Elliot
GOLDENTHAL
The Green Bird
OST
DRGCD12989
[35:51]
Crotchet
Amazon
UK
Amazon
USA
An interesting piece of timing begins what this reviewer wants to say about
composer Goldenthal. The booklet for this Broadway show's album states its
premiere was March of 1996. The film Batman Forever premiered in
the US in June of 1995. Take away the song vocals from this disc, and you
have a perfectly matched companion to the superhero flick's score. Whether
written concurrently or sequentially, it speaks volumes for Goldenthal's
breadth and feelings about self-reference.
At about the time of Batman Forever and Michael Collins,
it seemed a truly exciting and never-ending source of cinematic innovation
had been welcomed into the fold. There followed: Batman & Robin,
Sphere, The Butcher Boy, In Dreams, and most recently Titus.
Each of these contains a spark of the innovation, but it was suddenly extremely
easy to identify a Goldenthal score. What happened wasn't just the development
of a recognisable stylistic conformity, but rather regurgitation. This disc
nails that opinion squarely, as well as makes a solid time marker for where
and when it began.
Despite this seeming like an assassination of the composer's scruples, and
a damnation of the listed scores, this reviewer still greatly enjoys listening
to these works. Musically they challenge the ear and he's indisputably still
the king of cue naming. This disc has performed the trick of a missing puzzle
piece in some ways. A list of neighbouring pieces (as in tracks or moments
that are practically identical to Batman
Forever) seems a little redundant. If you have that soundtrack,
you now know what to expect. If you don't, buy both and all will become apparent!
Paul Tonks
