QB VII

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

QB VII garnered little attention but received warm praise when it aired as Television series in 1974, bringing the finest out of actors as Anthony Hopkins and Ben Gazzara. But it brought out also Jerry Goldsmith to score the music and he would develop and improve this style in further scores as Wind and the Lion as Under Fire, 2 classics that share some similarities. But QB VII does lack some interest in those both fine scores, and doesn't come out as strong as those 2. It does start with a brass fanfare that wakes you immediately up in 'QB VII Main Title' if you weren't paying attention, and then the string and occasional brass make the theme happen, a bit in the line ala Wind and the Lion. And especially this feeling is heard in 'Journey into the Desert', with an Egyptian like Desert theme and the dance maraca's out of Wind and the Lion, it again shows how well Jerry Goldsmith could write an epic Desert theme and a sprightly dance, its again really lovely. The love theme, a standard with Goldsmith scores is here rather soft and not that memorable, but this has got to do with more its soft nature then obvious class, its really lovely in 'I Cannot See my Love'. The gentle strings first make something happen in 'The Wailing Wall' before a march on rhythm and a vocal effect create a rather special tone, a religious tone. And Goldsmih's rather typical angry action music surfaces in 'The Escape', which is again a good sign of his evident and typical style, already then! 'The Holocaust' is again a bit saturated by its Egyptian flair, yet the choir works rather strangely around the theme here, and the climax that is reached shows the pounding percussion and strings reaching its height. This is all inner feelings and you notice this through the music of Jerry, he puts emotions into it and I quite frankly can believe, lots of people will get more out of it instead then just me.

A good track is however 'Rekindling the Flame of Jehovah' and this more because of Under Fire's dance rhythm by flute and harmonica, its good to hear such a short but good track. However, the effect 'Jadwiga Relived' creates is rather strange, choir speaks through low voices rather scary (but effective) and achieves a tone not far away from The Omen! The love theme returns softly with piano and strings in 'Free to Love Again' but sooths more then impresses. 'A New Life' again has that choir and starts speaking slowly but the horror element is gone here and the soft strings show this ample. An emotional effect is reached through the strings in 'A Sorrow of Two Fathers' recreating the theme of track 2, but the real emotional level is alone surpassed through 'The Theme from QB VII', here finally the choir makes the impact by for once creating harmony and melody and stating the true religious beauty of the score, its loud and strong, in just 2 minutes Goldsmith makes everything happen and shows the masters hand at work. Now this is the real highlight of the disc, and the other highlights don't reach that level, but the quality, the true quality of this score is the emotion Jerry puts into the music, touches that only a master can make and create, and touches that inspire the listener more then enjoy them. The class alone around the vocal effects intrigues you, especially for the reason in they were written, and the fact it comes together in harmony takes you up in heaven. These reasons and more make QB VII a score that definitely Goldsmith lovers will adore, because its just more then music here, its a feel and the feel is strengthened by the fact Jerry Goldsmith wrote music from his soul, it might not make for the best listening, but it does enthrall, and these qualities along with good themes and a religious end track make the score well worth it if you seek Goldsmith charm in a classic religious score.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. QB VII Main Title (1.53)

2. Journey Into The Desert (3.39) Excellent Track

3. I Cannot See My Love (3.50)

4. The Wailing Wall (3.15)

5. The Escape (1.36)

6. The Holocaust (2.49)

7. Rekindling The Flame Of Jehovah (2.16) Excellent Track

8. Jadwiga Relived (4.36)

9. Free To Love Again (2.48)

10. A New Life (3.19)

11. A Sorrow Of Two Fathers (2.05)

12. The Theme From QB VII (2.29) Excellent Track

Total Length: 35.20

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=== Link to Composer Site: Jerry Goldsmith ===