"Titanic" - James Horner

Titanic

Composer: James Horner

Release Date: November 18, 1997

Amazon page.

Amazon users rating: 4,5/5 stars.

DOWNLOAD



All About Soundtracks Review: This collaboration between the two James (Horner and Cameron) resulted in a undeniably successful and popular movie.
(Read more)


Titanic is the best-selling score album of film music history, therefore it's a huge success to the movie and to James Horner himself. In fact, the score is perfect for the movie and for its target audience, despite the usual flaws of Mr. Horner: too much self-references, flat moments where his music is able to achieve pratically nothing. And a obvious insparition from the obvious temp score of the movie: Enya, a new age artist.
The album opens with Never An Absolution, that presents two themes of the score: the first one, begins the cue in solo pipe, and represents the ship itself, with a in a hopeful way; the second one, presented in eerie female vocals, is the love theme for Rose and Jack, and also the melody for the song.
This love theme is developped with delicate beauty in Rose and Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave, which features a fascinating duet between a recorder and the female solo vocalist.
One of Horner's tipical methods is the creation of a fantasy-like athmosphere that one can here in track 2, Southampton. There, we're introduced to another theme for the ship that is reprised in Leaving Port and Take Her To The Sea, Mr. Murdock.
Hard To Starboard opens with a soft reprise of the love theme, but bursts into action at the 1:00 mark. A strong rythm of heavy methallic percurcursion is acompanied by brass calls and combined with desperate strings.
Panic and action return after the reprise of the love theme in Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave, with The Sinking and Death of Titanic, which together make for the weaker 13 minutes of this score. However, two interesting concepts are used by Horner in Death of Titanic. The first one is the dissonant reprise of the love theme, very apropriate for the situation. The other one is the crescendo of the synth voice at the end of the cue, while the people get their last bit of air before going underwater.
Aftermath comes in A Promise Kept, half being barely audible (or even musical at all), half reprising the love theme (in part, in a beautifully sad female vocal solo).
While A Life So Changed is too similar to Never An Absolution, An Ocean of Memories presents some similarities to the eerie Distant Memories, and obviously ends of the love theme in perfect harmony to end the score.
Then, comes what must be the most popular song in film music history. You know it's name, you know how it sounds like, but... well, it's the beautiful My Heart Will Go On, performed by Celine Dion. You may skip it, you may listen to it repeatedly.
The album ends with Hymn To The Sea, kind of end credits cue that features several reprises of the love theme and one of the the ship themes as well.

Ups: A remarkably melancholic, romantic, eerie and gorgeous athmosphere that supports the love story that unfolds in the movie, accomplished by the mix of synth effects and orchestra. A memorable love theme, that made history.

Downs: Similarities to Enya's work. Expected over-used Horner trikcs. Moments of irritant, barely audible sounds.

Noteworthy tracks: Never An Absolution, Leaving Port, Rose, Hard To Starboard and Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave.

Score note: 7/10.

Preview:
Track 8 - Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave



Find more videos like this on Soundtrack Fans