For such uninformed viewers (people who were completely
clueless as to the allegory and absent-mindedly turned the film on the
television for their four-year-olds), the inclusion of grand, Russian
anthems, hymns, and battle music probably seemed grossly out of place.
But Harvey hit the nail right on the head with the tone and style of his
music. If you excuse the temptation to write songs for the animals, the
score is expansive and robust enough to actually accompany a film
depicting the real life humans of the Russian Revolution. If you take
out a few of the light woodwinds and change a few rhythms here and there
(taking all references to a light, British setting out of the equation),
you get a score with all the weighty drama necessary to represent the
event itself, placing the score in an even more curious place when you
once again consider that it's a "talking animal" story. In these
regards, Harvey handles the assignment almost as though it was a comedic
parody, infusing as much broad scope into his music as possible to
counter the film's visuals. Harvey coins an emotional anthem for
animals, one that goes from oppression ("Dumb Animals") to full glory
("Commandments") and then, finally, to performances of tragic expanse
("Jones Destroys the Windmill") as the pigs of the farm ruin the animal
utopia. Hearing this theme mutate through the score, including
appearances in song form, is a delight, because Harvey manages to take
the same melody and convey it at every emotional level that the film
requires. The falsely triumphant performance of the title theme in
"Glorious Leader Napoleon!" is perhaps the highlight of the theme's
evolution (or revolution, whichever you prefer), and also proves that
songs in these circumstances don't have to be the fluffy affairs that
the genre usually entails. Harvey pulls off the Russian marches with
convincing power, remarkably conjuring a theme that doesn't seem to
raise memories of any other score and utilizing the Budapest Radio Choir
to provide the expected Russian chorus that the genre demands. For
listeners seeking redemption, the airy "At Last We Are Free" and "End
Titles" are major-key alternatives of deceptively hopeful character,
complete with lofty adult choir accents fitting for an animated Disney
film.
More importantly, the orchestral performances of the
driving, Russian movements in
Animal Farm avoid the usual
problems of similar contemporary statements. So many listeners associate
deep male choirs, or any adult choir in the minor key, with Hans
Zimmer's programmed sound of the era. Harvey's traditional approach here
is more effective in portraying a realistic angle to the story's hard
edge, not afraid to also use brute percussive force in cues like "The
Battle of the Barn" and "The Big Battle." The lyrics of these chants and
marches are in English, which may seem out of place given the underlying
progressions, but considering the setting of the film in Britain, the
language is acceptable. There is a considerable amount of thunderous
battle music in
Animal Farm, and when the full orchestra and
choir aren't squashing you with their might, Harvey provides
percussion-pounding dramatic underscore through nearly every other cue
of the composition (his use of percussion carries over well to his score
for the television production of
Arabian Nights). The only purely
positive romp of bittersweet might, "The Harvest and the Flag," is also
of note, introducing a heroic theme for the workers themselves and their
great productivity. A reprise of this theme is briefly heard at the very
end of the story, exposing the slight, but significant change to its
unhappy ending. On album, the progression of the story is very evident,
and you can almost follow Orwell's plot in your head as you hear Harvey
take you on a most effective musical journey through the allegory.
Unfortunately, that album from Varèse Sarabande fell out of print
in the early 2000's, so your search for the product will likely cost you
more. But the quality of Harvey's music is worth the inconvenience. The
composer succeeds in his effort to produce convincing revolution music,
deeply rooted in Russian dramatism, without either referencing other
composers' take on the genre (including Basil Poledouris, most notably)
or allowing the music to be sucked into a
Babe-like atmosphere of
child-like mentality. Considering the lack of vast resources for the
project, the result is outstanding, and only a larger number of
performers in the ensemble and perhaps a wetter ambient mix would have
been able to improve upon the recording.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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