The Awakening Composed by Daniel Pemberton
1812 Recordings (2011)
Rating:
7/10
More soundclips below provided by AmazonMp3
“PEMBERTON’S score
is one of great potential, but it is clearly held back by the nature
of the horror genre.”
Held Back by the Horror
Review by Richard Buxton
Musical offerings in the horror genre are often a mixed experience of
glorious highs and mind numbing lows. Beyond the pedestrian scores heard
in the various celebrations of mindless violence in recent years, horror
has often been an exercise in patience that is occasionally rewarded with
quite simply stunning music. JAMES NEWTON HOWARD could be seen as one of
the catalysts for the evolution of the horror score beyond atmosphere and
scares, as his music for the SHYAMALAN films SIGNS and THE VILLAGE both
transcended the genre, and combined unremitting tension with emotionally
stunning scores. Both of these scores provided a master class in guiding
the listener through the horror with timely suggestions of a beauty beyond
the terror that culminated in rousing catharsis at the climax of each
movie. Taking a similar approach, FERNANDO VELAZQUEZ wowed the ears with
his show-stopping music finale for THE ORPHANAGE/EL ORFANATO, reducing
listeners and viewers to emotional wrecks. It’s clear that composer DANIEL
PEMBERTON has taken note of previous successes and has admirably attempted
to craft a score beyond the bare minimum.
In what seems like a nod to his predecessors, PEMBERTON begins the score
and the main theme with a 6-note ascending and descending string pattern
that bears resemblance to HOWARD’S shape-shifting main motif for SIGNS.
While PEMBERTON’S motif doesn’t reach such a level of transformation and
flexibility, it certainly manages to seduce the listener with its hypnotic
pattern whilst forewarning of the terror to come. The main theme initially
starts out as one that hints at potential for greater exploration, both in
its initial appearance in “Seeing Through Ghosts (Theme from The
Awakening)” (1) and throughout the entire score, but it’s the unfortunate
reality that the theme receives little significant development beyond its
original statement and form. The theme again can be heard sprinkled across
the score in the tragic “Florence Cathcart” (6), “Damaged People” (18) and
the final piece and best extended example of the theme “Reprise (Theme
from The Awakening” (28). Solely heard alone, the theme is evocative and
haunting, but when considered as a part of an entire score it fails to
ignite.
THE AWAKENING truly finds form in the various choral and orchestral
eruptions heard throughout the score, starting with “The Séance” (2) and
its cacophony of vocals set to a backdrop of foreboding strings and
ominous percussion. PEMBERTON often utilises the choir in a more
traditional and atmospheric fashion to good effect, in “Don’t Tell Tom”
(22), but it is when the vocals are let loose that his score shines. The
rhythmic strings of “Arrival at Rookford” (7) blend excellently with the
solo vocal and the backdrop of haunting choral crescendos.
Like many horror scores before it, THE AWAKENING finds its calling at the
back-end of the score as the loose ends unravel in moments of orchestral
and choral brilliance. “Chorus de Susticatio (Chorus from The Awakening”
(23) proves a magnificently haunting and rousing precursor to the scores
climax with its dominant and turbulent vocals. The vocals drop
dramatically to allow a solo voice to be heard in “A Death Remembered”
(24) before coming to a close with the beautifully restrained “Florence is
Free”, a cue that mercifully combines the choir with the main theme,
albeit briefly. Had PEMBERTON been given the chance to develop the theme
in this way more often, THE AWAKENING could perhaps have been a standout
score of the year. Unfortunately this was not the case, and THE AWAKENING
is rounded out by the delicately haunting “The Awakening (Credits)” (27)
and the repetitious but resolving “Reprise (Theme from The Awakening”
(28).
Elsewhere, PEMBERTON’S score is one that hits all the expected notes for a
horror score, making use of string suspense “The East Bedroom” (21), and
orchestral cacophony in “There is Nothing” (14) and “The Dollshouse” (16).
On occasion the score drops into almost silence which, while adding to the
sense of horror in the film, does little more than cause confusion as to
whether certain tracks have finished or not. Tracks such as “Patience”
(19) are initially so quiet that it may be questioned as to whether the
track has even begun at all.
PEMBERTON’S score is one of great potential, but it is clearly held back
by the nature of the horror genre. The vocal side of the score is often
stunning when it is given the chance. Here’s hoping that DANIEL PEMBERTON
is given greater opportunity to explore his orchestral and vocal flair in
the future.
