On the Beach

Although yet to hit UK screens, On the Beach was yet another superb Hallmark mini series adaptation and supported by perhaps the best score so far. Christopher Gordon is not a name I am familiar with, but if this is his benchmark standard and he can come at least close to it again in the future, it seems unlikely he will remain obscure for long. Although divided up into six episodes on the album, the music flows between each one with little strong changes in tone, although the overall arc moves from heroic to sombre at the finale. That having been said, the moods are constantly shifting throughout.

The opening World at War is a suitably portentous title for a fairly portentous opening cue that hits a brassy, noble and heroic high toward the end. If at times the theme recalls Horner's melodic material from Glory, it is to Gordon's credit that it is only a passing gesture, no doubt due to temp tracking by the producers. The main theme appears a few times throughout, most notably in Prepare to Dive which I can imagine being a thrilling moment in context. Like Glory, On the Beach sits the heroic and tragic side by side and even if it doesn't have quite the total cohesion of Horner's effort, does have at the breadth of emotion. Prepare to Dive is soon followed by Anchorage which starts with broad strokes of orchestral colour, but the mood darkens through sombre and finally to a thrilling, but brief climax.

One disappointing thing about some film scores is the way that hugely inspiring titles often give way to insipid music when you finally hear them, but all of the most wonderful sounding titles are matched by equally wonderful music. Alien Landscape for example could have been a quiet, eerie effort, but Gordon uses the full breadth of dissonence and inspired orchestration to the fore for conjuring up an uncompromising musical landscape, before giving way to a more melodic, but not more compromising close to the cue. The final few cues under the title of The Burial Cloud are perhaps the most stirring of all the music. Gordon's way with writing mournful music is quite remarkable, highlighted many times, but of most note during the simply gorgeous Elegy.

I have listened to On the Beach a number of times previous to reviewing it and had certainly noted the more rousing parts, but almost got lost when the pace slowed. Certainly a mistake on my part since the more sobering music is noteworthy in every respect. The flow of the music is also better appreciated when the album is given a closer listen. The score should be worth some of your hard earned money simply due to its quality, but in a letter written by Varese head man Robert Townson he noted that little over one hundred copies had been sold of the score. It just shows what commitment Varese have to releasing really good music that would fall by the wayside. However, as I said, the score is wonderful on its own terms and is one of the best scores released in 2000. Excellent and highly recommended.