by Al on 2/17/2001
favorite track: 1
 
Unmistakably Morricone. Undeniably good. Vatel is yet another collaboration between composer Ennio Morricone and director Roland Joffe. The result can be appreciated and enjoyed on this sufficient score album.

The first piece of music on the disc, "Theme De Vatel," is also one of the most beautiful. A small choir performs an intimate theme full of familiar yet gorgeous Morricone phrases, harmonized by soft strings and a hint of harpsichord. In the middle of the cue, a separate theme performed gracefully by solo violin is showcased. In track six, also named "Theme De Vatel," this solo violin passage makes another appearance, but the choral theme heard on the first track is nowhere to be found on the rest of the CD.

"L'Amour Suspendu" and "Ouverture Pour Vatel," offer several minutes of beauty, which go by quickly, but they do not offer anything very memorable.

Many of the pieces, "Symphonie Avec Voix" and "Deuxieme Symphonie" to name a few, are written by Morricone to serve as concert pieces. Like much of the score, they sound like superb classical pieces but maintain a sophisticated romantic-comedy atmosphere. Based on whether or not you enjoy these types of compositions, some include operatic vocals and choir, the result can be very entertaining.

Morricone's ability to write weird yet complex instrumental and vocal pieces is showcased in "Vertige," full of bizarre woodwind writing, and "Kaleidoscope," the oddest one of all, which layers different quirky motifs and, for a few minutes, vocals quickly singing something to the effect of "Dubba dubba duh."

Some of the classical and operatic pieces on the album are older works and Morricone's involvement is merely with their arrangement.

Ennio's last composition featured on the album is "Ouverture De La Cour," another upbeat instrumental with a sophisticated romantic-comedy style. Though not the beautiful piece that the first track is, this cue, like most of the score, has something to offer--an entertaining and unique addition to a Morricone music collection.