Battle of the Somme


Virtuosa Records (024545537727)
Movie | Released: 2008 | Format: CD
 

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# Track   Duration
1.Part 116:17
2.Part 211:00
3.Part 313:31
4.Part 410:35
5.Part 516:01
 67:24
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Battle of the Somme - 09/10 - Review of Oscar Flores, submitted at (English)
Categorized as one of the deadliest and bloodiest battles during World War I, the Battle of the Somme occurred throughout a five month period as an attempt by allied forces to advance their troops through German lines while diverting German soldiers from the battle of Verdun. Many leading British and French commanders opposed such an offensive believing it would help very little. Even though the British gained over 20 miles of territory, at the end, however, the massive losses of British soldiers have forced historians to refrain from calling it a victory in the literal sense. The Battle of the Somme, as a documentary film, proved to be quite a success for British audiences in 1916, making it an authentic box office hit. Going back in time, it took more than 60 years — until the 1977 release of Star Wars— for a film in the UK to attract such a huge audience. Although disputes existed over the authenticity of some of the scenes depicted in this film, some film historians and scientists have been able to validate most of them using a number of techniques. Needless to say, this film portrays some gruesome occurrences in what would soon become an iconic battle. Having first being released in 1916, the Imperial War Museum undertook the task of restoring this documentary in order to introduce it to the new audiences of the 21st century. The restoration process would also include a new score. The aforementioned would subsequently be commissioned to Laura Rossi. Admittedly, Laura Rossi had no easy task, but in the end, her splendid orchestrations and variations make this score a wonderful example of great orchestral composing unaided by any type of synth loops, sounds, or anything that reminds us of the cheap, out-of-the-box sound we have been bombarded in recent years by Hollywood composers.

Part one begins as an orchestral buildup slowly rising in intensity for the first two minutes of the piece, finally reaching a climatic point with a truly beautiful motif that can only be described as majestic and stunning. Both strings and woodwinds seem to perform the theme flawlessly. This short motif is followed by intriguing passages of woodwind ostinatos that seem to keep the images and movement in place without drawing too much attention to the music. Some of the passages that will follow — particularly in the middle of this track — will contain orchestrations reminiscent of those used by John Williams and Bruce Broughton. After ending in a somewhat majestic tone, the piece dissolves and transforms into a different second half. The music acquires a tenser undertone with constant string tremolos and timpani rolls that eventually revert to the charming motif from the beginning.

When Part two begins, the somewhat cheerful tonality at the beginning surely gives the audience a sense of joy. Nonetheless, Rossi is very careful and tries to abstain from deliberately stirring emotions from the listeners. In reality, the images on screen speak for themselves, sometimes complicating the association between the melodies and harmonies from Rossi’s score with the brutality depicted. Much of the rest of this track contains wonderful solo woodwind and string passages that are not necessarily dependent on single melodies or memorable motifs. The real focus always seems to be a flowing underscore with orchestral evolvement that never sounds monotonous.

Part three starts with a slow, uncanny buildup that gradually develops within a suspenseful harmonic modulation, eventually transitioning to more of a woodwind driven arrangement. The rich harmonies and intriguing flute parts dominate some portions of this track. More importantly, the elaborate arpeggios and woodwind tones keep the music flowing and interesting throughout the whole piece. Not surprisingly, Part four seems to revolve around a loop of string lines for the first three to four minutes, while the woodwind section continues to dominate the aural spectrum with admirable performances. However, the elegance of the horn motif introduced in this track becomes the focal point for the whole movement. This evocative motif does not attempt to overstress any particular emotion, but will certainly be perceived as heartening.

Part five — the last of the tracks — contains music that is never sappy or overdramatic, evolving magnificently well throughout a 16 minute time frame. The trumpet passages seem to be executed within the best possible instrumental range, often reminding the listener of the late Jerry Goldsmith and his arrangements for this instrument. Starting at about nine minutes, the Philharmonia Orchestra outshines all other performances by playing a sequence of exquisite notes that conform to a single, radiant passage. At the end, inevitable as it may seem, the true and pure war undertone finishes the piece in a grandiose, yet gracious way.

Rossi’s masterful knowledge of orchestration is evident from the very start of the CD, never allowing for a dull moment in the music. Her orchestrations are on par with those of the great Hollywood composers. The music is brilliantly written with very little weaknesses. Perhaps the dryness of the string tremolos and timpani rolls for the more suspenseful parts in the beginning can be perceived as weaker parts, but make no mistake; Rossi certainly has a very keen sense of instrumentation even in the slower movements. Undoubtedly, the music deserves nothing less than a 10 out of 10 rating. Nevertheless, as a soundtrack and album by itself, the five-part track division can be quite inconvenient for listeners. Yes, the tracks were written to fit the movie reels, but the tracks average about 12-13 minutes in duration, making the task of locating a particular motif or passage rather difficult. Having said that, this is a truly breathtaking score that will positively influence other young composers. Incredibly well written and performed, Rossi’s score for The Battle of the Somme was among the best of 2008.
Battle of the Somme - 10/10 - Review of Wim Minne, submitted at (Dutch)
Jaarlijks, als we Elf November herdenken, wordt op de BBC er alles aan gedaan om WO I, den Groote Oorlog, de oorlog die aan alle oorlogen een eind zou maken, om deze dag, deze WO te herdenken. Elf November, Wapenstilstand. Exact negentig jaar geleden werd in een treinwagon bij Compiègne het verdrag getekend. Officieel was het een wapenstilstand, in de praktijk was het eerder de nederlaag voor Duitsland. Keizer Wilhelm was verdreven, de Weimar - Republiek opgericht. Het werd nog een bitterdere pil voor Duitsland, met het Verdrag Van Versaille, alias het Versaille - dictaat.

1914 - 1918 was op zijn manier vreselijker dan WO II. WO II was humaan gezien een totale ramp, '14 -'18 was militair een grote ramp. Alle 19de eeuwse manieren van oorlog voeren waren weg, de industrie deed zijn intrede, en niet te vergeten: de chemische wapens. WO I was het culminatiepunt van nationalisme: dessertie werd bestraft met de dood. Soldaten kwamen naar huis met Shell Shock. Een prachtige film over WO I is "Un Long Dimanche de Fiançalles", met Audrey Tatou. Na afloop brachten de soldaten de Spaanse Griep mee naar hun thuisland. In totaal waren er zo'n 10 miljoen doden.

In 1916, het annus horribilis voor de Engelsen, werd rond juni een eerste, stomme propagandafilm gedraaid. De film moest laten zien hoe het er aan het front aan toe ging, indirect ook laten zien dat de Geallieerden aan het winnen waren. Het decor was de Somme, in Noord - Frankrijk.Op 1 juni begon de slag, enkele maanden later eindigde ze. Op de eerste dag stierven er al ongeveer 60.000 Britse mannen. Toen had voor de Duitsers de geschiedenis bepaald kunnen worden: Hitler raakte gewond. Had het maar even anders afgelopen ...
Het document bleek later voor een groot deel in scène gezet (lijken die met hun handen bewogen) maar toch bleek het een waardevol document te zijn. Dit filmpje is nu te zien in het Britse Imperial War Museum en voor de negentigste verjaardag werd het "digitaal ge - remastered" en met muziek voorzien.

Laura Rossi werd hiervoor aangenomen, die The Cottage al op haar palmares had staan. Het orkest dat zij mocht dirigeren was niet van de minste: het London Symphony Orchestra.
En het resultaat is top !! Ik kan me voorstellen hoe moeilijk het is om muziek te schrijven voor een film waar oorspronkelijk niets van geluid in voor kwam, plots muziek te gaan schrijven mét gevoel.
Het resultaat is echt geweldig, ten eerste: er zit weinig tot geen synthesizer in, wat het symfonische beter tot uiting laat komen. Het is bombastisch, maar toch ook o zo intiem. Vooral in track 3 komt dit tot uiting. Dreigend is de muziek tevens.
Ook het gebruik van de dwarsfluit valt op. Dit is nu de nuance die de muziek de intimiteit geeft.

"The Battle Of The Somme" is tevens muziek die overeenkomt met zijn tijdsgeest. De muziek is vrij klassiek, ook nogal zwaar om naar blijven te luisteren. Het is echt prachtige muziek, het duurt één uur zeven minuten om de hele score uit te zitten. Rossi introduceert veel verschillende thema's die door de grote brokken van tracks niets meer zijn dan motieven.
Kortom, Rossi is erin geslaagd muziek te schrijven voor een 92 - jarige film, zonder de beelden, de film, het document geweld aan te doen. De muziek is vrij modern, TOCH klassiek. De muziek is vrij bombastisch, toch intiem.

En plots staat men er bij stil: de WO I - veteranen zijn bijna allemaal niet meer, het enige wat ons rest te doen is deze gruwelijke daad in de menselijke geschiedenis te herdenken. The Last Post onder de Menenpoort te Ieper is het meest aangrijpende moment: niets dan stilte, die militaire dodenmars ...

Luister en geniet van deze lange, maar prachtige muziek. En herdenk 11 November.

Interview Laura Rossi

Added on Wednesday, April 12, 2023   Posted by Tim Horemans

Interview Laura Rossi

Filmmusicsite.com had the opportunity to talk to composer Laura Rossi

Laura Rossi is a composer for film, TV and concert music. Her music has been described as ‘hauntingly atmospheric with emotional depth and beauty’ Her credits include Battle of the Somme, London to Brighton, Song for Marion, BFI Silent Shakespeare, The Cottage, Hurricane and ITV 6-part drama Redemption. In 2016-17 one hundred orchestras worldwide performed her score, to the UNESCO listed Battle of the Somme film. Watched live by over 37,000, performed by 4,200 musicians, and televised live on BBC1 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Laura is also lecturer for film music at the London Film Academy and Guildhall School of Music and regularly gives masterclasses about film composition. 

In this new episode of Composer Talk Laura talks about working on the score to The Battle of Somme. How it was working on this UNESCO listed film. She also talks about Redemption, a score she did for the Irish 6-part ITV tv show. Her daughter wrote a song for that show.

So check out this new Composer on our website or on Spotify

Enjoy listening!!



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