Track List:
Total Time: (62:11) |
Composed by: Ennio Morricone Conducted by: Orchestrated by: |
The opening tracks reflect the more romantic aspect of space travel with a calm and soothing tone that changes drastically by track 4 which introduces odd fluttering woodwinds which change into synth and play atonal bleeps and blips throughout its duration. Though track 4 is different, it's really track 6 that takes the cake. It contains a floating synth bass beat that is complemented by minor chords being played on a pipe organ, and it never begins to speed up, rather it creeps along slowly with sinister effect.
My favorite track, "Where?", is one of the more exciting ones, it opens with three minutes of the threatening atonality but shifts into one of the most ecstatic conclusions I've heard in any film score. It contains a huge arrangement of the title theme complete with a large chorus, which I believe even contains a hint of 1950s era sci-fi corniness. I think it would be difficult for just about any fan of movie music to not appreciate this incredible track.
The final tracks contained on the CD leave me perplexed though. It would have made a better listening experience had the two tracks come before the "Where?" cue. They are slow and contemplative cues like the majority of the score *before* the exciting track 9, and it hurts the album just a bit, so I usually quit listening after track 9 is over. This is an unfortunate end to an otherwise excellent CD.
Overall, I'd recommend Mission to Mars to fans of Moriconne or fans of atonal music. This score is likely to fly over most people's heads, despite its superior composition.