by Hard Target on 3/14/2000
favorite track: 2
 
Mission To Mars marks the third and latest collaboration between the legendary Ennio Morricone and director Brian DePalma (previous collaborations include the hit mob film The Untouchables and Casualties of War). This Morricone score ranks among his best.

"A Heart Beats In Space" opens this wonderful album with a synthesizer mimicking the beating of a human heart (reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's work on Innerspace). This leads into a beautiful neo-romantic passage for woodwinds, strings and choir, establishing the central theme, which can be heard in various guises throughout the score. "A Martian" is a gentle six-minute plus suite that expands on the opening cue and powerfully develops in a classical style. All of this is brought to the fore in "Sacrifice of A Hero," the longest piece on the album (clocks in at thirteen minutes and fifty-one seconds).

The Hollywood Records album offers more than an hour of brilliant and surprisingly romantic score by Morricone. This is easily the best score released this year.