Hidalgo Soundtrack CD

Original score composed by James Newton Howard.
Producers: James Newton Howard, Jim Weidman.
Personnel: Hovig Krikorian (vocals); Loganatha Shivam (guitar, saz); Jimmy Mahlis (bouzouki); Marcia Dickstein, Gayle Levant (harp); John Bilezikjian (oud); Eun Mee Ahn, Miran Kojian, Irina Voloshina, Anatoly Rosinsky, Katia Popov, Tamara L. Hatwan, Robin Olson, Aimee Kreston, Alan Grunfeld, Ken Yerke, Julia Ann Gigante, Sungil Lee, Norman Hughes, Franklyn d'Antonio, Jay Rosen, Lisa Sutton, Mark Robertson , Roberto Cani, Bruce Dukov, Clayton Haslop, Natalie Leggett, Phillipe Levy, Roger Wilkie, Armen Garabedian, Darius Campo, Michael Markman, Liane Mautner, Dimitrie Leivici, Miwako Watanabe, Rafael Rishik, Endre Granat, Haim Shtrum (violin); Charlie Bisharat (fiddle); Matt Funes, Shawn Mann, Steven Gordon, Rick Gerding, Robert Becker, Brian Dembow, Keith Greene, Jennie Hansen, Janet Lakatos, Simon Oswell, David F. Walther, Victoria Miskolszy, Darrin McCann, Shanti Randall (viola); Timothy Landauer, Dennis Karmazyn, Antony Cooke, Douglas Davis , Stephen Erdody, Armen Ksadjikian, Dane Little, David Low , Cecilia Tsan, Steve Richards , Todd Hemmenway, Christine Ermacoff (cello); Jim Walker , Louise Di Tullio, Geri Rotella (flute); Fred Selden, Pedro Eustache (duduk, ney); Ali Jihad Racy (ney); Ralph Williams , Gary Bovyer, James Kanter (clarinet); Leanne Becknell, Tom Boyd, Barbara Northcutt (oboe); Allen Savedoff, Kenneth E. Munday, David Riddles (bassoon); Marissa Benedict, Warren Luening, Tim Morrison, David Washburn (trumpet); Andrew Thomas Malloy, William Booth, George Thatcher, William Reichenbach (trombone); James Self (tuba); Phillip Edward Yao, John A. Reynolds, David Duke, Steve Becknell, Kurt Snyder, Jim Thatcher (horns); Brian Pezzone (keyboards); Alan Estes, Emil Radocchia, Gregory Goodall, Joe Porcaro, Peter Limonick, Robert Zimmitti (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Dave Marquette; Adam Michalak; Jay Sylvester; Mark Eshelman; Bryan Clements; Marc Gebauer; Patricia Weber; Kristen Smith; Larry Mah; Shawn Murphy.
Recording information: Sony Scoring Stage, Signet Studios.
For the epic horse-race adventure Hidalgo, Oscar winning composer James Newton-Howard has somehow managed to create the first worldbeat cowboy score. By taking equal parts Lawrence of Arabia, Dances With Wolves, and a whole lot of Aaron Copland, Newton-Howard manages to seamlessly bend the styles to his will, resulting in a fresh, yet familiar slice of old-fashioned film scoring. The "Main Title" begins suspiciously, echoing Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings theme, before easing into a middle-eastern motif on "Arriving in the Desert." "The Race Begins" bursts out of the gate with heroic brass and swirling strings, employing the inevitable "Rodeo," with a hoof-clopping pizzicato that has become synonymous with the great American western. This is "high adventure" -- by the book Hollywood sound sculpting -- that like comfort food, provides the kind of instant gratification that the average filmgoer has come to expect. Though it may break little ground, Newton-Howard injects it with enough heart and wonder to keep it serviceable, believable, and satisfying -- if only for a few hours. ~ James Christopher Monger