Plaza Mayor Company releases the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Akelarre (Coven). In the film directed by Pablo Aguero, it is 1609 in Basque Country, north of Spain. Judge Rostegui of the Spanish Inquisition is sent by King Felipe III to expunge the region of any woman showing signs of being a witch. So, when he arrives in a coastal village with no men he sees this as proof of the Sabbat (a ritual feast to summon and copulate with the Devil). Consequently, he arrests five girls in their twenties and subjects them to interrogation and torture in order to obtain a confession. The music is composed by Aránzazu Calleja and Maite Arroitajauregi (Mursego), and performed by the Alos Quartet & Various Artists. The soundtrack is available for download and streaming...

The notion here is to create a cross-weave of themes. The almost raucous free spirit of popular pagan music is counterweighted with the idea of making this sound more contemporary and accessible with traditional melody. Much time was spent arranging the sounds of musical instruments from that period and then matching variations on those themes to different characters. In other words, there are recurring themes which become a little monotonous. The majority of the 19 tracks are either tentative string pieces or simple ambient vocal harmonies. The score opens with a nice creeping moment which is far too short. Although purveying a pagan backdrop and a feeling of remoteness, these many hints at a cadence still give the impression of a puzzle with half of the pieces missing.

I do like the melancholy aspects like the solemn cello rendition, and other moments that evolve into off-kilter simplicities and sinister knocks. 'Ake Larre' has an opening flute which sounds to all intents and purposes like Jethro Tull. But it’s all too short-lived. 'Ez Dugu Nahi Beste Berorik' is an intriguing duel incantation, quickly rising in pitch. However, easily the most outstanding track is 'Denok Gaittun So' – a slow and hypnotic pagan dance. So, the score does have its moments, but it lacks cohesion and variation.

5

Ty Power