Heaven, the soundtrack for Ridley Scott'sCrusader epic, ought to be simply terrible.
Somehow, it's not. In fact, it's really quite interesting. Harry Gregson-Williams, with previous credits ranging from Shrek to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, has created a musical landscape that suggests both the sophistication and the bloody machismo of the Crusades.
Set in the twelfth century, the film depicts a clash whose resonances extend to the present, when Balian, a French blacksmith, joins his father in the Crusades. Capturing the cultural tension are two distinct but equally complex musical traditions Christian devotional music counterpointed by gaudy Arab dances and searing laments.
Gregson-Williams sets out to achieve a modicum of authenticity beyond simply flicking the synthesizer into 'medieval mode'. Alongside the sweeping strings of the London Session Orchestra are the 123-voice Bach Choir (some esoteric medieval numerology going on, maybe), a couple of early music ensembles and a band of Turkish musicians from Istanbul.
It is the Arabic themes which have most impact, perhaps because it is a tradition rarely heard in mainstream cinema. Pieces such as the jaunty "Ibelin" feature period instruments oud, kanoon and kamancha while "Terms" and "Light of Life", on the other hand, feature supremely mournful Arab soloists.
Most soundtracks set in the Middle Ages tend towards Clannad-esque mysticism. Kingdom of Heaven is refreshingly the reverse: muscular, dynamic and magnificently belligerent, swelling with tribal drums and pop synthesizers. Strong set pieces such as "The Battle of Kerak" succeed in turning early music into a war cry. There's a curious credit in the liner notes to Frankie Goes to Hollywood; if you listen closely enough you can spot the extract from "Two Tribes" in "Better Man".
As the film has been panned for its pomposity, few cinema goers are likely to hear the score, which is rather a shame. Kingdom of Heaven has some good tunes, a few great moments and a lot of fighting spirit. --Morag Reavley
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Swirling Sandstorm of Imagery!,
By Zarafa "Zee" (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Kingdom of Heaven (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Audio CD)
Soundtracks aren't usually my thing. 'Kingdom of Heaven' is an exception to this rule.
Strap it onto your player, put on the sunblock, and close your eyes! There isn't a bad track on this disc, in my humble opinion. Each one is a beautifully crafted gem. Good music is like a TARDIS, taking the listener to places and times beyond the reach of our everyday lives. I am not musically gifted. I cannot describe these brilliant compositions in technical terms, but I can tell you how they made me feel and where they took me. Experience the thick, red heat of that Jerusalem sun as you swelter and stink within your heavy armour. Then, just when you've almost been roasted alive, strip off and feel the cool night breeze, as it blows in from the desert, playing upon your fevered skin. Then, lie back in the sand, watch the stars and listen to those angels sing! Atmopheric? Magical? Yup!
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful!!,
By Iceni Peasant (Norfolk, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Kingdom of Heaven (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Audio CD)
This is a stirring soundtrack with just the right mix of both orchestral overtones, ethnic music with a middle-eastern flare and a sense of the underlying religious connotations of Crusades with the almost Gregorian chants/vocals.The whole CD just sweeps on by, through it's ups and downs, matching the emotions of the movie very well, and while no one track really sticks out from the others, the CD as a whole is beautiful. Highly recommended for fans of the movie or fans of this genre of music.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Varied and compelling,
This review is from: Kingdom of Heaven (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Audio CD)
Harry Gregson-Williams proves himself a very good composer through this album, the score to Kingdom of Heaven, which he took over from Hans Zimmer. He's done a brilliant job with some varied music that creates a suitable ambience to the film. The tracks are all different, ranging from Gregorian chants, to ethnic Middle Eastern wailing, to heavy war drumming, to string orchestras. This score definately helps bring a film that is awesome in parts, to life. I found myself listening to this a whole handful of times. It's light music and easy to listen to. I do recommend it if you're into scores. I thought it was a shame that they did not include the song "Vide Cor Meum" by Danielle Niesse which features in Hannibal, a harrowing track full of violins and Latin singing. Nevertheless, it's all still compelling stuff. I hope that Gregson-Williams continues to make scores like this.
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