About the Soundtrack: Released by
Decca Records, "
The Soloist" features an original score and classical music interpretations from
Composer Dario Marianelli. This film seems to be a perfect opportunity for Marianelli's style as most of you know his classical sensibilities were on full display with the award-winning score, "
Atonement." The soundtrack provides 15 tracks from the film and is a blend of score and classical composition. It's an interesting bridge for the likes of Marianelli.
What You Need to Know: Going in, I was intrigued by the possibilities of this soundtrack. Dario Marianelli is a polished, mature voice in the composing world and with this style of film before him, I anticipated something fresh yet familiar. While such a paradox is hard to ponder, let alone fulfill, the score for
The Soloist does indeed offer such a blend. The problem, at least for me, is that the music was too somber for me to fully enjoy. That doesn't strip it of it's technical merits, however.
For the fans of this composer, Marianelli nearly pulled off another Atonement in parts of this score. For Atonement, it was the creative use of the typewriter as an instrument that impressed listeners while with this film, it's the 'City Symphony' that may get the dialogue started. In the track, the composer briefly calls upon the sounds of the city in a harmonic fashion, making for a rather compelling and unique concept. I admire his creativity but I wish there was more time to follow through on it. In other instances, Marianelli melds his own work with that of the classical world, such as the music of Beethoven (“Eroica”) and a “Cello Suite No. 1” by J.S. Bach. Hearing the work of classical maestros in the context of a film score is quite nice, I might add.
Up front, I do enjoy taking a step back from the modern, synthesized world of today's film scores to enjoy a dash of the classical style. Where The Soloist failed to fully connect with me, however, is in the rather downbeat tone that permeates throughout the soundtrack. The fact that some cues are intentionally disjointed didn't help the listening experience either. Ironically, these might be the tracks that works the best in the film! Thus, sometimes it's a no-win situation for film composers as sometimes the needs of the movie fall short of the wants of the listeners.
Certainly dramatic, and perhaps too much so, this shaped up as a score that serves the very fabric of the movie itself and can't really be taken as a side journey; it's too sparse and specific. If i see the film, the score might regain some ground with me as a listening experience, but until then, it's a lukewarm result.
