Amazon.co.uk Review
This soundtrack to the mini-series of
On the Beach, Neville Shute's classic novel about the aftermath of nuclear war, is something very special. Previously made into a landmark 1959 film with music by Ernest Gold, Christopher Gordon has only a handful of film credits to his name, among them the mini-series of
Moby Dick, but on the strength of this he is destined for cinema's A-list. At almost 74 minutes the interest never flags, the only disappointment being some strangely intermittent tape hiss. From the uplifting folk-inspired "Moira and Towers Meet", the orchestral jazz of "The Great Ocean Road", the Hovhaness-like arpeggios of "Anchorage" and the exhilarating "Flight Through the Apostles" to the heartbreaking choral lament of "Lux Perpetua", this is an extraordinarily rich score. The main themes ache with nostalgia, the action music resounding with elegiac grandeur in the tradition of Vaughan Williams'
Symphonia Antarctica (derived from the Antipodean epic,
Scott of the Antarctic). Vital to this success is Gordon's exceptionally detailed orchestration, rendering filigree solo writing, epic musical set-pieces and haunting choral sequences and with equal skill. Gordon's soloists respond with outstanding performances, particular praise being due to cellist David Periera who finds a profoundly moving, even Elgarian quality in the heart of this instant classic of a score. --
Gary S Dalkin