Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Christopher Gordon, Iva Davies & Richard Tognetti
Hollywood Studio Symphony
Decca
2003

From Amazon.com:

I'm sure films never used to have such long and drawn out titles, yet for the umpteenth time in 2003 we have a film with an long, inane and largely redundant title. Both Far Side of the World and Master and Commander are equally striking titles on their own, but combined just sound overinflated. Anyway, enough of that. The film stars Russell Crowe and is directed by the somewhat unprolific Peter Weir. It does seem a touch unfortunate that Weir no longer works with the now retired Maurice Jarre (as he did on Witness and Dead Poets Society, amongst others) as the composer seems ideal for this kind of material. Still, for everyone who would rather cut off their own ears than listen to another minute of Media Ventures' godawful Pirates of the Caribbean: Johnny Depp Goes Camp, the combined efforts of Christopher Gordon, Iva Davies and Richard Tognetti are an altogether more engaging mixture, along with a selection of classical excerpts.
I suppose it's a touch unfair to compare Master and Commander with Pirates of the Caribbean, as it isn't really a pirate movie, but about an exploration of "the far side of the world, against the backdrop of Napoleonic Wars." Gordon and company go for an authentic approach, rather than epic, swashbuckling adventure. There is a lot of folksy percussion and strings, which sounds distinctly inspired by Celtic or Gaelic folk music. Cues such as The Battle, where one might expect a whooping brass cue, is in fact based on acoustic percussion that wouldn't sound out of place in Riverdance, but with some kind of high woodwind fluttering eerily on top (it's difficult to tell whether it's a flute or some genuine folk instrument). There is no real main theme, but an ascending string figure recurs on a few notable occasions, first appearing in the lengthy opening track. Some of the cues are suspenseful and a touch uninteresting, The Galapagos for example, but are fairly brief. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the lack of any grand moments of discovery, little excitement that suggests the arrival at some paradise island. This is a score for a film truly grounded in the grim reality of ocean exploration.

Surprisingly and pleasingly, the classical excerpts are entirely appropriate to the period. Only the Mozart would have been relatively new, the others are from much earlier. True, Vaughan-Williams wasn't around to have written his Fantasia, but Thomas Tallis would certainly have written the theme on which it is based. Anyone who enjoyed Alan Hoveness' Mysterious Mountain Symphony, as featured on the Five Sacred Trees album, will certainly enjoy the Vaughan-Williams. The others are more dependent on a taste for baroque music, but the performances are fine and the selections aren't too at odds with the score itself. Some may be disappointed at their inclusion, but I suspect they form as important a part of the underscore as the music written specifically for the film. Anyone hoping for a big adventure score may find the album a disappointment, but Gordon, Davies and Tognetti's (there is no indication as to who did what) mixture of folksy, with the occasional modern, eerie instrumental effect is a pleasing stab at authenticity, but also an enjoyable listen on its own terms.

 

The Far Side of the World (9:19)
Into the Fog (2:12)
Violin Concerto No. 3 - 3rd Movement (1:19)
W A Mozart
The Cuckold Comes Out of the Amery (3:27)
Smoke n'Oakum (5:27)
Fantasia on the Theme by Thomas Tallis (5:14)
R Vaughan-Williams
Adagio from concerto Grosso No. 8 in G Minor (1:56)
A Corelli
The Doldrums (2:46)
Prelude from the Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major (2:3
JS Bach, Yo Yo Ma - Cello
The Galapagos (1:39)
Folk Medley (5:12)
The Phasmid (2:34)
The Battle (5:07)
La Musica Notturna Delle Strade de Madrid No. 6 (9:23)
L Boccherini
Full Circle (1:34)
Total Time ~ 59:45

Musical Evenings with the Captain
Music From the Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O’ Brian
1996 ESS.A.Y Recordings Copywright S.A. Publishing Co., Inc.
Selected Sonatas and Duets for Violin & Cello
Locatelli (1695-1764)
Haydn (1732-1809)
Handel (1685-1757)
Boccherini (1743-1805)
Leclair (1697-1764)

(There is also a Volume II with music by Mozart)

Listen to an excerpt (mp3):

Master and Commander: The far side of the world: excerpt from track 01(1881 ko )
file - page

CD Sleeve
Music is a recurring theme in Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels. On the first page of Master and Commander, which launches the series, young Jack Aubrey encounters his co-protagonist Stephen Maturin for the first time at a concert both happen to attend in Port Mahon, Minorca. Once they are ensconced on Aubrey’s various ships, the captain’s cabin where both can explore the various delights of music.

As often as not Mr. O’Brian is at least semi-specific about what the two gentlemen choose to play, and where he is not specific his words spur the imagination of the reader, particularly that reader who has concerned himself with the passing fancies of 18th century music in general, and London tastes in particular. The catalog of works that come immediately to mind embraces Locatelli, of course. Others who would have ranked high on the list of late 18th century favorites include Handel, Haydn and Boccerini. We must keep in mind that 18th century London became one of the great publishing headquarters in Europe. The popularization of music in the second half of the 18th century proceeded without pause as civilized Englishmen and women occupied themselves with singing and playing the burgeoning literature that was, with the best pre-capitalist motives, made available to them.

We have selected from this trove: rarely heard duets for violin and cello by the witty old master, Handel; the pristine musings of Haydn; the new virtuosity as Boccerini propounded it; sonatas for a violin or two by the great Italian and French virtuoso composers, Locatelli and Leclair.

A final note: confronted with an 18th century repertoire as it might have been performed near the beginning of the 19th century, we realized that the harpsichord – although the keyboard instrument of composers’ original intensions half a century earlier – was by now archaic and all but extinct, having been replaced by the early forms of the piano. For that reason we have chosen to perform those works that require keyboard with a replica of a fortepiano from about 1765. The almost cimbalom-like quality of this gentle new instrument sacrifices the plangency of the earlier harpsichord but corresponds more closely, perhaps, to the norm at the turn of the century
Richard Kapp
January 1996

 

click on the picture in order to see the large version and the other pictures for the corresponding article

Backgrund Information about the Napoleonic Wars and the Movie	Master and commander 5: huge photos
Cast and Crew	The ships of those times
The crew of the Surprise (from the Premiere documents)	The Royal Film Premiere
The Ships and Sets (from the Premiere documents)	Creating the most realistic sea storm ever filmed (from the Premiere documents)
Historical and Character Research (from the Premiere documents)	A dictionary of nautical terms for Landlubbers
The Captain's Log	Musical Evenings with the Captain

 

 

More is soon to come . Meanwhile, click on the picture below for the corresponding wallpaper.