O' Horten
Milan Records - M2-36419 (Cd)


Milan Records CD (0731383641923)
Movie | Film release: 2007
 

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# Track   Duration
1.Blind Driving2:20
2.Across the Hardanger Mountain Plateau3:36
3.Valkyrien2:06
4.Lillehammer GL3:50
5.Svea2:50
6.Nordahl1:24
7.Molly4:39
8.Tulipans2:58
9.Traveling3:47
10.Retirement Age Reached2:12
11.73082 Camelot2:01
12.Sandefjord Butter2:52
13.Finse2:03
14.My Wife is Waiting for the Salmon1:42
 38:19
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O' Horten - 08/10 - Review of Oscar Flores, submitted at (English)
The eccentricity portrayed in a film that can only be described as strangely odd, yet captivating and sentimental at times, made O’Horten a relative success in Norway — and to some extent in Europe. Unfortunately, these types of movies have a very low chance of acceptance by American audiences, and hence are usually not distributed outside a few theatres in Los Angeles and New York. The long sequences that don’t gravitate around a solid plot and much darker, essentially atmospheric jokes are not well appreciated in the Hollywood culture ruled by special effects. While it is inevitable to compare this film to other Bent Hamer productions (such as Kitchen Stories), O‘ Horten seems to rely more heavily on the score. Not surprisingly, John Kaada was chosen for such a unique job. Kaada can only be described as an 'anti-Hollywood sound' composer. In fact he has even stated that “No producer would call him if they wanted to make a commercial romantic comedy,” which is evident when listening to most of his compositions. His style can be difficult to digest for people accustomed to the usual 21st century Hollywood score; however, the amount of creativity and talent that go into his work cannot be denied. O’Horten could be characterized as an atypical soundtrack, eccentric and quirky at times, but ultimately refreshing and remedial to modern Hollywood.

The first two tracks, Blind Driving and Across the Hardanger Mountain Plateau really set the tonal stage for the rest of the album. While the combination of sounds can appear outlandish at times, the brilliant theme played in both instances — heard other times throughout the CD — played by piano, organ and guitars that sound straight out of Broken Arrow, contains an uplifting harmonization that hovers between the bizarre and sanctified, much like the main character of the movie.

Other tracks such as Lillehammer GL and the start of Molly and Tulipans, which adopt a more unrefined and at times a quasi-western-movie-like quality, play an important role within the film but deviate somewhat from the other sounds in the score. Nonetheless, even in these tracks, Kaada maintains the inception of powerful and memorable themes. The new variations, while still functioning around the harmonies heard in the first tracks, incorporate innovative melodies that should be well appreciated by listeners. It should be noted that one of the most powerful themes in the entire album can be heard in ‘Svea’ and ‘73802 Camelot.‘ The waltz like rhythm and melody are wonderfully carried by a series of guitars and pizzicato strings in Svea, while the brass, vibraphone, shakers and strings seem to foster the musical development of 73802 Camelot.

O’Horten’s score is a fantastic series of musical sequences centered around an unsentimentally constructed theme that evolve through individual motifs and rhythms, exceptionally cementing the narrative of a train engineer’s journey. Kaada exhibits a true mastery of melodies that seem to appear in his compositional pen effortlessly. While at times the music can give the impression of being tedious and too unconventional, almost heading towards a John Cage-like sonority, there is an unquestionable beauty to a score filled with captivating tunes. This is certainly not a score for Zimmer fans; nevertheless, it is a score for those seeking to hear something special, something not confined to the Hollywood orchestrations and arrangements.

Trailer:





Other releases of O' Horten (2007):

O' Horten (2008)
O' Horten (2008)


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