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This is a film that I wasn't even aware of until I came across the score here on Amazon. Seeing that composer John Debney was writing the music for the movie got me really curious especially since he composed the music for Mel Gibson's "The Passion" in 2004. It would be interesting to hear his musical interpretation concerning Jesus as a young child and if the two scores would share any similarities. For those who might be finding out about this film for the first time like me, it is based on Anne Rice's novel "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt". The movie is a fictional account of a 7 year old Jesus, along with Joseph and Mary, as they begin to comprehend his true purpose. Much of the early life of Jesus is unknown and largely speculated upon. While listening to the score, I went online to view the various theories of these "lost years" and you an practically get lost for hours searching through the volumes of material. From spending time in India to being a disciple of John the Baptist, endless theories abound. I haven't seen the film yet, but it appears to have support from many who consider this story to be, according to writer/filmmaker Brian Godawa's review of the film, "doctrinally safe imagination".
Debney's music supports all of the expected themes within a story such as this. The scope of the music alone has generated enough interest in me and I look forward to watching this upon it's release. Debney's score provides a tapestry of sound that supports emotional and character elements like youthfulness, a sense of discovery, moments of divinity and is much lighter in tone when compared to the darker and sometimes frightening score from "The Passion". The score opens with "The Young Messiah Theme" (track 1) and features the vocal talents of Bethany Woods. She provides all of the solo vocals during the score which could be described as elegant tonal notes that gracefully provide a wonderful ethnic sound to the music. With her vocal work combined with traditional instrumentation (such as ethnic woodwinds and the stringed instrument known as an Oud) along with percussion styles familiar to the region, you'll find yourself instantly transported back within a story that took place over 2000 years ago. I wish the CD insert would of contained a list of all the instruments used within the score because although I recognize the sound of some of the more unique ones, I don't know what they are called or what they look like. This opening track gives us a theme that you'll hear in various ways throughout the score and it provides a great opening for the music. It's light, melodic, and almost celebratory. The next track entitled "Alexandria Egypt" (track 2) contains several different movements such as providing a musical landscape to the setting and a more action oriented percussion sequence. Solo percussion work has been credited to MB Gordy and he does a fantastic job throughout the score.
Debney's music is very story like I'll find myself trying to understand the scene based on the cue titles by listening the score. "Jesus Heals Eleazer" is a bit of a mystery to me however. It begins with upbeat rhythm/vocals that has a sense of urgency but quickly dies down to almost a whisper with beautiful woodwind and violins. There is sympathy and sadness found within the music and suddenly it erupts into a scary and shocking bit that sounds like something you'd expect to find in a horror movie. It levels back off into something more serene but it definitely has my curiosity up about how the music accompanies this particular scene. Is Jesus shocked by his own divine abilities or is it other's around him seeing a power like this from the child? Not sure...can't wait to find out!
The score contains moments of conflict as well such as "Jesus Encounters Romans" (track 8) which largely turns into what sounds like a chase scene and dramatic moments like "Not Just a Child/Crucifixes" (track 14). Track 14 seems like a foreshadowing event in the music that is both horrible and sad. Debney provides highly interpretative music throughout all of the tracks which makes this a wonderfully interesting score to sit down and listen to. There are beautifully lyrical pieces accompanied by wonderful instrumentation that will just make the hairs on your arms stand up. One of those is a highlight piece for me entitled "A Son Named Jesus" (track 17). It is a cue that Debney seems to infuse with a soft humble divinity that is more powerful than that of blasting trumpets.
The score ends with two of the longest tracks on the album, "The Blind Rabbi" (track 25 - 6:21) and "Mary Reveals the Truth to Jesus/ Jesus Talks to God" (track 26 - 7:38). "The Blind Rabbi" is mysterious and dramatic with movements that suggest it is a climatic point within this story. The last track provides a good bookend to the score by providing another great moment of serene divinity followed by an even more powerful rendition of the theme from the movie. The score is absolutely beautiful to listen to and has been a joy to discover. Full of wonderful story telling moments and great instrumentation, it provides a fitting soundscape for a film such as this. Debney uses much of the instrumentation from "The Passion" but this score is obviously a lot lighter. He also tended to use more of a full choir in that score and here in "The Young Messiah" we find a lone voice that becomes somewhat more symbolic but equally powerful here.
The CD version of the score is released through Lakeshore Records and is limited to only 1000 copies. It comes packaged in their standard digipak and contains a 4 page insert within the cover sleeve. The insert has pictures from the movie, a brief note from director Cyrus Nowrasteh, production credits, and solo artist listings. There are 26 tracks which gives you a running time of 1 hour and 11 minutes. I recommend!
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