Pavilion of Women


Colosseum (4005939624521)
Varèse Sarabande (0030206624526)
Movie | Released: 2001 | Film release: 2001 | Format: CD
 

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# Track   Duration
1.Pavilion of Women2:40
2.The Necklace1:49
3.The Library2:10
4.Eternal Question0:48
5.The Rape3:12
6.Faith2:46
7.Madame Wu's Decision2:41
8.The Birthday Party1:14
9.Eclipse1:49
10.The Fire2:05
11.All Love Stories1:46
12.Secrets and Wages of Sin3:04
13.Un Bel Di, Vedremo4:20
14.Ailien and Andre Part2:29
15.Chiu Ming's Farewell1:30
16.The Embrace3:34
17.Invasion3:52
18.Andre's Sacrifice1:58
19.Aftermath1:21
20.Ghost House1:15
21.Together Forever2:51
22.End Credits3:42
 52:55
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Pavilion of Women - 10/10 - Review of Tom Daish, submitted at (English)
Conrad Pope may not be an entirely familiar name, but in the manner of Don Davis, Mark McKenzie and William Ross, he has made the leap from working behind some of film music's biggest names as an orchestrator and turned his hand to writing his own music. He has worked with composers such as Alan Silvestri on Eraser, to more recently working with John Williams on The Lost World and Amistad as well as with Danny Elfman on Sleepy Hollow. Pope has penned a few scores previously, but most appear to be low budget films about which I honestly know nothing. Pavilion of Women hasn't exactly set the box office alight, but stars Willem Defoe in fine form (so I'm told) and is a romance set against the strict marital schematic of China during the Second World War. Had it been directed by Michael Bay, I suspect it would have gained the same notoriety as Pearl Harbour, but as it's directed by Yim Ho, it has largely gone by unnoticed. Whatever the merits of the film, I suspect that in years to come, the score will be one of the best remembered components of the production.

Along with the aforementioned Pearl Harbour and Captain Corelli's Mandolin, heavy, romantic films set against WW2 seem to be a popular choice of subject this year. While this is almost certainly the least talked about of the three, it is musically leaps and bounds ahead of the music by Messrs Zimmer and Warbeck. The shallow romance of Zimmer's effort is replaced by plentiful and dramatic melodies, often seemlessly mixed with some ingeniously used Chinese instruments. Ironically, one of Pope's themes is similar to one of those by Zimmer, but I suspect it is coincidence and Pope goes off in much more interesting and dramatic directions with the basic idea. On the other hand, while Warbeck's Captain Corelli's Mandolin was more dramatically satisfying than Pearl Harbour, Pope's orchestrations are considerably more transparent and interesting. The strings do not drown the listener like musical treacle, but display a lightness of touch that enables Pope to write sweeping passages that actively avoid being cloying. There is obviously a good reason he has become such a popular orchestrator. A few hints of Williams, especially in the string writing, are apparent, but this is very much Pope's own work.

There is a beautiful narrative flow to the score which starts off in very simple style with Chinese instruments that are soon joined by a traditional orchestra. Pope does not attempt to differentiate the two musical cultures, but allows them to blend so there are no joins as such, the harmonies and instruments simply move from one to another as required by the film. In his notes, Pope mentions his desire to write the music with that kind of integration in mind and he succeeds admirably. The choir makes several notable appearances, particularly in the disturbing Rape and the incredibly dramatic The Fire. Invasion has an almost apocalyptic feel with a sense of drama that is so often absent from modern scores. A nice touch in Together Forever is a twinkling, Philip Glass like arpeggio figure set against high range choir, a truly mesmerising effect. The scope and intensity of the music increases towards the soaring and romantic finale and never seems to run out of steam.

Pope has taken the experience gained with working with one of cinema's greatest composers and then his own skill to fashion a unique work. The integration of the Chinese instruments, including a Chinese harp, flute, stone flute and Ehru. The latter, as Pope says, sounds like a cross between a violin and a human voice and he's entirely accurate in his description. A strange sound to western ears, but placed within a familiar context so as to be perfectly palatable. I've said elsewhere that Pavilion of Women could become this year's On the Beach; a score that is by a little known, but superb composer that is passed up by listeners simply because of its relative obscurity. However, like On the Beach, this is an outstanding work and recommended in every way. We should thank Varese for making another superb score available, that would likely have gone by the wayside otherwise. Superb.


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