Van Tongeran and Jones in London and Beyond

John Van Tongeran has written a first-rate score for the animated short, VAN HELSING: THE LONDON ASSIGNMENT, released this week on CD by Decca (B0002757-02). The film is a preface to the VAN HELSING feature film in kind of the same way that portions of THE ANIMATRIX prefaced the second and third MATRIX films and DARK FURY will set the stage between PITCH BLACK and THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. The score is a furious piece of orchestral action scoring. Musically, there's not a real association between LONDON ASSIGNMENT and the feature VAN HELSING, which was scored by Alan Silvestri (reviewed in Soundtrax, April 29, 2004), although Van Tongeran does employ a potent and quickly-paced rhythmic pulse throughout much of the score, as did Silvestri. The short film has to do with Van Helsing's first encounter with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, before Hyde escaped to Paris, where Van Helsing meets up with him in the feature film. The music resonates with a palpitating energy, slowing occasionally for a more reflective moment, such as the brooding soliloquy of "Disappearance" or the rapturous "Love Potion Mr. Hyde," the melody of which just briefly recalls that of John William's powerful romantic theme for Badham's DRACULA, while retaining its skilled romantic potency. But the bulk of the music is action oriented. It's grandly symphonic, any electronics inherent in the music are mixed deep within the orchestration, rising up only occasionally (as in the strident attacking chords in "Attack of the Beefeaters") .

Van Tongeran (CREATURE, 1995 OUTER LIMITS series, THE CHEETAH GIRLS) has given the 30-minute animated short a dynamic and powerful score. "Mr. Hyde Says Hello" introduces the face-changing Mr. Hyde with a vibrant dynamic. 'What You Fear Most" is a strong and vigorous cue for brass and violins, while "Van Helsing Main Title" which concludes the CD, becomes a throbbing, heroic victory march. Most of the tracks segue into one another, so the listening experience becomes as hearing a single long symphony rather than a collection of short cues. The musical and thematic development (the latter being fairly minor, mainly just a couple of recurring motifs) is effective and the result is a tremendously exciting composition. It lacks only an overarching thematic structure to lend it a truly heroic stature but the film doesn't really need something quite that Hollywood. It survives well enough on the power of its action music and rhythm of its main motif.

www.universalclassics.com

Trevor Jones (THE DARK CRYSTAL, DINOTOPIA, FROM HELL) has scored the new Jackie Chan remake of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS. The soundtrack [IMG3R]will be released on Walt Disney Records on June 15^th. The score is full of pomp and vim and vigor, but for all its gallant orchestrational pageantry the score seems lacking in passion or perhaps just overly familiar in its retreaded classical material. Still, it's full of energy. "Jetpack Journey," with its pulsating brasses and undercurrent of bongos is an interesting action cue; "The Wager" is a gracious British march, while "Rendezvous in Paris" is a light classical journey ending in a miasmic cataclysm of violins, brass, percussion, and accordion. "The Balloon Chase" is a wondrous climax for orchestra with equal parts action, humor, and romance, and "Prince Hapi Escape" is about as lushly adventurous as they come. Several cues take on some brief ethnic qualities, emphasizing the films shifting international locales, but the overall tendency in the score is toward a traditional, classical music sensibility.

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