Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Composed by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil
EMI Classics (2006)
Rating: 9/10
Soundclips below from AmazonMP3
“Tykwer and his composers have successfully
reversed the translation process, transforming the olfactory into
the auditory. Musically speaking, murder has never sounded so good.”
Incense for the
Ears
Review by Cap Stewart
Perfume: few things
affect the senses so
strongly. A carefully
concocted fragrance,
with the right number
and ratio of
chemicals, has the
potential to bring
immense pleasure. Some
scents are so
appealing they’re to
die for—or, rather, to
kill for. At least,
that’s the way it is
in Tom Tykwer’s film
PERFUME: THE STORY OF
A MURDERER.
The narrative revolves
around Jean-Baptiste
Grenouille, a young
man who lacks any
personal scent, while
also exhibiting an
almost superhuman
sense of smell.
Ostracized because of
his condition, he
becomes obsessed with
creating the perfect
scent, the ultimate in
perfumery. His
unorthodox—nay,
depraved—method
involves killing
select females and
distilling their
natural scents.
If Clint Eastwood was
the best example from
2006 of why a director
should not compose his
own scores, Tom Tykwer
falls on the other end
of the spectrum with
PERFUME. The auteur’s
contribution to his
film’s music (along
with the efforts of
Johnny Klimek and
Reinhold Heil) is
nothing short of
intoxicating. With the
right blend of lush
strings, aerial choir,
and various other
elements (including
harp, violin, and
glockenspiel), the
trio has forged a most
enjoyable perfume for
the ears.
This score is quite a
feat in its own right,
especially considering
that a majority of the
music deals with
rather sinister
elements. (After all,
a serial killer isn’t
the most likely
candidate for material
of this melodic
caliber.) There is a
dark beauty that
permeates every cue on
the album, even the
most suspenseful
moments. This suspense
is conveyed in
different
ways—sometimes by a
softly pulsating
electronic undertone,
lurking beneath the
music like a shadowy
stalker (tracks 3 and
10), or by a heartbeat
sound effect mixed in
with the orchestra
(track 4).
There is also a main
theme, which is
appropriately
foreboding, albeit in
a paradoxically
appealing manner,
frequently performed
by the choir. The
theme goes through
numerous variations in
“Moorish Scents”
(track 8), constantly
changing throughout
the five-minute
duration of the cue.
In addition to this
theme are several
motifs—often simple in
structure, yet
anything but boring.
“Richis’s Escape”
(track 12) features
one such motif almost
exclusively, without
ever becoming
monotonous.
I know I’m treading on
sacred ground when I
say this, but the use
of The State Choir of
Latvia in PERFUME
occasionally comes
close to matching the
emotional impact of
James Horner’s
legendary choral
writing in GLORY.
That’s not to say that
PERFUME’s choral work
is featured as
prominently as The
Boys Choir of Harlem
was in GLORY, but the
performance of the
choir and soloists in
PERFUME is nonetheless
comparable in quality.
For example, in the
heavenly “The Crowd
Embrace” (track 16)
the choir combines
melody and harmony
without any
instrumental
accompaniment. Other
outstanding choral
moments include the
religious overtones of
“Lost Love” (track 7)
and soprano Chen
Reis’s performance in
“Meeting Laura” (track
9).
In discussing the
significance of the
music for PERFUME,
Tykwer says in the
liner notes of the
album, “the entire
vocabulary of
perfumery derives
ultimately from music
theory…. In the
perfume business, you
also talk about chords
and notes.” Tykwer and
his composers have
successfully reversed
the translation
process, transforming
the olfactory into the
auditory. Musically
speaking, murder has
never sounded so good.
