Miracle Soundtrack CD

Trumpeter and composer Mark Isham rises to the occasion with his score for director Gavin O'Connor's Miracle. The film chronicles the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's rousing victory over the supposedly superior (then) Soviet Union. Isham engages instantly with the anthemic "The Team," a spirited and memorable slice of Copland-esque Americana that echoes Randy Newman's score for The Natural, and lays the groundwork for what turns out to be a simplistic yet delightful piece of work. Too often composers overwrite their less complex subjects, causing an awkward juxtaposition between the visual and audio aspects of films that should have remained two-dimensional. That Isham succeeds without appearing either jaded or sentimental is a testament to his talents and obvious emotional investment in the film's characters. Like the film itself, Miracle the soundtrack is an underdog of sorts, and definitely worth rooting for. ~ James Christopher Monger

Original score composed by Mark Isham.

Composer: Mark Isham.

Personnel: Katie Kirkpatrick (harp); Irina Voloshina, Songa Lee, Katia Popov, Mark Sazer, Aimee Kreston, Ana Landauer, Ken Yerke, Julia Ann Gigante, Yu Tong Sharp, Rene Mandel, Norman Hughes, Galina Golovin, Jennifer Levin, Franklyn d'Antonio, Lisa Sutton, Roberto Cani, Bruce Dukov, Clayton Haslop, Natalie Leggett, Shalini Vijayan, Armen Anassian, Marina Manukian, Armen Garabedian, Darius Campo, Michael Markman, Liane Mautner, Michele Richards, Rafael Rishik, Charlie Bisharat (violin); Matt Funes, Shawn Mann, Cassandra Richburg, Pamela Goldsmith, Brian Dembow, Simon Oswell, David F. Walther, Piotr Jandula, Victoria Miskolszy, Thomas Dienner, Darrin McCann (viola); Paul Cohen , Antony Cooke, Dane Little, David Low , Andrew Shulman, David Speltz, Sebastian Toettcher, Cecilia Tsan, John Walz (cello); Jim Walker , Geri Rotella (flute); Ralph Williams , Emily Bernstein, Gary Bovyer (clarinet); Phil Ayling (oboe); Allen Savedoff, Judith Farmer, David Riddles (bassoon); Jon Lewis , Tim Morrison (trumpet); Steve "Syco Steve" Williams, Michael Hoffman, Andrew Thomas Malloy (trombone); Doug Tornquist (tuba); Phillip Edward Yao, David Duke, Steve Becknell, Kurt Snyder, Brian O'Connor, Jim Thatcher (horns); Rich Ruttenburg (keyboards); Alan Estes, Steve Schaffer, Gregory Goodall (percussion).

Audio Mixer: Stephen Krause.

Recording information: Newman Scoring Stage, 20th Century Fox Studios; Todd Scoring Stage.

Score:Mark Isham;Also,J.Geils, Blue Oyster Cult,Aerosmith