Blue Planet - The Dream is Alive

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Imax has never really hit audiences like the producers wanted it to hit. Sure, its amazing effect due to the special tools used still look great no matter what but to really appreciate it completely you have to see it where it belongs, namely on the big screen. And renting it on DVD to glaze at it on a small screen isn't the same. But one thing these features have in common is the music, they all have to support the scenery no matter what. And various composers have worked on these features, whether to represent NASCAR, nature documentaries or a big budget movie (namely Aliens of the Deep), Imax stands for crystal clear images in the best possible presentation on earth. And then the music makes so much more effect in the end. With Blue Planet (1990) and The Dream is Alive (1985) composers Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon worked on it, alongside the many assignments they handled together (most commonly known for their partnership on Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict). With these 2 short features however they painted a smaller softer canvas, strictly synthesized and barely limping out on a larger scale, this 40 minute presentation will barely reach over the volume level because that's not what the music needs to do. And while calm, eerie and moody, Blue Planet tries to set down a specific mood, one of solitude, relaxing ease and ethereal calmness, it makes a whisper and that's it I'm afraid. Yet that necessarily doesn't mean a bad thing. If people want a soothing listen that transports you into a relaxing otherworldly experience, than you can do it with either a relaxing nature tape or Blue Planet / Dream is Alive CD, positive point is that there will be more thematic material leading to somewhere on the Erbe / Solomon score, negative point is probably that it will be somewhat harder to find and a little more expensive than the normal soothing tape. However with Blue Planet, you probably have soothing material but it works. 'Earth Rise' brings forward the main theme, a simple yet relaxing part Zimmer melody that's transported on various ways through the relaxing journey of earth.

Solo trumpet, piano in 'The Earth Below' or synthesized flute in 'After the Hurricane' or with added soft choir in 'The Force Within', the theme is ever present and its the only returning motif you'll spot throughout the score. That it can remind you of ER in 'A Garden once More' due to its exact feel or ala Zimmer in 'Water Cycle' has all got to do due to the material used. The one and only difference in material is 'To the Brink', where a suspenseful electronic build up softly brings something changing to the music, but that's it. The rest with the soothing and noble solo trumpet lead 'Canon for Blue Planet' which leads to a nice coda. It shows nothing renewing yet it remains to work. With The Dream is Alive you get more rewarding music. With 'The Dream / Ascent' and 'The Dream is Alive' you immediately hear a difference in pace and mood, with a rapid electronic beat and a main theme that spells nobility just by its first notes. Its theme here is of much more meaning and it especially sounds remarkable in 'We are in Space' and the wonderful 'Night Launch', where added strings give the music all a sense of wonder. That the music also holds more afterthought is evident in 'Floating over the Past' where a solo vocal and usage of a classical waltz make all the more fuzz than the ethereal but ever soft Blue Planet. The only strange bird is 'To the Launch Pad'. For 42 minutes and basically 14 minutes of rewarding music in The Dream is Alive, this double piece is perhaps a nice free flowing experience but nothing more and its not music that deserves the same kind of price as for instance a motion picture album of today. It holds therefore too little musical material that lingers behind and themes that jump out and grab you. That its a perfect fit for the scenery is all the more true since I witnessed its effect clearly on DVD once. And if you want soothing relaxing nothingness on CD, I guess several thematic statements come in handy from time to time. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Tracks

Single Disc

Blue Planet

1. Earth Rise (4.30)

2. The Earth Below (2.23)

3. Water Cycle (1.18)

4. After The Hurricane (0.56)

5. Echoes Of An Ancient Storm (0.55)

6. Requiem For Dinosaurs (1.28)

7. The Force Within (2.48)

8. Forest Lament (2.24)

9. To The Brink (2.43)

10. A Garden Once More (1.13)

11. Canon For Blue Planet (2.02)

12. For A Burning Coast (2.01)

13. Seasons Of Earth (3.17)

Total Length: 27.58

The Dream is Alive

14. The Dream / Ascent (0.50)

15. We Are In Space (1.26)

16. Floating Over The Past (2.43)

17. Taskmasters (0.58)

18. To The Launch Pad (0.41)

19. Earth Dreams (2.43)

20. The Floating Spirit (0.54)

21. Night Launch (3.13) Excellent Track

22. The Dream Is Alive (0.52)

Total Length: 14.20

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