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In the fall of 2003, there
were rumors that James Horner would be the composer for the ambitious Mel
Gibson's filming of Christ's final period in life. The rumors proved to be
false, and very soon the speculations about who would end up scoring The
Passion of The Christ started. The announcement of John Debney's name
was a real surprise, since the composer was better known for comedic scores
like Bruce Almighty and Elf
than for more serious pieces of work. But in the past Debney already wrote
for other film genres, like the swashbuckler
Cutthroat Island (a favorite of
mine), the dark End of Days and
the forgettable The Scorpion
King. Despite the merits of Debney's work on these films, they
admittedly didn't help him to establish as a composer requested for high
profile or, in this case, also polemic projects.
But now this fact belongs to the
past. After Debney scored Passion's
trailer (a beautiful piece not included on the CD), Gibson hired him for the
film, co-produced the album with Debney and even sang with the chorus!
Thanks to the "multitask" Mel, Debney did a great job with this
score and I smell an Academy Awards nomination here. An 80-piece London
orchestra plus The London Voices flawlessly perform the music. Listening to
this score I just wonder about the kind of music Horner could have written,
or even Gladiator's contributor
Lisa Gerrard in Debney's place. By the way I could say that many parts of
this score sound like a "darker Gladiator",
but the fact is, Debney is not Zimmer or even Gerrard. He is better than
both are so his music is richer in symphonic colors and harmonies.
It's obvious the director Mel
Gibson's needs for a score with abundance of ethnic feel, and the composer
delivered what he had been asked for, with some bonuses. A large variety of
timbres come from ethnic and period instruments like duduk, erhu and an ancient
Armenian guitar called oud, but
there are nice bamboo flute solos as well, choral arrangements and even
electronic instruments, which are very heavy on the bass. Also, Debney
employs the talents of vocalist/lyricist Lisbeth Scott from The Scorpion King, who created the Aramaic chants. Sometimes the
music is deeply symphonic, intense and very somber. Many of the pieces are,
as the film requires, quite dark and brooding, but at certain moments they
are very lyrical as well.
What really knocks me out in this
score are the beautiful strings, and above all the choral work. The best
performances by the choir include "Bearing the Cross" and
"Resurrection". This is not a thematic score, since we don't have
a main theme or motifs for each character, just few recurrent melodic
elements that come back a few times. Nevertheless, variations from the
trailer melody are heard in "Peter Denies Jesus" and at the end of
"Resurrection". This track is just outstanding, with its pounding
percussion rhythm and intense chorus. Another highlights include "Jesus
Is Carried Down", the emotional "Peter Denies Jesus" and the
most beautiful track of the album, the lengthy "Crucifixion", with
its lovely, melodious flute.
Finally, just a few words about the
music of The Passion of The Christ in
comparison with Jeff Danna's The
Gospel of John. As the films that serve, their scores offer two
different visions about the same subject or character. Where Danna's work is
full of lyricism and romanticism, Debney's score is intense, passionate and
painful. In other words, both scores reflect their films perfectly well and
have great qualities and merits. Anyway, in the end The
Passion of The Christ appeals me most with its passion and agony. And I
really hope that with this work John Debney, at last, will be recognized not
only as the composer of comedies like Cats
and Dogs, or the conductor for Varèse Sarabande's re-recording of
classic scores, but also as a very resourceful talent and one of the most
capable composers in Hollywood nowadays.
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