The Golden Compass - Music (Alexandre Desplat)

For full product details, view this product on Amazon.

Customer Reviews of The Golden Compass

chatvarin
England
23rd May 2008

Grandiose Fantasy, NOT Something Comparable to "The Lord of the Ring"
A lot of people are comparing the whole theatrical feature to "The Lord of the Ring". I don't personally think it is worth doing at all. I never got started with the books because Tolkien's prose was just too...middle-class for me. But I do admire how the work is an attempt to transpose Anglo-Saxon aural epic tradition to modern English. Sadly, the Anglo-Saxon kept strictly to poetry, and that's the part of the books that never could be rendered for a movie. The films, whilst fun, was a standard ogre-fantasy with complex plot and a dramatis personae that was never running too short. The soundtrack for those films had a Celtic aspiration. It was fantastic and really gave the films their own identity both distinct from and faithful to the books's Anglos-Saxon ambition.

Pullman's trilogy is also a fantasy but of a distinct class from "The Lord of the Ring". Lyra's world is a transmutation of our world, recognizable but fantasized by imagination. To try to market it as a new Lord of the Ring simply wouldn't work. They are both fantasies but they won't necessarily both appeal to any given person, much the same way as "David Copperfield" wouldn't necessarily appeal to a "Jane Eyre" enthusiast even thoug they both relate the story of a protagonist from birth through to their marriage, the romances leading up to which are equally misdirected.

So whilst a Celtic flavour works very well for "The Lord of the Ring", it simply wouldn't work here. Desplat has instead gone for a grandiose orchestral style. The music on this soundtrack is filled with an air of other-world-ness. But yet somehow the orchestra music keeps it attached to our world. As he says in the CD insert, Desplat has let his imagination soar to worlds he had never walked on, but his physical presence definitely remains where it is.

A. Moore
UK
30th December 2007

A turning point In Desplat's already impressive career.
I was fortunate enough to get an invite to a couple of the Abbey Road recording sessions earlier this year. I have to confess I knew little of this composer. I'd met his avid followers when he won his World Soundtrack Award for The Queen. I have to also say that I felt a little short changed with his Painted Viel score, I thought there were better offerings at the Golden Globes that year.

The part of the score that was being tracked during my visit to the studio was 'Lyre Escapes' and what was titled on the score sheets as 'Final Battle' now to be known as 'The Battle Of The Tar Tars'. As the orchestra screamed into life to say I was blown away was an understatement. It was incredible and during a break later in the day I made it quite clear to Desplat that this was impressive stuff. It was quite unbearable having to wait to hear this wonderful music when the CD came out a few weeks later. This is a classic score both haunting and lyrical, the two primary themes cover a wide vista and really give your sound system a good thumping. I have to say that an highlight for me was the relentlessly orchestrated 'Ice Bear Combat', in the words of orchestrater Conrad Pope "this piece really kicks ass".

For me there is no question this score truly deserves many nominations over this upcoming awards season, I see no globe nod - bother!!! All I can say now is buy this score as its the turning point for Mr Desplat from good composer to GREAT composer.

Horatio Guttersnipe
London, England
12th December 2007

musically exploring meaning and insignificance...
The Golden Compass lifts your spirits musically. Though I found the film to be less than perfect, hardly adding anything new to Pullmans work, he has praised it's inventiveness and clarity in depicting his worlds, so this does render critics mute and despite what you may think about the film this score is beautifully put together. I am sure as soon as the dvd is out with all the scenes extended there will be more music to come, there is clearly going to be extra scenes to put back into the film because there is so much scope to add more giving clarity to what is a very richly complex film. This is probably one of the finest recordings this year!

Sakurashonen
UK
11th December 2007

The Golden Soundtrack
It's no secret that Golden Compass wants to be the next Lord Of The Rings. It wouldn't be the first to try that. Unlike all other films in that vein, however, TGC gives it a darn good try.
The soundtrack is a similar, earnest-filled effort. If you love film soundtracks, or big sweeping symphonic orchestras, then this is right up your alley. It doesn't quite hit the giddy perfection of LOTR's soundtracks, but it comes surprisingly close.
The real highlight on here, though, is the final track; 'Lyra', sung by Kate Bush. It's haunting, sparse vocals backed up by nothing but a harrowing, distant choir is chilling stuff that will send a shiver down your spine from it's bleak beauty.