Return, The (2006)

Composer(s):
Dario Marianelli

Released in:
2006

Reviews

Good music for writing,
by Alex (March 27, 2007)
I haven't seen the film, but being a collector of horror film scores I picked this one up based on Amazon.Com's sound clips, which got me midly interested.
For "The Return", comopser Dario Marianelli has crafted a soundscape-ish, somewhat mournful score. Utilizing a quiet, saddening theme unsparingly through out the album, Marianelli's work here is geared more towards emotional poignance and less towards the "boom-crash-bang" style of frenetic action used by many contemporary composers in horror films. The main theme is piano-led, aided by lush strings and, surprisingly, wind chimes (?) to create a comfortable, warm feeling. As the score progresses this theme is used more often and around track seven, an accoustic guitar is thrown into the mix. Though the score utilizes this theme heavily, there are moments where the horror-film nature of the score peak through; for these tracks (most notably "The Red Bar", "A Close Shave", and "Giff's Garage") Marinelli uses another piano theme, this one tense and militaristic, a direct opposite of the theme he has crafted for the more emotionally-inclined moments on album. The highlights of this album are "Collision", "Driving to La Salle", "Annie Dies", and "What Really Happened". The disc ends with "Sea Horses", another highlights, which reprises the main theme, concluding with solo wind chimes.
Structurally this is a well-composed album, and The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra does well. At just a little over 35 minutes the score doesn't overstay its welcome.
Though it may not be anything groundbreaking, nor is it the best horror soundtrack of the past few years, Marianelli's work on "The Return" is a breath of fresh air for those looking for something easily digested and unintrusive.

Reviews on other sites:

Filmmuziek.com

Score Magacine (in Spanish)

suggested by:
Raul Garcia

Submit a link