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Children of Dune
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Composed, Co-Orchestrated, Lyrics, World Percussion, and Produced by:
Conducted by:
Adam Klemens
Orchestrated by:
Robert Elhai Dana Niu
Performed by:
The Czech Philharmonic
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LABEL & RELEASE DATE
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Regular U.S. release. The album sold out immediately upon
its release, causing some initial difficulty finding it at online or street
stores.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you seek music that stands amongst the best that the
television medium has ever inspired, an excellent, charged, ethnic, and
vocal score of immense size and thematic beauty.
Avoid it... if you are a curmudgeon with a stick up your rear about
scores that don't employ an original foundation, no matter how well
executed those ideas may be.
BUY IT
 | Tyler |
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune: (Brian Tyler)
Until 2003, only the first of Frank Herbert's six "Dune" novels had been
translated onto the big or small screen. In 1984, David Lynch's
deranged, epic portrayal of the first novel was met with confusion and
negative criticism, though its quirky special effects, rock-style score,
and fantastic international cast catapulted it to eternal cult status.
In 2000, the Sci-Fi Channel in America offered its own adaptation of the
first "Dune" novel and was wildly successful due to its spectacular
cinematography and art direction, though it suffered from widespread
criticism over the plastic expressions of its two main actors. When the
Sci-Fi Channel, in association with three studios (including Hallmark
Entertainment), decided to continue the "Dune" adaptations using much of
the same cast as its 2000 film (or mini-series, as they're typically
called), they decided to tackle the next two "Dune" books at once,
taking the name of the third for the entire 2003 production. It is no
secret that the stories of these two books retain the same melodramatic
scope as the first, but with a considerably higher amount of death and
other tragic maladies. With only three hours to cover the events of two
books that could probably occupy 20 hours of screen time if adapted in
full, the "Frank Herbert's Children of Dune" story seen on the Sci-Fi
Channel basically hits all of the most dramatic plot notes and neglects
some of the subtle, finer moments of the books. One could argue with
Herbert's sense of parallelism, leading to the repeating question, "why
does so-and-so have to die?" but that's another debate for
another time. With an even more accomplished supporting cast and
improved visual effects, "Children of Dune" was an even greater
extravaganza for the Sci-Fi Channel. Popular as well through the years
has been the music from previous "Dune" productions. The unconventional
1984 score by Toto remains a "love it or hate" form of cult classic,
much like the film itself, succeeding well in multiple album forms.
Graeme Revell's underachieving 2000 entry for the previous television
production was not particularly memorable, but it did serve as a
souvenir for the widespread fan base for the concept. Generally speaking, the broad reach of all of these
stories meant that the music for them would have to consist of
significantly expansive scope and a certain dose of orchestral force.
More than most other concepts, "Dune" snugly fits the mould of science
fiction in its most operatic form, demanding music that must contend
with the cliches of the grandest fantasy soundtracks without becoming
too cozy with them. The 1984 Toto score struck all the right chords
(usually on electric guitars) with fans of the more epic and bizarre
aspects of the Herbert novels. Revell's 2000 score for the first Sci-Fi
picture concentrated solely on the ethnicity of Arrakis (the famed
desert planet), which is something that Toto had completely overlooked.
On the other hand, Revell's music was totally ineffective at conveying
the massive scope of the galactic events that Herbert had in mind.
Relative newcomer Brian Tyler received the job of scoring "Children of
Dune" because of a previous collaboration with the film's director, Greg
Yaitanes. The composer's young career had already consisted of several
smaller scale, mostly horror-related projects, and the immense
popularity of his work for "Children of Dune" would help catapult him on
to a major film scoring career that, throughout the remainder of the
decade, included many high profile productions. For the 2003
mini-series, Tyler was given instructions regarding the basic structure
of the music that the producers had in mind: orchestral, ancient, vocal,
and a distinct departure from Revell's previous approach. He was allowed
only six weeks to accomplish this task, and he did this by recording
parts of the score in the Czech Republic and others back in Seattle.
While he did not personally conduct the sessions with the 95-member
Czech Philharmonic, he did so remotely through a video monitor. He later
added several Middle-Eastern elements and instruments uniquely of his
own creation, as well as female and male vocals (the latter performed
himself). Tyler's ability to handle many worldly instruments on his own
is not only impressive, but it also a cost-cutting and time saving
ability. His final production included 174 cues, and many of these
featuring vocals or ethnic string instruments that he contributed with
his own talents. The result of Tyler's efforts for "Children of Dune" is a
score that perfectly fits Frank Herbert's imagery, ethnic locations,
religious implications, and space-age technology. Few scores "click" as
well as this one, and he finished the work in such quick time that the
Sci-Fi channel was even able to use the centerpiece cue in their
television previews for the show, heightening expectations in potential
audiences. He offers a clean and memorable identity for the concept by
establishing several key themes for the major players in the stories:
the Fremen, House Atreides, the story's central romance, and the true
Messiah. The propulsive theme for the Fremen is frantically paced and
whips its brass at speeds worthy of a sandstorm. On the surface, it is a
theme that film music fans will find similar to that from Trevor Rabin's
much imitated Deep Blue Sea, though its rapid fire brass notes at
its climax are more reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith from the days of
Capricorn One. It is performed in full during their scenes of
battle and the end credits sequences of the first two parts of the
three-part mini-series. On album, it opens the score with gusto in
"Summon the Worms" and flourishes in the cue "The Jihad." It is present
in several key, less obvious cues as well, including many of the
important ethnic moments of conversational material. The duduk performs
this theme beautifully in "Dune Messiah" (accompanied by female voice)
and the fateful scene during which Chani recognizes that "I Have Only
Now." The use of the Armenian flute is as gorgeous in this score as in
any you will ever hear, exclaiming its somber tones with an enhanced
volume that assists it in transcending into a more accessible realm of
beauty. The House Atreides theme opens the first two of the three
episodes and is heard during the magnificent aerial shots of the
capital, Arrakeen. Introduced on album in "Main Title (House Atreides),"
it is a noble and ambitious melody that sees little screen time in its
original form because the control of House Atreides is in the process of
falling apart not long after the story begins. A good example of this
degeneration exists in the "Revolution" cue, which exudes the feeling of
Alia's slow loss of reality and thus her loss of control over her
empire.
An even more eloquent and dignified offspring of the House
Atreides theme is provided for Lady Jessica, conveyed when she both
descends and departs from Arrakis. Both of these cues are presented in
full on the album, including the lovely "The Arrival of Lady Jessica."
Easily the most fluidly romantic of the themes for "Children of Dune,"
this idea merges the sensibilities of both Jerry Goldsmith and John
Barry in their most melodramatic forms. The third major theme that Tyler
presents in the score is the one of romance between Paul and Chani. Even
though the bulk of its performances in the score are mostly limited to
the second half of the show (especially compared to the other major
themes), it represents the highlight of Tyler's effort and was likened
at the time to the popular revolution caused by Lisa Gerrard with the
Gladiator finale sequence. It appears during the otherwise silent
montage while Chani is giving birth to Leto II and Ghanima in one
location and Alia is prosecuting the execution of Atreides' enemies in
another, including the Bene Gesserit witch from the previous Emperor's
throne. The cue is effective because it represents the most powerful
moment of the narrative without any interference from other sounds, a
technique used to accentuate scenes in concepts ranging from The
Godfather to The Lord of the Rings. The comparisons between
this cue and Gladiator are not just limited in reason to the
style of non-English vocals and lightly tingling percussive effects over
a synthetically-aided, harmonic bass, but also in the rising structure
of the piece that, like its predecessor, gives it an extremely
inspirational and optimistic personality. A version without the vocals
and featuring a stronger percussion mix in the farewell scene at the end
of the series ("Farewell" on album) has even been heard adapted by
mega-churches for their pop-oriented calls out to their savior with
their own typically sappy and ridiculous lyrics (let's hope that Tyler
is receiving royalties for this usage, for the irony inherent in these
churches' use of a song written for Herbert novel is not alone enough
compensation). This haunting piece of music was alone responsible for
all the hype you heard about this score at its debut, and "Inama Nushif"
was the same four-minute piece of music that you heard in the show's
previews.
While some jaded listeners have blasted the love theme
in "Inama Nushif" as either unoriginal or at least playing far too
heavily on the kind of cliches that appeal to hopeless fangirls, you
can't help but admire how well Tyler executes the idea. He painstakingly
sifted through the Herbert novels to gain enough knowledge about the
Fremen language (which Herbert created himself) to write the rhyming
lyrics for that montage (a technique perhaps inspired by Howard Shore).
The final theme that Tyler creates for "Children of Dune" is a hybrid of
the above-mentioned love theme and a more percussive and guitar oriented
one for Leto II, the true Messiah. Early in Leto's appearances, Tyler's
House Atreides theme accompanies his character, but by the end of the
film, as Leto has merged with the worms (doesn't this guy wear a shirt
ever again?), he and Ganima are the product of the romance between Paul
(of the Atreides) and Chani (of the Fremen) and the combined theme thus
becomes theirs. The evolution is logical and keenly developed by Tyler
throughout the work. The scenes of Leto in the desert during the final
hour of the show are heavy on the percussive rhythms that relate to this
theme. Leto's abandonment of safety justifies the loss of that
orchestral organization and the introduction of wilder acoustic guitar
rhythms, though this late music doesn't cross over onto album as
effectively and becomes the product's only weakness. In the context of
the series, Tyler's music follows a steady progression from the pompous
and grandiose orchestral music for the Empire at the start of the
narrative to a more ethnically sensitive and internalized sound as the
last original remnants of House Atreides die off or leave the planet.
The worms themselves don't have the same effect on the score as they did
with the title theme of Toto's 1984 score, perhaps due in part to less
screen time for the worms in these books. Still, Tyler's ability to
establish identities for each of the major players in this score and
revisit them (and in some cases adapt and mature them) is extremely
satisfying, not only in the statements of outward melody but also in the
specific applications of the duduk, varied percussion, solo voices, and
other unique specialty sounds. An engaging performance from the
orchestra is also key to giving invaluable vibrance to the massive
ensemble statements early in the series. Both styles would inspire Tyler's
forthcoming work for Partition and Timeline, respectively.
One creative aspect of Tyler's score that requires
special notice is his tip of the hat when various scenes in "Children of
Dune" discuss the topic of events that occurred in the first novel, and
especially in scenes involving Paul. Here, Tyler inserts progressions in
his deep bass string performances that remind strongly of Toto's title
theme for Dune. While this similarity could possibly be
coincidental given how common the usage of ascending minor thirds can be
in such situations, it's hard to believe that Tyler (who has shown the
ability to reference previous franchise themes and styles in subsequent
works) didn't insert these ideas with specific referential intent in
cues like "Dune Messiah" and "Sign of the Bene Gesserit." As mentioned
before, Tyler's music also seems to take a few cues from other
established composers; the Lady Jessica theme, especially as she arrives
on Arrakis, is an interesting meld of themes from Goldsmith's
Hoosiers and John Barry's Cry, the Beloved Country. The
Middle-Eastern elements, centered around the duduk, are very similar to
the tone often employed by the master of such music, Mychael Danna. This
probably wasn't intentional on Tyler's part, but it shows the kind of
influences from which he was working. On the lengthy album release, 36
of his 174 cues are presented, largely out of order but in a good
sequence for listening. All pertinent cues of significant length in the
film are included, spanning most of the styles and themes equally. The
elegant themes for the full ensemble are presented at the front, with
more of Leto's guitar and percussion music presented in the latter half.
The product was an overwhelming success for Varèse Sarabande, so
much so that the label's original pressing of the CD sold out within a
week after the show's first airing. And there was good reason for this
success; Tyler's music is among the best television scores to hit the
air waves in the history of the medium, better even than Lee Holdridge's
"The Mists of Avalon" a few years before (another album that kept
Varèse on solid financial footing). No matter your knowledge
about Frank Herbert and the Dune universe, "Children of Dune" is
a diverse powerhouse that all film music fans should appreciate. It's a
superb example of a case in which outstanding execution compensates for
structural and textural concepts that may not be original. As the decade
concludes, it remains Tyler's crowning achievement. ***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check: |
For Brian Tyler reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.32
(in 32 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.1
(in 15,040 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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Children of Dune Alaina Jager - October 6, 2004, at 3:28 p.m. |
1 comment (1551 views) |
Total Time: 77:22
1. Summon the Worms (3:49)
2. Dune Messiah (2:40)
3. Main Title (House Atreides) (1:36)
4. The Revolution (2:01)
5. Fear is the Mind Killer (2:45)
6. The Arrival of Lady Jessica (3:09)
7. Leto Atreides II (2:44)
8. Inama Nushif (Montage) (3:52)
9. War Begins (1:08)
10. Battle of Naraj (3:15)
11. Rya Wolves (1:34)
12. I Have Only Now (3:12)
13. The Impossible Wager (3:00)
14. Face Dancer (1:03)
15. The Throne of Alia (1:20)
16. Trap the Worm (3:03)
17. Salusus Secundus (1:04)
18. The Jihad (2:03)
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19. The Ring of Paul (3:50)
20. Exiles (1:28)
21. Sins of the Mother (1:24)
22. Irulan's Regret* (1:11)
23. My Skin is Not My Own** (1:23)
24. Reunited (2:28)
25. The Golden Path (2:10)
26. Child Emperor (1:18)
27. Sign of the Bene Gesserit (2:08)
28. The Preacher at Arrakeen (2:33)
29. The Desert Journey (1:36)
30. The Ghola Duncan (1:37)
31. Leto and Ghanima (1:16)
32. The Fremen Qizarate (1:43)
33. Farewell (3:25)
34. Children of Dune (1:16)
35. Horizon (1:34)
36. End Title (1:30)
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* typo in title on album's packaging
** incorrect time listed on packaging
The insert includes a note from the director regarding Tyler's
speedy efforts in assembling the score. Otherwise, the packaging is
sparse and the credits are only partial.
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