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Alexander

Vangelis - Alexander Audio CD

A fair review of the Vangelis "Alexander" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Vangelis reviews here, or go back to the Vangelis tabs.

Band: Vangelis
Title: Alexander
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-11-09
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Introduction 2: Young Alexander 3: Titans 4: Drums of Guagamela 5: One Morning at Pella 6: Roxane's Dance 7: Eastern Path 8: Gardens of Delight 9: Roxane's Veil 10: Bagoas' Dance 11: Charge 12: Preparation 13: Across the Mountains 14: Chant 15: Immortality 16: Dream of Babylon 17: Eternal Alexander 18: Tender Memories

Vangelis goes 'Star Trek'?
I hated it in the cinema the first time I say the movie when it became clear that synthesized music would be prominent (well, this being Vangelis, what did I expect?), but now I think for the most part this works extremely well in the film and also as a standalone work of music. I must say I like this soundtrack more and more the more often I listen to it.

One thing I noticed was that Vangelis seems to have taken some inspiration from composers such as Horner or Goldsmith, particularly their Star Trek scores, and I applaud that, it seems like the kind of thing that was missing from Vangelis' earlier, too-electronic scores. The tracks on the CD are:

"Introduction" this is the lush, seafaring (fitting the underwater look of the main titles) fanfare that introduces us to the symbols of Alexander and the Persian Empire. Somewhat reminiscent of James Horner's "Star Trek II" score, or maybe even "Titanic", and definitely very evocative and beautiful. Maybe not as catchy as "Chariots of Fire", but if it were it would distract from the movie too much.

"Young Alexander", which accompanies the scene of Alexander taming Bucephalus. Reminded me of Dennis McCarthy's score for "Star Trek: Generations", which had plenty of horseback riding scenes with Picard and Kirk in the 'Nexus', marked by a similar swashbuckling-melancholy atmosphere.

"Titans", for the wrestling scene in the gymnasium and the end credits. Probably the cheesiest piece, but still enjoyable, like something by Hans Zimmer for "Gladiator" perhaps. The choir singing "Glory! Glory!" all the time is a bit too much I think, this is supposed to be a film about Alexander the Great, not St Matthews' Passion!

"The Drums of Gaugamela" underscores the dramatic tension of the battle, but I don't think it's heard very well in the movie because of all the other noise. The first 30 seconds or so and maybe 3 to 4 minutes into it are very similar to Jerry Goldsmith's "Star Trek Nemesis" score, then it gains a more ethnic note.

"One Morning at Pella" is a nice and quiet piece, supposedly representing a flute playing with a lyre or cithara (which Alexander himself played by the way). Simple and beautiful.

"Roxane's Dance" is one of the high points of the album: percussive and repetitive, both seductive and annoying at the same time -- just as Roxane herself, so it's a perfect match. The metallic whirring at the beginning probably foreshadows her apparent obsession with knives ("Now I *khil* you!" she growls during her wedding night). Of course if you look at the musicians in the background of the scene, they don't remotely seem to play the piece. . .

"Eastern Path" is not too memorable, I don't even know where this turns up in the movie. Alexander getting drawn towards the eastern ways of life apparently. Very archaic-sounding, suggesting mourning, a bit like parts of the "Troy" soundtrack by Horner.

"Gardens of Delight" is also more atmospheric than musical, but "Roxane's Veil" is another standout piece, although I'm not even sure it this is used in the movie itself. Vanessa Mae's violin is used surprisingly effectively. There's a slightly Chinese-sounding downtempo sensibility to it ("The Last Emperor" goes Pop), but again, this is Vanessa Mae, so what did I expect? The choir in the second half seems extraneous, though. Sometimes less is more.

"Bagoas' Dance" is a bit disappointing, because when you hear it alone you realize it's mostly percussion. In the movie it seemed more musical.

"The Charge": Alexander on Bucephalus trying to attack an Indian war elephant, which turns out not to be a very good idea. Very effective use of the choir, a little like "Carmina Burana" maybe. Works nicely for the goosebumpy shot at the end of the horse and the elephant rising up on their hind legs at the same time.

"Preparation" for the Battle of Gaugamela. Well, somehow I find the scene in "Spartacus" with the Roman troops slowly assuming battle positions in an enormous wide shot far more eerie and scary as a lead in to a battle scene. But this cue works nicely for Alexander's rousing speech.

"Across the Mountains" might easily be called the signature piece of the movie, as it perfectly sums up all of Alexander's thirst for knowledge and exploration, as symbolized by the Hindu Kush in the scene. So Alexander is at his zenith here both in his career and geographically. Sweeping, bold, and majestic, a bit like the "1492" theme.

"Chant" -- Gregorian chants in Ancient Greece? Oh well.

"Immortality" -- Alexander's life flashes past before him. Eerie yet somehow angelically comforting.

"Dream of Babylon": Alexander's entrance to Babylon. Very evocative and fitting the grandeur of the visuals. The synthesized choir sounds like something out of "Titanic".

"Eternal Alexander": almost a reprise of "Across the Mountains", for wrapping things up apparently, so the melody goes lower instead of higher and higher.

"Tender Memories": I don't know where this appears in the movie, probably in the scene with Alexander as a child in his mother's rooms, but the cue sounds a bit too obviously synthesized for my taste, which is probably not so noticeable in the movie because Angelina Jolie is talking over it anyway.

Like another reviewer wrote it's too bad some cues are missing, most notably the music for the "We're going home" scene and Ptolemy's concluding monolog. The pieces are also blended together without gaps for the most part, which seems unusual for a soundtrack album, but works well unless you want to change the order of the songs in iTunes. But on the whole this soundtrack is a winner!.

Vangelis--Versatile and Brilliant (as usual)
His music continues to evolve, change, but retains his singular trademarks. I've been a fan of Vangelis' work for over 20 years. The diversity and of the tracks is enhanced by the shear emotional impact of the tracks. "Titan" and "The Drums of Gaugamela" flow beautifully into each other, the most dramatic combat music since the score of PATTON. Although a musicologist may not agree, the music blends echoes of Western and Asian themes and melodies at least on an emotional level. I cannot help but wonder how many have fallen in love with Roxane due to the haunting "Roxane's Veil. " Vangelis remains a master. I confess I'd like to see him score a Spielberg film. .

Alexander review
C. If you want to chill out and relax this CD can make you relax as it takes you back in time to 2400 B. when Alexander the Great lived. Very atmostpheric.

So-so
One in particular is the battle music when he's fighting King Porus. I neither loved or hated this soundtrack but what turned me off is that I think it left out some music from the movie. Not the part when he has his little anticlimatic showdown I mean the battle itself.

Incomplete Soundtrack
He gets on his horse and sees Philip in the crowd, who nods giving his approval. There is a stunning piece of music where Alexander in India, after the arrow accident in Malvi, calls for retreat. The same piece surfaces again when Alexander dies and Ptolemy narrates how the two men died like Achilles and Pertrocles. There's another beautiful piece which goes while Alexander is in the midst of Hydaspes leading the cavalry towards Craterus, bearing the brunt of Porus' elephants, chanting, "come Macedonians, Ride, Ride". I've been an Alexandrophile since 9. And I found Vangelis' score so touching. It's a tragedy these important pieces of music went missing in the soundtrack.

You can see a complete list of all Vangelis discography, or go back to the Vangelis tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.