Tombstone

Although Silverado is the more populist effort, Tombstone is in many the finer, darker and more complex score. Released around the same time, it didn't do as good business as Wyatt Earp, despite being generally better received, critically. The overall tone of Tombstone is much grimmer than Silverado, with a gritty main theme about as far from the bouncy syncopation of Elmer Bernstein as one could hope for. It does relegate the main theme to be less enjoyable than some of the secondary ideas, notably the sweeping romantic theme, which at its most lyrical is a infectiously buoyant waltz. Tombstone is not a score to fall in love with immediately and can seem a little aimless in the longer central cues, but is worth getting to know. In some ways, a good approach is to start with the thrilling finale which contains rousing versions of all the major themes, formed from the fragments seeding the score earlier on.
Broughton comments in the brief liner notes about the unusual orchestration that pervades much of the score, notably the Hungarian cimbalom, Irish tin whistle and bhodran as well as the French contrabass sarrusophone. I can't say I'm immediately familiar with some of them, but there the timbres are intriguing. Broughton also alludes to a comment made by Bernard Herrmann where the great man told a studio orchestra that '...the highest note here is middle C.' There is a certain heaviness to the orchestration, but rarely does it become stodgy despite the low registers. There are a few lighter moments, not least the brief thespian overture, which while rather silly doesn't actually seem as out of place as it might.

It could be argued that some of the central tracks are rather hard work, but when the music ultimately finds its way to the pay off in the whirling finale, the listener's patience is more than rewarded. In any case, Broughton's varied and novel orchestration keeps things more interesting through the dark times. Parts of Tombstone can seem disappointing and uninteresting first time round, but as is often the, repeat listens pay dividends and in any case, the CD is worth the price alone for the glorious Looking at Heaven, a suite that should be the staple of western compilations everywhere. Not Broughton's most instantly enjoyable score, but to date, but quite possibly his finest. Sadly difficult to find, but an essential one to snap up at the earliest opportunity.