Viewing of film not required to fall in love with this music .
Disadvantages:
"Vide Cor Meum" far too short .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Fear not, Kind Readers! There is little of the (alleged) film gore in this splendid soundtrack. Although many themes might borrow heavily from some famous (dead) composers, your enjoyment of this collection isn’t spoiled at all by the copycat music. To the contrary!
Any Gustav Mahler or Johann Strauss lovers out there? This is your soundtrack.
Any Henry V (1989) soundtrack lovers out there? This could also be your soundtrack.
Anyone who appreciates lush, truly classically cinematic music out there, something not of the John Williams variety? Listen to this disc and be carried off upon a wave of rich, enrapturing sounds.
Well, just for the sake of this review, I decided upon a selfless sacrifice and went to see Hannibal a second time during its theatre run, hoping to match the music to the scenes. Alas, success was not complete. I got pulled into the story once more whilst trying very, very hard to pay more attention to all the details, and lost my sense of distance in far too many places. And not just in the (in)famous dinner scene, either.
Although the credited composer is Hans Zimmer (who also penned the music to director Ridley Scott's “Thelma and Louise,” among others), whether they did so willingly, consciously, impossibly or not, several composers in fact contributed to the soundtrack.
Let's begin with the ethereal Vide Cor Meum, the aria sung in the opera scene in Florence. Listening to this makes me think I’ve just caught a glimpse of heavenly glory. Truly, these singers are angels from on high, blessing us with such enthralling sounds. This music is divineness made flesh, with resonant, fluid voices that stir the (mortal?) soul.
As some might have noticed, Vide Cor Meum is strongly reminiscent of the Non Nobis, Domine theme from Kenneth Branagh's Henry V and In Pace from Branagh's Hamlet. Coincidentally, the composers are both named Patrick: Cassidy for Hannibal, and Doyle for Branagh's films. The lyrics to Vide were taken from Dante Alghieri's "La Vita Nuova," which, for the life of me, I cannot transcribe, fatally handicapped as I am by ignorance of both Italian and Dante. My only complaint? I just wish the theme had been developed into a more complete piece. However, I suppose that it suffices as an aria. The singers, Danielle De Niese and Bruno Lazzaretti, do appear in the film as their respective grey-painted, masked and robed characters onstage (this I mention for those weirdly curious [like me] about such trivia).
Next, we have a Gustav Mahler (Austrian composer, 1860-1911) redux. Upon first hearing To Every Captive Soul, I was convinced it was a little-known (to me, at least) Adagio ("slow movement") from one of Mahler's own symphonies. The piece sounds so authentically Mahler in its unpredictability of tempo, accents and key shifts, in its lo-o-o-ong, sustained notes, and in its anguished and tortured mood. For the really curious (and conscientious), I would suggest listening to Mahler's own Adagietto movement from his Fifth Symphony or the Ruhevoll, poco adagio from the Fourth Symphony to realize the remarkable piece of imitation-Mahler that Hans Zimmer has produced. At least Zimmer acknowledges his debt to the original master in the liner notes.
Ah, and what have we here? A waltz! Surely everyone knows Johann Strauss, Jr.'s The Blue Danube, and many of you viewers may have noticed those familiar opening bars of that piece, particularly in the scene in which Hannibal is strapped upright to a cart and wheeled across those polished wooden floors. However! The Hannibal version, called Gourmet Valse Tartare (ha, ha), might be described as Strauss' Blue Danube written after having dined on mushrooms (not your usual kitchen species, mind you), inhaled some wacky smoke, or drunk some potent brew—it's still Strauss—but with a psychedelic, drunken twist. Composer Klaus Badelt uses some dissonant and off-key notes to achieve a playful, humorous and whimsical effect, while staying true to the spirit of the Johann Strauss original.
Of course, there is the melancholic Aria da capo from the Goldberg Variations of J. S. Bach, lifted from a recording by Glenn Gould. Sublime? Yes. And elegant. And quite fitting for the character of Hannibal, I think. I needn't say more about this marvelous piece of expressive simplicity.
(As an aside, Sir Anthony Hopkins himself is an accomplished pianist in real life, and the brief shot of him at the piano playing a passage from the Aria is not just another bit of movie artifice.)
Perhaps the grimmest, most horrifying of the lot is The Capponi Library, with its strange, eerie mix of flapping wings, rushing wind, hollow echoes, haunting choir voices and even a whiff or two of electronica. It’s a chilling and, thankfully, brief, piece.
The film's own theme is rendered by the deep, full sounds of cellos and basses (Dear Clarice) and creates the dark, melancholic mood permeating the film, possessing just a touch of menace and the bizarre, and is punctuated with light, tinkling piano notes played in the higher octaves. This theme reappears slightly modified in several other tracks: Avarice, Firenze di Notte, Virtue and Let My Home Be My Gallows.
Not to be ignored are the lovely recitations by Sir Anthony himself in pristine, polished, Shakespearean fashion. You're struck immediately by the sheer refinement and stylishness of this actor's delivery. Note how he barely draws a breath before speaking, creating a smooth, well-modulated speech that's simply delightful and soothing to hear. Listen to Dear Clarice, Let My Home Be My Gallows and the latter segment of The Burning Heart. How can one resist such seductive tones?
The entire soundtrack was recorded in London with, in addition to those mentioned earlier, the Lyndhurst Orchestra (conducted by Gavin Greenaway), the Libera Boys Choir (conducted by Rupert Gregson-Williams), and a slew of others involved in the music production, arrangements, orchestrations, engineering, etc.. (You can read a bit about them in the liner notes.) Director Scott himself is Executive Producer.
And how about the sonic quality of the CD? Nothing less than superb. This is a ravishingly produced soundtrack. Put the disc in the player, draw the curtains, turn up the volume, and immerse yourself in a truly sensuous cinematic musical world. Experience (of the film) not necessary.
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Note:
A thought just occurred to me: in keeping with the movie's theme of cannibalism, might Zimmer et al. have intentionally cannibalized famous dead composers' works for the film, too? Hmm...
Not too keen on the cover art, though, which shows a pic of Hannibal’s head with a macabre, skull-like look and blood-red eyes.
1. Dear Clarice (featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins). 2. Aria da capo from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. Written by Johann Sebastian Bach. Performed by Glenn Gould. 3. The Capponi Library 4. Gourmet Valse Tartare Written and Produced by Klaus Badelt. Performed by The Lyndhurst Orchestra. 5. Avarice 6. For a Small Stipend 7. Firenze Di Notte Written by Martin Tillman and Mel Wesson. 8. Virtue 9. Let My Home Be My Gallows (featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins). 10. The Burning Heart (featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins). 11. To Every Captive Soul 12. Vide Cor Meum Written by Patrick Cassidy. Libretto from Dante's "La Vita Nuova." Produced by Patrick Cassidy and Hans Zimmer. Performed by Danielle De Niese and Bruno Lazzaretti.
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