Mask Of Zorro Soundtrack CD

Original score composed by James Horner.
Producers: Jim Steinman, Simon Rhodes, Tony Hinnigan, James Horner.
Personnel: Jeff Bova (programming).
Audio Mixers: Frank Filipetti; Simon Rhodes.
Recording information: Air Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London, England; Bovaland, New York, NY; Todd-AO Scoring Stage, Studios City, CA.
Editor: Jim Henrikson.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Dean Parks; Ian Underwood; James Woodrow.
Arrangers: Jeff Bova; Steve Rinkoff.
James Horner brought epic romance and Enya to his Titanic score. For The Mask of Zorro, his first major work since Titanic, he recaptured much of the same territory, but if anything this score is richer and more varied. Blowing up Latin and Mexican motifs to cinemascope size, Horner doesn't trade in subtlety. He prefers large gestures, and that's what his sweeping, melodramatic score for The Mask of Zorro is all about. It's not something that fans of such sophisticated film composers like Bernard Herrmann will like, but it is exciting populist music that matches the spirit of the adventure movie. The album contains one vocal track -- the love theme "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You," as performed by Tina Arena and Marc Anthony. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
It's hard to imagine a more surefire recipe for a summer blockbuster--THE MASK OF ZORRO not only stars heartthrob Antonio Banderas and credibility magnet Anthony Hopkins, but just to be absolutely sure, the score is by none other that James Horner, the man who put together the mega-hit score of TITANIC (you may have heard of it). Just as he did in the story of the ill fated vessel, Horner manages to capture every second of the film's thrill-a-minute excitement, as well as giving voice to the passion which drives the film's hero. The film's music uses dramatic swells and Latin percussion to tell the story of the mysterious crusader; its love theme is as well-cast as the film itself--Puerto Rican superstar Marc Anthony teams up with Australian siren Tina Arena for the romantic epic "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You."

James Horner

Entertainment Weekly (8/7/98, p.79) - "...A merrily conscious throwback to adventure soundtracks of the 1950s, the score to the Antonio Banderas swashbuckler mixes over-the-top flamenco cliches--castanets, stomping feet, high trumpets--with....the whole ball of wax, really, and damned if it isn't Horner's most inspired work in ages." - Rating: B+