Customer Reviews

Dracula: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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John Williams is known for such hummable Hollywood tunes as "Superman", "Star Wars", "Jaws", "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Schindler's List." This score, however, will not have you humming, but music afficianados will see the brilliance of this man, John Williams. The score is dark, romantic and shows influences of Samuel Barber, Arnold Schoenberg, Serge Prokofiev and Gustav Mahler. It is riddled with lush orchestrations, beautiful solo lines, and dramatic climaxes. The performances are stellar. Truly a score that you can listen to for its own musical merit!

Bravo for a man who apparently wasn't in touch with vampire flicks. Or that was what the booklet said about John Williams, when he was commisioned to compose the music for "Dracula". Yet for a man who knew nothing about vampires, Williams' score ranks as one of his best.

The theme for Dracula is gothic, thrilling, and romantic at the same time. All you have to do is to listen to 'Main Title And Storm Sequence', 'Night Journeys', and 'The Love Scene', and discover how Williams creates different moods for a character who is considered a monster.

For action cues, there is nothing like 'To Scarborough', which has a technique Williams is an expert on: "scherzo". This piece is propulsive, and exciting. Also the 'Storm Sequence' is outstanding, with quite some frightening notes that keep you wide awake, especially if you listen to it at night with the lights off. And let's not forget 'Dracula's Death', a track that begins quietly, and finishes rousingly, with an operatic eloquence that only Williams can create.

It's too bad that the movie, for which this music was written, wasn't well-received. But there is no question about the excellence of this CD. I insist that John Williams wrote an excellent piece of music; perhaps one of his great classics, supported by an outstanding performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. If you haven't seen the movie, don't hesitate in buying this soundtrack. Believe me, it's worth it.

The soundtrack for the 1979 'Dracula' film is among one of John Williams' best works to date, rivaling 'The Empire Strikes Back.' Although written for a somewhat weak adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, the music Williams delivered is exciting and vibrant. It even features the spirit of the gothic sensibility that the film nearly completely lacked. Any fan of his music should own a copy of this disk, and I even feel it's a worthy addition to the library of anyone who apprecites good orchestral work. There isn't a dull musical moment anywhere.

Tension and romantic sensibility are mingled thorughout the music on this disk. Every selection included is a high mark in the annals of film music recordings.

High points are "Main Title & Storm Sequence" (which features the score's main theme and a series of neat variations upon it), "To Scarborough" (which may be one of Williams' best compositions on a technical level), "Night Journeys" (which is a series of elaborations on the main theme that include some nice choral touches), "For Mina" (one of the few calm pieces on the disk, it features a melancholy horn solo and some touching string work), and the "End Titles" (a subdued, yet still with a threatning undercurrent, presentation of the film's main theme).

Heck, even the tracks that are primarily sections of utilitarian music (such as "The Night Visitor" and "The Bat Attack") feature sections that makes one sit up and take notice. "The Love Scene" is also noteworthy, if only for its straight-forward presentation of the score's main theme and for being the only noteworthy part of one of the film's most excrutiating sequences... the love scene after which the piece is named.

During the late '70s and early '80s, John Williams entered a more somber, gothic-style period in his career. The scores of this period are some of his finest work, including THE FURY, MONSIGNOR (regrettably unavailable on CD), THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (a considerably darker score than the earlier STAR WARS) and DRACULA.

If one goes back to the early '70s, one will find Williams' score for the television movie JANE EYRE reflecting much of the same musicology. But the Williams' gothic style seemed to disappear after that, in favor of more light-hearted scores (CINDERELLA LIBERTY, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS) or Korngold-esque fanfares (JAWS, STAR WARS, SUPERMAN).

DRACULA marks a return to the gothic style first explored in JANE EYRE (and makes an excellent companion disc to that fine score). It is also the pinnacle of this period in Williams career and is one of his finest scores. Utilizing the orchestra to its fullest, Williams elicits strong romantic motifs, emphasizing the gothic nature of the story rather than the horror elements. In keeping with Richard Donner's direction and Frank Langelis' performance, Williams' music plays DRACULA as a romantic figure, rather than a monster.

This is not to say that this score doesn't have its horror elements. But they are laced within a main theme that is lush and memorable.

DRACULA's opening title lays the theme out in a simple manner, then immediately gives way to variations through a storm sequence.

"To Scarborough" is one of Williams' most delightful scherzos as it builds to an unexpected, explosive drop.

"For Mina" is a lovely, understated bit of melancholy featuring a beautiful trumpet solo.

"Dracula's Death," one of Williams' most passionate pieces of music, draws from the Tchaikovsky school for its rousing climax with full-orchestra accents.

That DRACULA is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra is one of its strengths. Williams' best works from the late '70s and early '80s come at the helm of this orchestra. It's a shame he doesn't work with them any more. They embody his music better than any other orchestra around, giving it a fullness unequaled by other orchestras (including the studio orchestras he's been working with lately).

Whether one has seen this version of DRACULA or not, this recording is a must-have for film-music fans.

This record really is in a different style - both regarding the composer and the film's topic.

Hardly anyone will say this film was his/her introduction to world literature's best loved vampire, so everyone will have a certain expectation regarding both actor and atmosphere. And was has got a stronger influence on the mood than the soundtrack? But wether you're used to Bela Lugosi, entering to the classical tune of "Swan Lake", or you're wont to Christopher Lee and the eerie sounds of the Hammer studios, this one is a different approach to the topic.

John Williams handled this with utmost care: He neither gave too much grandeur, nor did he try to recreate any of the old styles used in horror films. He created something new for this film, easily recognizable as "John Williams, all right" and still, very, very different from what has gone before. There are very forceful pieces (e.g. "Main Title/Storm Sequence", track 1)absolutely on par with the ones he's most famous for (need I say which?), and some set in a completely different style: "The Bat Attack" (track 7) for instance is very eerie, played almost completely on a grand piano, and very much reminding of modern composers of Eastern Europe. Easily recommendable even to those who normally consider J.W.'s scores to be too "majestic", "full of pathos" or too "martial", this is quite a different John Williams than the one everyone is used to - but a very good one.

This is, perhaps, John Williams's best score. While not as well-known - the film was a marginal success - as his work on "Star Wars," "Jaws," or "The Indiana Jones" trilogy, the music here is divinely eerie and erotic. The "Love Scene" perfectly embodies Dracula's lust and passion. Every selection conveys the dramatic moods effectively.

It is unfortunate that the release is incomplete. Several cues are missing that are tense, truly captivating, and downright wonderful. For Williams' fans, as well as others, such a release would be welcome.

I would really love to purchase a rerelease of this soundtrack. This one is really hard to find and available used at a ridiculously high price. I love the soundtrack to this film, and would love to add it to my collection.

Ahhh....John Williams. He has made such memorable tunes such as ' Raiders of the lost ark', ' Star Wars', ' E.T.' But one of his most forgotten themes is that of Dracula, the 1979 verison on the story. Of course, the movie wasn't exactly great, but for one thing, the music is. John Williams uses the same theme throughout the whole soundtrack ( litterary ), but still manages to keep our attention. One of the most famous themes, is of course, the love scene. The love scene in the movie seems as though something you see from a James Bond music credits', but the music makes much more then it is. It takes you to new heights, go higher and higher, in till it comes crashing down. Also don't get me wrong, there are also some scary verisons of the themes, such as " Night Vistor " and " Main Title/ Storm." This may not be one of his best, but this is one of the only movies, where John Willams has one theme and puts different varietys/sounds on to it. There's a little something for everyone to enjoy on this cd.

While the 1979 version of "Dracula" didn't receive much critical praise John Williams musical Score of the Film is a perfect example of a Soundtrack Album surpassing the Movie for wich it was composed.The album suggests a haunting yet inviting approach to the subject of horror film music.Not often does a Soundtrack album deliver such suttle excitement as this one and I consider it a must for serious collectors of film music and a should for everyone else!

Reigns supreme as John Williams' finest effort and I'm not even a Williams fan! An outstanding score for what I consider the best 'Dracula' presentation yet.