Customer Reviews

Dante's Peak: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The score for Dante's Peak is an agverage score for a disaster movie. There is good music in the cd. Such as the love theme in track 4 and the rescue scene in the last track. But, the cd is missing some of the more enjoyable cues from the movie. And why are almost every Varese Sarabande release is so SHORT? All in out, an ejoyable cd.

I'm sorry to have to be the first to throw a damper on this soundtrack, but of all the ones own, this is one of my least favorite. Aside from the fact it's ridiculously short, the vast majority of music is just relentless action music. Now, don't get me wrong. A little of that is fine, or even a balanced mixture. But when it's pretty much all that way, I think it just gets annoying, and heavy-handed. The redeeming factors about this CD though, that keep it from a one star, are the love theme (Track #4), and the very majestic triumph theme in the final track. It's really pretty! Plus, if you are one who likes relentless, driving, action cues, than you may very well like this. It just wasn't one I cared much for.

is all I can say when it comes to Dante's Peak. Aside from the rediculously short playing time (I believe it's Sarabande's intent to sell expensive releases at a short play time just to tick us off) the CD does offer a few good parts. Mainly track four, ON THE PORCH, presents a soft, enjoyable interweaving of the main theme. The last track, THE RESCUE, measily number 10, employs the same theme but in a much grander scale, using far more brass and strings. The ending is also very well played, as Frizzell utilizes Newton's original theme to create a melody all the volcano's(!). This leaves the listener hanging, and gives plenty of room for a sequel. The first track is also noteworthy, being the best carrier of the main theme. It uses a synthesized "scream" in the beggining which draws your attention in, then boils down to a drowning theme which drools all over itself by simply playing the same melody over and over again using different instruments (i.e. guitar, drums, trombone.) My major dissapointment with this disk was the exclusion of the pretty piano solo Frizzell performed for the drive to the dedication by the mayor and her daughter. Another minus was the explosively entertaining piece where the pyroclastic cloud explodes. The track used women's vocals and stunning bells to sybolize the power of the volcano. And it did! To my dismay, it too has been cut from the album. Not all is lost though! Check out VOLCANO. The movie may have been bad, but the soundtrack is suprisingly well done.

I really wanted the score to "Dante's Peak" to be great. The very first thing we hear when the movie starts is James Newton Howard's haunting main theme in Track 1. And that is, honestly, why I bought the CD in the first place - those opening titles just sent shivers up my spine.

But from there, this CD just goes downhill. Almost every track on this CD is "in your face" material - real explosive, jarring, base-heavy music. Now don't give me wrong; I like this type of music. This is the stuff that gets your heart pumping when you're in the theater watching a movie. But when you're given track after track of this same type of music, it gets a little stale and loses its effectiveness. This was the same thing that, for me, killed off the score for "The Mummy." It was just heart-pounding music all the way through, with a few exceptions.

There are some exceptions on this CD, as well. Track 4, "On the Porch," and Track 10, "The Rescue," are very well done. When John Frizzell puts his mind to it, he can really capture the movie. But those two tracks, along with Howard's brooding main theme in Track 1 were just about the only highlights. I like big bang music in moderation; not one track right after another.

"Dante's Peak" was a great movie. I enjoy it every time I watch it. It's too bad that the score for the movie couldn't have delivered the same goods. The score has its moments, but those are few and far between.

I always loved how energetic this score was in its orchestrations, and though the album is very short, I still love listening to it. I've enjoyed it for the past decade. In my opinion, Frizzell's best effort.

A great, moving score from a equally great movie. The theme by James Newton Howard is beautiful. Listening to the score, I relived the whole movie experience of when I first saw Dante's Peak and had the same goose bumps I had back then.

I did a search for this album via iTunes and the store has it for $9.99. Much cheaper than those selling theirs USED, NEW, ETC.

All I can really say is Amazing. The Main Titles which were done by James Newton Howard is probably the best Main Titles since Jurassic Park. It is grand and Action Packed. I just got this soundtrack And I find it to be a great soundtrack. The downer is that the soundtrack is so short other wise it's wonderful. If you like Jurassic Park, and The Mummy Returns, You'll like this.

James Newton Howard was signed on to do the score, but due to time constraints, recommended John Frizzell to do it, with Howard writing the theme. Howard has been Frizzell's mentor for years and you can tell because Frizzell writes in the same style as Howard does. The score itself is a solid action score. The score starts out with "Main Titles" which start the score off nicely with strings, lots of brass and percussion. The theme occurs again in other tracks throughout. Most of the other tracks are action cues, with the exception of "On the Porch" which has a nice flute solo and "The Rescue" which has a nice trumpet solo. Other tracks to point out are "Trapped in the Crater" which starts out ominous and then bursts into difficult brass marches performed wonderfully by the orchestra. "The Evacuation Begins" contains the main theme again, overlaying a driving orchestral sound. "The Helicopter Crash" and "Escaping the Burning House" are very fast paced, with the orchestra performing to their absolute extreme. Overall, a great action score which will definitely please action music lovers.

James Newton Howard is one of the greatest composers today. His haunting theme became very vital for this score. Frizzell, in my opinion, filled up the rest of the score very well. Many people complain about the relentless amount of action music. If you view the movie, there's hardly any slow music in it to be found.
The orchestrations of Robert Elhai create some great atmospherics, which are especially prominent in "Sinking on Acid Lake" with some of the greatest dissonances are found. And yes, it may be hard to listen to, but dissonance creates suspense in action cues.
Besides the surprisingly short CD length (damn you Varese Sarabande) and a few missing cues (Pyroclastic cloud should have been on there), it was very well done. Frizzell is a budding composer, and we must give him a chance. If producers could give such huge kudos over James Horner, Frizzell should be surpassing him.
America needs more creative, dissonant, groundbreaking, and 20th century classic-like scores in films nowadays. We need to break away from the obsolete James Horner style and open our eyes to real talent and creativity.