Employing a decently sized contingent of the Hollywood
Studio Symphony for
The Interpreter, Howard doesn't aim to
capture your attention with either a dominantly melodic or an otherwise
motif-based structure. In fact, the presence of African drum rhythms,
often combined with the synthetic sounds of metallic tingling, rambles
throughout the score at various levels of intensity and provides the
only really necessary, minimal continuity between the parts. Despite the
size of the orchestral ensemble, Howard does not allow the ethnic
rhythms to combine with the full force of the group until the highlight
cue, "Zuwanie Arrival at U.N.," for which he provides a crescendo of
harmonic chord progressions at thrilling heights and pounding rhythms as
you witness the targeted African leader weave through New York in a
motorcade. It's strangely reminiscent of (but not as entertaining as)
Nile Rodgers' equivalent cue in
Coming to America, but in reality
it's closer to the crescendo of gusto Howard supplied for
Devil's
Advocate in a similarly dramatic New York street scene. At other
times in the score, Howard's use of the African percussion for the
purposes of suspense are of interest; in "Silvia Showers," your spine
will tingle as if an African animal hunt were in progress in front of
you. At other times, however, as in the prolonged opening cue, Howard's
textures are too minimally constructed with ambient sound design to
really appreciate alone. Several such cues follow, unfortunately
allowing some instrumental development for the characters to become
washed away in the lull. Slight motifs for piano and clarinet haunt the
primary characters as they investigate and are investigated, though none
of these moments will grab your attention. Distant African vocals do
spice up a few of these cues; the "Simon's Journals" cue offers a
pleasant harmonic combination of the vocals and ensemble. With a
respectful debut in "Drowning Man Trail," the "Atolago" melody shines in
Howard's "End Credits," a cue that beautifully summarizes all of the
score's ideas with the vocals, strings, guitar, and piano in solo
duties. Slight hints of
The Sixth Sense float in those piano
performances. Like
The Fugitive, the last cue is a thematic
culmination that finally conveys a satisfying sense of resolution.
Overall, Howard's contribution to
The Interpreter does spend a
significant amount of time languishing in the unexciting depths of sound
design and aimless solo instrumentals, but the "Zuwanie Arrival at U.N."
and "End Credits" cues, along with several short bursts of percussion
and satisfying vocal haunts throughout, will be a delight for any fan of
the composer.
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