Continuing with our catch-up of weekly recommended scores, here’s a round-up of scores that caught my attention over the week ending, 13th January 2023.
Room 207 (2022) – Ashraf Elziftawi (Ashraf Elziftawi)
Set in 1960s Egypt, Room 207 (dir. Mohamed Bakir) is an Egyptian TV fantasy/horror series in which a hotel receptionist tries to discover the truth behind the mysterious room, 207. From the wonderfully dramatic opening titles track Egyptian composer Ashraf Elziftawi’s strings-dominated score for this successful series takes the listener on an often sumptuous journey that’s peppered with tense and mysterious passages. Always musically interesting, it’s a score centred around a beautiful main theme that recurs throughout the 34-track album. Well worth seeking out.
Órbita Prima (2023) – Andrés Soto (Records DK)
In this Costa Rican feature Órbita Prima (Prime Orbit) (dir. Gustavo Cosenza), the country’s first major science fiction production, humanity evacuates Earth because of the imminent collision with an asteroid, and the film’s protagonist must find his brother whilst at the same time find a way to save the planet. LA-based Costa Rican composer Andrés Soto’s score is an accomplished score that’s very much grounded in the Hollywood style of scoring for action-based movies. Brash in its approach – there’s lots of blaring brass, pounding percussion, and ostinato string figures – the music ticks all the boxes for those (including Reel Music) who like this type of score. It’s always interesting to hear how other regions of the world approach various film genres, and Soto’s music is a good example of the science fiction disaster (with an emotional angle) genre score, though it does suffer sometimes from its synth-based origins.
For the Term of his Natural Life (1983) – Simon Walker (Dragon’s Domain Records)
The two-part TV miniseries For the Term of his Natural Life (dir. Rob Stewart) tells the story of a man unjustly convicted of stealing a watch and who is shipped off to Tasmania. If that were not enough, someone lays claim to his inheritance back in England. Although the size of the orchestra is clearly limited in size (probably as a result of limited TV project budgets), the music for For the Term of his Natural Life, composed by Australian Simon Walker, is dramatically powerful. A quality that is down to the excellent writing of the composer. There’s some lovely thematic material that is both dramatic and emotional. This Dragon’s Domain Records release is paired with Walker’s first feature film score, The Wild Duck (1984). This drama feature, set in Tasmania in 1913 and based upon a Henrik Ibsen play, is another solid orchestral score that’s a good partner to the featured score.
The Great Water (2005) – Kiril Dzajkovski (Filter Label)
With a backdrop of the tumultuous post-war period after the second world war, The Great Water (Golemata voda) (dir. Ivo Trajkov) is a tale the friendship of two boys who are held in a Macedonian orphanage. The score is written by Macedonian composer Kiril Dzajkovski. Dzajkovski’s thematic score is particularly notable for its use of vocals and regional instruments, and it impresses with its dark, oppressive feel that is punctuated with emotional and tragic highlights. An earlier (identical) digital release of this album on the AG Records label has previously been reviewed at Reel Music back in 2011.
Reel Music 