The Count of Monte Cristo

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

One of the scores from Edward Shearmur to attract the eye of the fans was K-Pax, later followed by Reign of Fire. A third to attract that same attention yet smaller on scale was The Count of Monte Cristo. Why this score never received more attention is beyond me, because as all the other scores by Shearmur it captures his voice and his style. And especially after hearing more of his scores, there is a lot of detail and complexity in his music that makes it somewhat challenging to listen to and like what you will hear, but at the other end, there lies the fun! So when you do get it completely, you are treated to film music with a touch beyond the normal score. And so his scores continued to grow on me and they all have a feeling that I should reward them with more rating then they received so far. And there lies also the challenge of The Count of Monte Cristo, a score which dazzles and disappoints a little bit. The dazzling part lies simply with the voice of Shearmur in his music, so much intellect and ideas, so grand gestures to stir up the orchestral complexity and so much to discover behind all the cues. The frustrating part on the other hand lies somewhat with the fact that this score offers some darker music, which sounds good and acceptable but they still remain to appear a tad too frequent. But this also means that the good parts, when they arrive simply explode of joy. There are tracks which are so much fun and there lies a touch of brilliance in every track. Its simply there for you to discover. And each time you listen to the score, you will find something more.

The score is not one of full utter bombast like Reign of Fire, a score so complex and non thematic which was a challenge to the ear and a joy to hear such ballsy music. The Count of Monte Cristo is a lot more thematic but still has that ballsy approach that lies in either the orchestration or simply the idea behind the music. And that is what's to like about the score. The first track brings the stylistic voice of Shearmur already to the fore and 'Introduction' opens with bells and exotic percussion, leading way for short choir and a fanfare to open this score well. A track which is to enjoy more because of its complexity and orchestration is 'Landing on Elba', because it uses flutes and trumpets so fascinating in its rhythm that you immediately think back at John Williams. The quick short statement of the main theme in begin and the percussion of course states its presence once more in this track too. 'Marseille' is calmer with beautiful renditions of the main theme, ending with solo harp. And what to think of the opening of 'Betrayed' with its thundering Reign of Fire like brass opening? After some more darker underscore with the various solo instruments like the harp we move ahead with brief but fun tracks like 8, with its harp, cello, strings and short choral moment its easy to enjoy. 'Escape from the Island' brings even the signs of both the good music ahead in 7 minutes of joy. First of all soft until after 3 minutes moving into steam with a brass fanfare that puts Sphere and Reign of Fire into the memories for good and ending with the main theme swelling lovely to the end. And fun awaits you simply with the brilliant rhythm and speed of 'An Invitation to the Ball', a cracker of a track with great Spanish rhythm that will keep you dancing for air.

Some good moments lie in the next tracks, they vary between the great fanfares of Shearmur's work and the darker underscore which comes as somewhat of a frustrating voice. Yet the main theme swells excellently in 'End Titles' and finishes of this soundtrack in grand style. At first and I must admit this, The Count of Monte Cristo didn't work for me, giving just brief moments of fun and excellence but I never enjoyed it. Yet repeated listening opened my eyes immensely and then you see why there is a lot more to it. Just like Reign of Fire and K-Pax, scores promising the "in your face" attitude with the soft underscore, The Count of Monte Cristo offers so much depth in its music that its easy to say that Edward Shearmur is already now one of the top notch composers. Its refreshing to hear so much depth in someone's music that even after 5 listens you discover so much to like. From a musical lover's perspective, its then also a joy to recommend this score to many listeners who like broad adventurous scores with a touch of everything, performed outstandingly by The London Metropolitan orchestra and recorded in fascinating vibrant and strong sound quality. In fact, you can call this one of the best scores not reaching the five star marking of 2002, because it offers ideas in a thematic pleasing listen, and brings out the best from underscore to overscore. The Count of Monte Cristo proves Shearmur's talent and is recommended if you want to enjoy your scores with a complexity more than the normal good score exhibits.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Introduction (1.54)

2. Landing On Elba (3.32) Excellent Track

3. Marseille (4.22)

4. Betrayed (3.52)

5. Chateau D'If (4.26)

6. Abbe Feria (2.23)

7. Edmond's Education (0.58)

8. Training Montage (1.54)

9. Escape From The Island (7.23) Excellent Track

10. Finding The Treasure (2.52)

11. An Invitation To The Ball (2.12) Excellent Track

12. Involving Albert (2.46)

13. After The Party (3.05)

14. Retribution (5.28)

15. End Titles (5.46) Excellent Track

Total Length: 53.03

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=== Link to Composer Site: Edward Shearmur ===