Braveheart Soundtrack CD

The haunting bagpipes, a shiver of strings behind them...you can almost feel the cool fog rolling in from the sea, and across a Scottish field. A battlefield, in this case, in the year 1314. It was then that a band of half-starved, hopelessly outnumbered Scottish patriots fought for freedom at a place called Bannockburn. John Horner's soundtrack to "Braveheart," the Mel Gibson film about that epic struggle, is a lustrous, many-faceted, at times stirring piece of work. Even without the images from the film dancing through your head, Horner's themes have staying power and emotional substance. He maintains the feel of place throughout, but never relies too heavily on obvious instrumental cliches (the pipes, for instance, are used sparingly). No doubt, tracks like "The Battle of Stirling" will resonate a bit more if you've seen "Braveheart." That said, Horner's score has a rare quality: It is cinematic, but also enjoyable on its own as orchestral music.

All music written by James Horner.

Original score writen by James Horner.

Recorded at EMI Abbey Road, London, England. Includes liner notes by Mel Gibson.

Personnel: James Horner (conductor, keyboards); Choristers of Westminster Abbey (vocals); Tony Hinnegan (kena, whistle); Eric Rigler (Uilleann pipes); Mike Taylor (bodhran, whistle); Ian Underwood (programming); London Symphony Orchestra.

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