Troy: Music From The Motion Picture (Score) [Soundtrack]

James Horner (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 11, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000244F7I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,305 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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56 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Go to Yared's website and listen to his music for the film, May 15, 2004

By 

Dogan Bilge "iBug" (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Troy: Music From The Motion Picture (Score) (Audio CD)

I didn't buy the CD because in the film, the music sounded so dull and unexciting. I watched the trailers with "Music By Gabriel Yared" for 6 months and was excited to hear how he would compose the music for an epic. Then in the last trailer I saw "Music by James Horner". Although I love Horner's work a lot more than Yared, I was like "What the h___?" A month before the opening, they change the composer? I never understood why this happened until I've read it in Gabriel Yared's website. In the test screening the music was found too powerful and too classical and it has been rejected. He even says that Peterson loved the music and sang the main themes in the corridors of Abbey Road during the recording sessions. Over 2 hours of music was recorded and Yared gave a year to this score which he claims to be his best. Yesterday when I watched the film I paid much attention to the music and it was as predicted, the mix of previous Horner motives and themes and nothing, absolutely nothing, new.

Then this morning I listened to Yared's collection of cues in the website and I must say that although the sound quality is poor, the music seems interesting and emotional, much more emotional and bigger than Horner's so called "score". And the worst thing is, we can all buy Horner's score but probably we'll never get to listen to Yared's score because as always, it's the property of the studio, not Yared. And they won't make a commercial release 99%. This kind of stuff happens every now and then but it's the first time I am angry this much.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One month to write a score? Of course Horner is sub-par, May 21, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Troy: Music From The Motion Picture (Score) (Audio CD)

When Warner Brothers decided to jettison the score Gabriel Yared wrote for the Wolfgang Petersen film "Troy" because of a supposedly bad test screening, composer James Horner was thrown into the breach a given a month to put together a new score. Horner kept Macedonian singer Tanja Tzarovska for the new score and worked in a song by Josh Groban for the end credits. All things considered, "Troy" is a pretty good as a score written in a month's time, but it really does not match the epic scope of the film and its revision of Homer's "Iliad" and the story of the Trojan War. Keeping Tzarovska was a good move in that she provides a sense of the flavor for the time and place, but for the most part Horner fails to take advantage of that and goes for something more conventional to American ear (to be fair, that appears to be what Warner Bros. demanded).

"Troy" is an epic story of love and war, and Horner's score does more justice to the latter than the former, which is clearly its biggest problem. Long before there was Kate and Leo, er, I mean Rose and Jack, there was Paris and Helen of Troy. But until you get to Groban's "Remember Me" at the end the only romantic theme on the album is the "Breisis and Achilles" track. Then again, they end up being the tragic couple in this telling of the tale because Paris and Helen actually end up living happily ever after on a slow boat to Rome with Aeneas at the end of the film. No wonder Horner was not inspired to turn their fabled love affair into a memorable piece of romantic music for this film; the characters really did not deserve to be immortalized that way.

Almost all of the tracks on the album focus on the war part of the film, with "Troy" and "Achilles Leads the Myrmidons" showing Horner's best efforts in that regard. There is also a nice little Horner fanfare for "The Temple of Poseidon" and "The Trojans Attack" starts off with a nice use of the Bulgarian choir. But the tolling bells become a bit much by the time we get to "The Greek Army and Its Defeat." The most memorable song on the album is the last one, although the idea of having Tzarovska's voice work in counterpoint to Groban's comes under the too little too late in terms of trying to give the score an exotic touch. It almost works, but that would have probably required more time than everybody had on this one.

In a nutshell the problem with Horner's score is that you do not have the fusion of music themes and characters or key scenes that is what usually compels us to pick up a soundtrack after seeing a film. Add to this the fact that you can check out excerpts from Yared's Easter European sounding score at his website, include a piano driven theme for Paris and Helen along with themes for several key characters, and you have to second guess Warner's decision and wonder what Horner could have done with a second month to get the job done.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wailing Woman of The Ancient World, June 11, 2004

By 

Michael C. Smith "[e-mail]" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Troy: Music From The Motion Picture (Score) (Audio CD)

James Horner's score for Troy has many merits and for the most part can stand along the greats of the Epic genre of the past. The only thing I object to in the score is the inclusion of what I refer to as "The Wailing Woman of The Ancient World" motif. She first appeared in "Gladiator" by Zimmer and was fresh and effective there. But then she popped up in the dreadful T.V. miniseries "Cleopatra", from there this sound has appeared in almost anything post "Gladiator" that has a remotely ancient theme.
But wailing woman aside, there is some truly wonderful work done here by Mr. Horner. A particular standout is track two, "Troy". Here we get the full lush sound of the orchestra proclaiming all the pomp and glory of the magnificent city. The music soars and carries us up over the walls of Troy and into a splendid place where dwells the sprit of Miklos Rozsa, Alex North, and other famed gods of Hollywood's epic past.
In cut 3 "Achilles Leads The Myrmidons" and cut 9 "Hector's Death" Mr. Horner also excels to Olympian heights putting to use his talents so adroitly in these savage scenes of tragic folly.
The last cut is "Remember" the obligatory song that is usually tacked on for the end credits of any film of the slightest importance. The song is nice enough and Mr. Groban sings it with all his might along with our poor wailing woman (Tanja Tzarovska). Every February we are presented with most of these songs being sung from the massive stage at the Kodak Theater. One of them always gets a little gold statuette for it efforts despite the fact that for the most part the song in question has very little to do with the film. It is included in the hopes of getting to meet Mr. Oscar. This song has a good chance of getting dressed up for the event.
"Troy" is for the most part an impressive effort and I recommend the C.D. for any fan of the epic score.