Rocket Gibraltar
Added on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Posted by Robert Bettens
Premiere release of moving, nostalgic Andrew Powell score! 1988 film melds family motifs both functional, dysfunctional with humor, drama, ultimately tragedy. Burt Lancaster leads, with solid support from pre-Home Alone Macauley Culkin, Suzy Amis, Kevin Spacey, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman, John Glover. Daniel Petrie directs, Amos Poe writes.
Premiere release of moving, nostalgic Andrew Powell score! 1988 film melds family motifs both functional, dysfunctional with humor, drama, ultimately tragedy. Burt Lancaster leads, with solid support from pre-Home Alone Macauley Culkin, Suzy Amis, Kevin Spacey, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman, John Glover. Daniel Petrie directs, Amos Poe writes.
Andrew Powell scores to wide variety of moods full of richly orchestrated material but finds heart of things with highly melodic - and warmly harmonized - main “Levi’s Theme”. Both melody and harmony often share equal importance, providing unusually thoughtful, heartwarming results. Tune itself plays in all manner of orchestral timbre from solo harp to full orchestra. In one sweeping passage (“Levi Describes A Viking Funeral”), Powell offers his theme for choir of French horns with assist from trombone, tuba. It’s a rich, moving sound indeed. Same sequence later introduces degree of polytonality in strings, dramatically expanding warm tonal harmonic vocabulary into new, complex territory. Fascinating!
Woodwinds also get their say: Clarinets shine, trills galore during secondary theme heard during “Blue And Co. Go To Rocket Gibraltar”, followed in “Grandpa’s Birthday Present” by gentle flute variants on the main theme. In fact, woodwind flurries and trills punctuating secondary theme are abundant throughout colorful orchestrations, as are nimble, flavorful ideas for harp. Also deserving spotlight is “Fixing Up Rocket Gibraltar”, with tour-de-force moment for choir of horns in perfect harmony! In stunning contrast are powerful full orchestra cues with degree of action and intensity: the jagged rhythmic strings of “Taking Levi To Rocket Gibraltar” over piano, dynamic outbursts from French horn are highlights, as are moto perpetuo upper strings racing against stabbing woodwind, xylophone figures during “Moving Rocket Gibraltar To The Ocean”.
In terms of orchestral power, above ideas plus virtuoso figures for horns finally combine for “Preparing The Pyre/Chase Across The Beach/Levi’s Viking Funeral”, bringing dynamic sequence to climax.
Choir of horns plus return to moving, tonal melody in sweeping fashion usher in majestic finale.
CD also includes generous array of alternates, unused cues. Entire album was produced and supervised by Powell, known for his vivid music for Ladyhawke. Adding to good vibes, project was spearheaded by Peter Hackman of Varese Sarabande, with assist from his composer/friend Edwin Wendler. Peter describes score as his own desired “holy grail”, now fulfilled on Intrada, courtesy Columbia Pictures, a Sony Company. Listeners can enjoy hearing why! Rhythm section recorded in London, orchestral sessions held in Munich. Kirsten Powell edits & assembles, Edwin Wendler handles digital audio preparation, Andrew Powell produces album, composes and conducts.
Intrada Special Collection CD limited to 500 units!