First time a documentary has appeared on Scores of Scores! The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos was the second effort by Disneynature, an independent film unit of Walt Disney Studios dedicated to producing nature documentary films. Originally it would have been their first film, but the BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media film Earth was commercially released first, on Earth Day (April 22nd), 2009, as per the studios agreement with Alastair Fothergill, producer of the BBC’s Planet Earth documentaries. Nevertheless, The Crimson Wing was the first film produced by Disneynature, narrated by Mariella Frostrup, and released in September 2009 exclusively in Cineworld cinemas. The documentary was praised for its cinematography and overall appearance, but was reviewed more critically for its emphasis on mythos and mystery (an example of the narration: “the birds don’t die, their life force returns to the lake”) and less factual approach – to be frank though, what do you expect from a Disney production, they can’t steer too far off-brand.
One aspect that helped the film’s overall appearance garner praise was the score, produced by the British nu jazz and electronic music group The Cinematic Orchestra. With a description like that, you have to wonder if the Disney executives chose them based on their name alone. On most of their studio and live albums the band mixes regular pop instruments (guitar, piano, drums) with more jazzy ones (saxophone, double bass), and they improvise alongside a DJ and other electronic elements such as samples. A rather interesting combination, and certainly with a sense of originality. However, for The Crimson Wing the band added strings, woodwind instruments, a harp, a celesta, and a greater variety of percussion – one can’t help but feel this was because veteran score producer, recorder and mixer Stephen McLaughlin co-produced the score, and thus gave the music a more cinematic feel (ironic, given the band’s title). As a result, what you have is a thoroughly modern sounding orchestral experience, a mesh of traditional instruments, pop riffs and grooves, and electronic samples, with room for solos from orchestral instruments, all recorded with precision to capture every note, every pluck, and every fine tinkle.
To be honest with you, I haven’t seen The Crimson Wing, and the only reason I became aware of the score at all was because director James Marsh chose to include two tracks from the score, ‘Arrival of the Birds’ and ‘Transformation’, in the end credits sequence to his 2014 film The Theory of Everything, a film that I enjoyed a lot (and my gf Emma loved even more, because of a certain actor who goes by the name of Eddie Redmayne). Undoubtedly this boosted popularity for the score, and when you consider Jóhann Jóhannsson’s original music for The Theory of Everything a number of compositional similarities arise, which makes me wonder if Marsh temp-tracked The Theory of Everything with the music for The Crimson Wing, and then decided to keep a mix of the two tracks for the end credits. It seems a likely scenario to me!
Anywho, onto the actual music. We begin the album with the ‘Opening Titles’, as a plucked guitar ostinato fades in, and then strings and subtle electronic sampling fade in to bolster the guitar, moving through warm chord progressions in a manner reminiscent of Thomas Newman. After this a piano melody is introduced with string accompaniment, and then a cello begins to duet with the piano, playing a counter-melody, and then more warm strings enter to take up the piano melody, which at its zenith results in a luscious soundscape that eventually fades back out again. The melody played by the piano and strings can be seen as a sort of ‘main theme’ for the film, and the track nicely sets the tone for the rest of the music, giving us an idea of what to expect from the album. Next is the first of Marsh’s temp-track choices, ‘Arrival of the Birds’, which has subsequently become the score’s most famous track. Beginning with a simple but steady 6/8 harp ostinato, a piano adds to the melody, which develops around a straightforward but inviting chord structure. The strings fade in, a very Thomas Newman-esque wash, and begin a lovely, longing, slightly romantic melody played over the harp and piano, a sort of secondary main theme for the film. A B-phrase begins, with strings engaging in an ostinato that builds with piano chords to an uplifting climax. The melody gentle, slowly drifts down again, mirrored by fading orchestrations, and we finish with the simple harp and piano ostinato from the beginning, coming full circle and ending the track.
‘The Dance’ is the album’s most funky track, beginning with castanets and double bass setting the 5/4 rhythm, supplemented by various Latin American percussion instruments. A string ostinato is added in to supplement the main rhythm, as is an electric guitar riff, which with the double bass carries the pace of the track, while all manner of percussion engage in impressionistic passages that come and go with an air of improvisation and spontaneity. At 1:46, the strings come back in with a more obvious presence, and the new melody evokes a sense of drama and adventure, with some cymbal and drum kit rhythms helping to create a slightly Barry/Bond feeling. The track ends with percussion instruments coming together and soloing before a final cymbal crash. ‘Soda’ uses a celesta melody to supplemented by a glockenspiel to evoke the idea of newborn creatures, and then strings are re-introduced to add more texture to the music. ‘Hatching’ begins with a simple piano melody, and then moves on to a celesta ostinato with the ‘main theme’ from ‘Opening Titles’ played by flute over the top – the first re-appearance of the motif in the score. The guitar ostinato from this first track is also re-introduced, and then supplemented by swelling strings, before re-ceeding once again to the guitar ostinato and the piano playing variations on the main theme with subtle strings and celesta in the background.
‘Maribou’ takes a darker turn with a low clarinet and staccato strings playing an unsettling, mysterious melody with a lot of ragged phrasing that sounds a lot like guttural animal sounds, all superbly building uncomfortable tension. Eventually the strings take over and give the music a more insistent, dramatic feeling, before the piece concludes in a decidedly more relaxed manner. ‘Exodus’ begins with a piano and bass guitar ostinato supplemented by guitar plucking, which is then joined by strings performing variations on the string washes from ‘Arrival of the Birds’. 2 minutes in the instruments suddenly drop away to solo piano with subtle string elements, anxiously continuing for 2 and a half minutes, before the strings and bass guitar come back in more powerful than before, displaying some lovely counter-melodies along the way. This process repeats at 4:25, but this time the strings come back in with triumphant timpani, electric guitar and brass, and we get a brief glimpse of some potential orchestral grandeur.
‘Transformation’ is the album’s second most popular track, mainly because it shamelessly reiterates the melody, orchestrations and tempo of ‘Arrival of the Birds’, essentially reprising it with greater variations. However, this isn’t a bad thing at all really. Overall there is a greater sense of drama and emotional climax from the music, due to the more present cellos and piano counter-melodies the main melody sounds gorgeous when passed through instrument to instrument. There’s even a dramatic key change at 3:42! I can see why Marsh chose to mix the two tracks together, as the overall effect gives a greater sense of climax and resolution. ‘Hyena’ is an interesting interlude, beginning with an electronic pulse, and then adding an electric guitar riff and insistent sounding strings. Percussion comes in at a breathtakingly fast rate, and it all builds to a big crescendo to finish.
‘Life of a Bird’ again reprises the guitar ostinato and a variation on the chord sequence from ‘Arrival of the Birds’, albeit at a slower, more reflective tempo. A cymbal roll at 1:12 signifies the beginning of a new string melody, with an air of resolution and denouement, which is intensified by the subtle inclusion of a choir to reinforce the melody at 1:58. ‘First Light’ spends the first three minutes slowly building an orchestral soundscape with multiple guitars, strings and double bass all slowly fading in and building to a crescendo. After this a new string melody comes to the fore, enjoying a moment in the spotlight before fading away to close the track. The album closes with ‘Crimson Skies’, a reprisal of the ‘Opening Titles’ with added cymbal rolls and vocals from female singer Lou Rhodes, singing about the passage of life and the power of nature.
Overall this soundtrack gives the listener a flavour of what modern movie composition could sound like, with emphasis on additions from pop instruments and electronic sampling, but all interwoven into a musical soundscape. The Crimson Wing feels modern when you listen to it, but what it seems to lack is a heart. Listening to the music, one feels strangely…detached. And when moments of elation come around, notably in ‘Arrival of the Birds’ and ‘Transformation’, it’s because you feel like the music has that slightly generic ‘happy’ or ‘romantic’ feeling due to its orchestrations and melody. Honestly, I can’t pinpoint precisely what it is, because on all other levels the music is commendable. Tracks such as ‘The Dance’ and ‘Maribou’ display an excellent understanding of orchestration technique, and on the whole the music has that pristine quality one would expect from a Disney production. Nevertheless, I do feel slightly cold leaving this score, and I will freely admit that I wanted to review it because of the tracks included in The Theory of Everything. If you are a fan of string-based music, I can recommend this score to you as a perfect example – undoubtedly you will enjoy, as I do, the tracks ‘Arrival of the Birds’ and ‘Transformation’.
God bless,
Purchase the album from iTunes here
Here is a YouTube video of the track ‘Arrival of the Birds’ in the film context.
Highlights:
- ‘Opening Titles’
- ‘Arrival of the Birds’
- ‘Hatching’
- ‘Transformation’
Scores of Scores 