by diachenko on 5/15/2008
favorite track: 12
 
Wow, another powerful effort from Harry Gregson-Williams. Building on his score for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, HGW adds new themes for Prince Caspian and the Telmarines. I said in my review of Iron Man that its problem was the lack of strong themes and that it was merely generic action music.... Prince Caspian is just the opposite. The score is built upon solid epic themes, and the action writing is not just pounding percussion, pulsing strings, and blaring brass - there is thematic development and interweaving that gives the music greater meaning. The final score track "The Door in the Air" is one of the most beautiful tracks I've heard in a while, heartfelt and nostalgic as the children leave Narnia. In the middle there is about a minute that just blew me away. The orchestration is all bells, piano, and pizzicato strings (the same elements that pervade much of Thomas Newman's work, but a very different style) and the effect is absolutely magical. A lovely way to end the score. My biggest disappointment is that HGW will not be doing Voyage of the Dawntreader. The songs at the end of the album are quite good (though none match the ethereal beauty of Lisbeth Scott's "Where" or the sheer catchiness of Alanis Morissette's "Wunderkind" from the first movie). Highly, highly recommended.