Customer Reviews

The New World [Music from the Motion Picture]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The use of Wagner's Vorspiel from the opera Das Rheingold, along Mozart's famous Piano Concerto #23, are stunning and essential elements to this remarkable film. So why then are we left with a CD having a truncated soundtrack, consisting only of a James Horner score that borrows heavily from Titanic? My recommendation is to save your pennies for the DVD. The opening film sequence with Wagner's Prelude to his Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle is pure cinematic brilliance, as are the emotional scenes accompanied by one of Mozart's most haunting Piano Concertos. Unfortunately this CD includes none of that. It brings one to wonder about the marketing department at New Line Records. What "genius" there concocted this blunder?

Lots of people have justly complained that the Wagner and Mozart pieces that dominate the film aren't on this CD. They're the most memorable music in the film, and I can only imagine how annoyed people must have been if they didn't know these were existing classical pieces. Still, the album is filled with 80 mins of Horner's original score, so it's not like the producers left blank space on the CD.

What is odd, however, is that much of what's here is material that was rejected by Malick. Track titles refer to scenes that have no music or classical music in the film. Out of 80 minutes, I'd say less than a third of it is in the finished film, if that. I wouldn't be shocked to learn less than 10 minutes made it into the movie.

What's even more infuriating is that there's a gorgeous piano theme for Rolfe and Pocahontas as they fall in love, spare and lovely, that recalls the Rose piano theme in Titanic. It plays most prominently over the marriage of Rolfe and Pocahontas. That gorgeous cue is not here, indeed the theme is not on the album at all, with the exception of about thirty seconds on track 9.

That music was all I wanted on an album, and instead we get over an hour of rehashed Braveheart-meets-Titanic. It's all pleasant, but highly conventional and it's not hard to understand whay Malick dropped it.

It's just a shame that even the tiny amount of Horner's music that remains in the film is not all available on this strange CD that seems destined to please nobody.

The music by James Horner can be very touching and fit well with the theme of the movie. However, many find some repetitions from other movie soundtracks embedded into the soundtrack for The New World. Some of the music are similar to that of "Braveheart" or "Titanic". The opening scene of the movie was a good one and requires a good soundtrack to go with it. The theme was played in the beginning, middle, and the end of the movie. This beautiful theme you will not find in this album! You will have to find "Richard Wagner - Vorspiel" in order to listen to it. Do not be mistaken for "Track 01 - The New World" to be that theme you wanted because it is some odd soundtrack. Overall, if it is James Horner's music you want from the movie, this soundtrack is for you.

Many people buy this soundtrack for that soft orchestrated theme from the movie, but if you would like Richard Wagner's Vorspiel, here is the link to get it from:

http://www.fincoon.com/music/vorspiel.mp3

Hope this helps.

according to IMDB web site, here's the info...

Piano Concerto No. 23"
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Jenö Jandó and the Concentus Hungaricus
Courtesy of Naxos
By Arrangement with Source/Q

I really enjoyed "The New World" and I was very excited to buy the soundtrack. James Horner's music is very good. In some places, it reminds me a lot of the "Titanic" soundtrack, especially when you hear the woman's voice in the background, but since I love the "Titanic" soundtrack, this is a good thing. However, as another reviewer pointed out, the soundtrack is missing some music. According to what I've read, I think that the opening music as they sail into Virginia is "Vorspiel" from Wagner's "Das Rheingold" and the piano music played throughout the movie is Mozart's 23rd concerto. I was able to find both of these on itunes, and they sounded right. The soundtrack would have been more complete with these songs, but it is still very good.

BUYER BEWARE! The best music in the film was the use of Wagner at the begining and end, and then the Mozart throughout the rest of the film. These pieces are not on the CD. Look elsewhere for Wagner's Vorspiel and Mozart Concerto 23.

I can't stand it when people rate an album for what isn't on it. Large swaths of Horner's music were unused in the film, and replaced by Wagner and Mozart in post-production. Those pieces are widely availible, but this disc is an *original* soundtrack, featuring the music composed *specifically* for the film. Anyone hungering for the classical tracks would do well to read the back of the album.

Horner's score is quite different from anything else he wrote in 2005; while there are melodies, the music is primarily textured, with an emphasis on mood. The tracks that use birdsong are an example: while a bit annoying, the sounds build an atmosphere of calm in addition to the smooth string and piano work underneath.

The music becomes more structured and melodic as the album progresses, though Horner fans will recognize bits and pieces of motifs he has used earlier in his career, especially in the final two score tracks.

Reccomended for fans of Horner, fans of mood music, and anyone who wants to hear alternate and rejected cues from the film.

I would give the real soundtrack to the film 5 stars: when I heard it in theaters I was awestruck. The problem is that this CD does not contain the complete soundtrack. In the film, Horner actually employed some pieces of classical music, such as a piano concerto by Mozart. None of the tracks on the CD contain any of these historical compositions. Also, my favorite part of the film score is when the ships first land and the music builds up to a densely orchestrated crescendo. There is a track on the CD called "First Landing" but it does not contain the music I remember from the film.

I know that Terrence Malick tends to edit his films up until the last minute. I wonder if this CD was finalized before the final edit of the film. (To further complicate the matter, there were two versions of the film released in theaters: a longer version in December 2005 and a shorter version in January 2006.) I think it would require a double CD to release the complete soundtrack. I hope they do it someday!

So disappointing to get this soundtrack, fast forward through the entire CD looking for anything that sounded familiar from the movie, only to find track after track of poorly recorded movie background sounds. The movie itself has powerful, emotion gripping scenes with little dialog, but lots of music that gets right at your heart. None of this is on the CD.

Everytime the same discussion...when will the Horner-haters let go ? Yes I do admit...some sections of this score sound a little like Titanic, and some others sound like Braveheart...BUT SO WHAT ????? This is one of his most incredible soundtracks up to date: listen very well, the aura around all these tracks are different than his past works and you can feel it after a few listens...again, yes the sounds are similar...but it's the James horner sound...the 4 note ascending motif, the female subdued voice, the shimmering piano notes and the ethereal vocal pad...it's him and you'll hear it in many of his works but...it does the job.

This one is a gem...very emotional, beautiful and mysterious at the same time...great song performed by Hayley Westenra...should of been nominated at the Oscars.

I really feel we are about to hear Horner's best stuff in the near future. Thanks Mr. Horner for another great score (****).