Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World. Soundtrack CD

Music By:Richard Tognetti/Iva Davies & Chris Gordon/Yo Yo Ma

Full Title: Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World.
Original score composed by Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, and Richard Tognetti.
Producers: Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, Richard Tognetti.
Composers: Christopher Gordon; Richard Tognetti; Iva Davies.
Personnel: Phil Ayling (whistling); Richard Tognetti, Bruce Dukov (violin); Simon Oswell (viola); Timothy Landauer, Emma Jane Murphy, Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Erdody (cello); Eric Riegler (Uilleann pipe); Jim Walker (Jew's harp); Michael Fisher (percussion).
Audio Mixer: John Kurlander.
Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; The Newman Scoring Stage, Twentieth Century Fox; Twentieth Century Fox.
Arrangers: Christopher Gordon; Richard Tognetti; Ira Davis.
Master and Commander, based on the hugely successful literary series by Patrick O' Brian, chronicles the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey of The Royal British Navy. Musically speaking, the seafaring genre hasn't lived up to its expectations in a long, long time. For a world saturated with lore, shanties, and melodies inspired by the ocean, Hollywood remains unresponsive, uninspired, and bereft of the combination to Davy Jones' locker. One would expect a bombastic, heroic, and unforgettable motif to assist our protagonist in his exploits, but composers Iva Davies and Christopher Gordon provide nothing of the sort. The original portion of the score succeeds in riding wave upon wave of tension, but swashbuckling tales of the sea require a memorable tune, not just a storm of Taiko drums and washed-out strings. The composers fare better on a recurring folk medley, lovingly rendered by master violinist Richard Tognetti -- fans of the novels on which the film is based know full well that Lucky Jack is a fiddle-slinging-bard of a captain -- that captures the true spirit of being miles away from home with your mates and fending off ghostly freighters. The remainder of the soundtrack yields a tad more bounty, utilizing famous classical pieces from Mozart, Bach, and Boccherini to great effect, bailing out the brackish water intent on keeping this ship permanently docked. ~ James Christopher Monger
The original score for the film MASTER AND COMMANDER is the result of a collaborative effort by three composers: Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, and Richard Tognetti. Their music matches the movie's epic scale and effectively conveys the exhilaration of adventure on the high seas during the Napoleonic wars. Tracks such as "The Far Side of the World" and "Smoke N'Oakum" are panoramic soundscapes full of dramatic themes and evocative motifs, while "Into the Fog," "The Doldrums," and "The Battle" utilize propulsive rhythms and atmospheric sound effects to create an ambiance of mystery, danger, and suspense. Arrangements of traditional folk tunes such as "The Cuckold Comes Out of the Avery," "O'Sullivan's March," and "Nancy Dawson" serve to lighten the mood. The soundtrack also includes music from the time period the film is set in such as Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3, Boccherini's "La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid," and the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 as performed by Yo-Yo Ma.