Beowulf (2007)

Composer(s):
Alan Silvestri

Released in:
2007

Reviews

Epic!
by Michael Longstreet (January 29, 2008)
Alan Silvestri’s score for the epic animated tale ‘Beowulf’ starts out with a bang. Even though the “Main Title” is less than a minute, the track conveys the direction of the rest of the album. With a driving beat common to films of this type, Silvestri also lends the voices of men and women to chant to music to its final moment. This theme is heard over and over again during the course of the score, as Beowulf’s theme.

One of the biggest uses of this theme is in “What We Need is a Hero.” This track is from when we first meet Beowulf, sailing to Hrothgar’s kingdom on a storm swept ocean. It is a great introductory track for the title character with nice use of horns and driving drums. But probably the best use of Beowulf’s theme is in “I Am Here to Kill Your Monster.” This track is when Beowulf and Hrothgar meet. Again using driving drums and a melodic undertone, the theme is broken up into rounds, with brilliant solos by French horns and blasting trombones. This track is my personal favorite from the album. Listening to the track easily shows the strength and honor that Beowulf and his Geats (Swedes) bring to Hrothgar’s kingdom.

Silvestri brings the men’s choir back in full force for “I Did Not Win the Race.” There are some classic Silvestri moments in this piece. His tweaking of Beowulf’s theme is heard as the choir and driving drums bring the track to a dramatic climax, finishing in a quiet soft melody as Beowulf meets the underwater woman.

The track “I Am Beowulf” is basically the finale of Beowulf’s main theme, as it is slowly transformed into the sad melodic hero’s theme instead (the same notes as “A Hero Comes Home”). When Beowulf becomes king, in the second half of the film, his theme is no longer as grandiose as it was during the first half of the film. The music, like him, has matured and become more melodic and less driving. I found Silvestri’s transition between the two themes, which can be heard working against each other in “I Am Beowulf,” to be brilliant and highly enjoyable. This is probably the sleeper track on the album, as it is not only a turning point musically, but also in the story of the epic tale.

Also beginning with “I Am Beowulf,” is the theme of Grendel’s mother. It begins there and continues through “The Seduction,” and shows up again in “The Final Seduction.” This is a soft, creepy melody that lends itself to a few moments of almost playfulness while Beowulf is in Grendel’s cave, negotiating with the demon.

Sadly, the last hurrah of Beowulf’s theme from the film is missing from the soundtrack. After Hrothgar’s death, Beowulf is crowned king. When the camera pans across his crown, his theme is dramatically repeated, and the next time we see him he is older, as many years have passed. On the track “King Beowulf,” Silvestri has included the music from Hrothgar’s death, but it picks up again with the next track “He Has a Story to Tell,” well after that scene has concluded. I would have liked to have seen this heroic track included in the album. This was Beowulf ultimate achievement, becoming king, but the thundering music of his theme is mysteriously left out.

“He Has a Story to Tell” eloquently displays the character’s anguish, replacing the highly energized Beowulf’s theme with the now dominant and soft “Hero Comes Home” theme. The track ends playing Beowulf’s theme one last time, but it is in a slow soft tone, just to remind us that it’s still there, but that is has lost its energy.

The music personifies Beowulf just as good as the pictures telling the story. From the strong Geat warrior able to take on anything to the tragic cursed king who is being replaced by the Christian symbols throughout his kingdom and has outlived his usefulness.

That is when we get “Beowulf Slays the Beast,” which brings many of the elements from “Second Grendel Attack” and “I Did Not Win the Race” and combines them into one last driving force, lasting 6:02, the longest on the album. The use of men’s and women’s choirs is at its height here, while both Beowulf’s theme and the hero theme are absent. Beowulf’s battle with the dragon is the climax to the film, and it works well as a climax to Silvestri’s great score as well.

Silvestri culminates all emotion into “He Was the Best of Us,” where the sad, melodic hero’s theme is the dominant theme. This is a sad, but powerful piece, as this track serves as the backdrop for Beowulf’s death and burial at sea.

There is also a nice treat on the album, which includes the two songs sung by Robin Wright-Penn while in the mead hall during the first half of the film. “Gently as She Goes” and “A Hero Comes Come” are nice soft pieces, nearly devoid of other instruments. Only a fife and harp accompany the songs. These two tracks are a nice treat to the score.

The final track, and the one that serves as the film’s end credits, is “A Hero Comes Home (End Credit Version)” as performed by Idina Menzel. This is a great piece. This is one that you definitely want to crack up your stereo and blast this tune. It starts out with the powerful preamble of the hero’s theme and driving drums, and then forms itself into the new age sounding lyrical genius of Menzel’s version of “A Hero Comes Home.” I remember overhearing some of the people walking out at the end of the movie saying that they thought the end credit song was a horrible choice and it didn’t match the film. I couldn’t disagree more. This is a great track and sums up Beowulf perfectly. He’s a romantically tragic character with the flaws that make him seem more human than epic hero. If you listen to the words, this song is Beowulf! Overall, a fantastic album!

“A Hero Comes Home” by Idina Menzel

Out of the mist of history
He'll come again
Sailing on ships across the sea
To a wounded Nation

Signs of a savoir
Like fire on the water
It's what we prayed for
One of our own

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home

Deep in the heart of darkness sparks
A dream of lies
Surrounded by hopelessness
He finds the will to fight

Theres no surrender
Always remember
It doesn't end here
We're not alone

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home

And he will come back on the crimson tide
Dead or alive
And even though we know the bridge has burned
He will return
He will return

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He knows of places unknown
Always
A hero comes home

Someday they'll carve in stone
"The hero comes home"

He goes and comes back alone
But always
A hero comes home

Just wait
Though while he may roam
Always
A hero comes home

Reviews on other sites:

SoundtrackBeat (in Greek)

Cinemusic Online

Film Music Magazine

suggested by:
Robert DiMucci

Score Wars

FilmmusikWelt.de (in German)

MainTitles.net

suggested by:
Bregt De Lange

Cinemascope (in Greek)

Tracksounds

Film Score Center

BSOSpirit (in Spanish)

suggested by:
Jose Maria Serrano

Submit a link