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Whereas Big Finish's previous three collections of music have
been themed around specific composers, this volume concentrates
on the first "season" of Paul McGann's audio adventures. Thus
we hear the work of four different composers - as well as
David Arnold's rendition of the Doctor Who theme -
which makes for a lot more variety than usual.
Alistair
Lock's Storm Warning music has an intentionally cinematic
feel to it, reminding me particularly of the works of James
Horner. When I reviewed the audio drama itself, I commented
that the plot bore a resemblance to the tragedy of the Titanic,
and Lock's music certainly echoes the strident signatures
that Horner brought to James Cameron's epic movie. Later tracks
introduce more discordant themes, as well as tinkling, ethereal
sounds, all of which evoke the less earthly realm of the alien
visitors.
That
jack of all trades Nick Briggs provided the score to Sword
of Orion, taking inspiration from Jim Mortimore's music
for the original amateur audio version of the story, which
was itself inspired by Malcolm Clarke's Earthshock
score. More than a hint of Clarke's ominous percussive themes
remains in Briggs' work, which similarly creates a real sense
of foreboding. In his sleeve notes, Briggs also claims to
have drawn upon the instrumentation of Carey Blyton's Revenge
of the Cybermen score. I can't hear it myself, but then
that's a good thing - I thought Blyton's music for Revenge
was terrible! In context, the repetitive, doom-laden signatures
of Sword of Orion brilliantly underscored that adventure's
dramatic tension, but heard in isolation they quickly grow
tedious.
Like
Alistair Lock, Russell Stone, in his score for The Stones
of Venice, pulls out all the stops to create music for
the latest Doctor that sounds new and different, yet still
recognisably Who. Not for the first time (and not for
the last) the instrumental style of Mark Ayres, the last great
name to join the pantheon of composers for the original BBC
TV series, is evoked. Meanwhile, the emotional nature of both
the story and McGann's Doctor are underscored by melancholy
signatures and funereal percussion. The dying Venice is also
an eerie and mystical place, and Stone captures this feeling
too.
More
discordant themes suggest that something is amiss in the score
to Minuet in Hell, composed by William Allen. Sinister
organ music and a distorted guitar echo the diabolical goings-on
in Malebolgia. These are offset by a few jauntier signatures,
which underscore the story's more whimsical moments, and by
the more tuneful theme of the heroic character of Becky Lee.
The use of electric guitar also reminds me of the theme tune
to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the heroine of which inspired
the creation of Becky Lee.
Rounding
off this collection is David Arnold's theme arrangement. It
took me a while to warm to this version, because I would have
preferred Big Finish to have used the theme arrangement from
the TV Movie for their Eighth Doctor adventures, but Arnold's
work has grown on me during the last year. It has a fresh
and modern feel, yet manages to reinstate some of the scariness
of Delia Derbyshire's original rendition.
There
are many moving sections on these two CDs, especially during
Storm Warning and The Stones of Venice, but
each of the medleys seems to slightly outstay its welcome.
Few movie soundtracks contain every single bit of music that
was composed for the film in question, simply because incidental
music tends to be repetitive in order to establish its themes.
Perhaps Big Finish should not strive to be so completist with
its soundtracks.
Richard
McGinlay
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