The Portrait of a Lady

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

With each listen, you realize that Wojciech Kilar might be more talented then first expected. I have listened to several genres of him, namely horror (Bram Stoker's Dracula), thriller (The Ninth Gate) and comedy / drama (Fant獽e avec Chauffeur), and one can only wonder what he does with drama and romanticism. The Portrait of a Lady gives us that possibility, and thematically it is one of the richest of all. Having scored movies from the late fifties, Wojciech Kilar is such a composer that receives too less attention, but also sticks with mainly Polish films, and those don't get wide attention by marketing labels as American or European efforts. Still, those that do get an opportunity are applauded for Kilar's extensive talent, and The Portrait of a Lady is one of them. The score feels and listens as a separate part of the movie, each track has a repeating theme, and it must be intriguing how these work in the movie. Kilar's scoring is strong at thematic quantity and powerful at emotional quality. Still, it bothers me a bit that the score mainly lives on these remarkable yet repeating themes. Each track is full of potential, but it is almost as if the movie doesn't need the score to make it's point, rather to stir up the emotional level with each theme.

The seventh track 'Epilogue: The Portrait of a Lady' is the same if you would combine the first and the second, this is somewhat annoying because though it is beautiful it becomes overused and mainly loses my fullest interest after the second of third time I heard it. One of the highlights on this score is 'A Certain Light', again this track repeats the theme, but since this is a large theme it is only used 2 to three times, and it is the most stirring piece of music you can find on this score. But no matter what this scores repeats, the overall beauty of this score is simply amazing, and thematically it belongs with the best in the genre. You can not mistake Wojciech Kilar's music for any other in its genre (though sometimes it feels like John Barry is performing it), and its timeless quality surpasses the result of many other scores. The various themes are beautiful, well constructed and extremely nice to hear, but perhaps lose a bit of focus after the second or third try. This is sad because his romantic lush style, that resembles the romantic sections of Bram Stoker's Dracula can make for more then an enjoyable listen. This is however a tiny and forgettable flaw and overall The Portrait of a Lady is simply beautiful, so full of emotional power and one of those scores that grabs your attention at the first listen. Big thematic lovers with an interest do discover the fullest potential of Wojciech Kilar's work will enjoy every second of it.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Prologue: My Life Before Me (4.07)

2. The Portrait Of A Lady (5.45)

3. Flowers Of Firenze (3.56)

4. Twilight Cellos (3.02)

5. A Certain Light (6.45) Excellent Track

6. Cypresses (2.06)

7. Epilogue: The Portrait Of A Lady (5.08) Excellent Track

8. Phantasms Of Love (3.57)

9. The Kiss (2.01)

10. Love Remains (3.01)

11. End Credits (5.00) Excellent Track

Total Length: 45.27

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=== Link to Composer Site: Wojciech Kilar ===