Mychael Danna Nativity Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD

Personnel: Shira Kammen (vielle); John Bilezikjian (oud); Ana Landauer (violin, cello); Lorenz Gamma, Alyssa Park, Al Hershberger, Irina Voloshina, Anatoly Rosinsky, Katia Popov, Robin Olson, Lorand Lokuszta, Mark Sazer, Alan Grunfeld, Helen Nightengale, Grace Oh, Christine E. Frank, Pat Johnson , Lily Chen, Yelena Yegoryan, Becky Bunnell, Galina Golovin, Eric J. Hosler, Kevin Connolly, Roberto Cani, Natalie Leggett, Phillipe Levy, Sara Parkins, Sarah Thornblade, Roger Wilkie, Tiffiany Yi Hu, Armen Anassian, Marina Manukian, Darius Campo, Liane Mautner, Josephina Vergara, Mario Diaz de Leon, Tereza Stanislav (violin); Matt Funes, Shawn Mann, Rob Brophy, Michael Nowak, Robert Brophy, Keith Greene, Janet Lakatos, Maria Newman, David F. Walther, Piotr Jandula, Thomas Dienner, Alma Fernandez, Andrew Duckles (viola); Paula Hochhalter, Giovanna Clayton, Trevor Handy, Dan Tobin Smith, Tony Cooke, Jen Kuhn, Erika Duke-Kirkpartick, Stephen Erdody, Armen Ksadjikian, Dane Little, Andrew Shulman, Cecilia Tsan, Steve Richards , Victor Lawrence, Steve Erdody (cello); Jim Walker (flute); Kristy Morrell, Phil Yao, Steve Becknell, Kurt Snyder, Rick Todd (French horn); Ed Meares, Ann Atkinson (bass instrument); Dan Greco, Mike Fisher (percussion); Katie Kirkpatrick (harp); Eun Mee Ahn, Richard Altenbach, Bruce Dukov (violin); Brian Dembow (viola); Paul Cohen (cello); Phil Ayling (recorder, English horn); Leanne Becknell (English horn); Rose Corrigan (bassoon); Paul Klintworth, Jim Thatcher (French horn); Peter Limonick (timpani); Wade Culbreath, Robert Zimmitti (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Brad Haehnel.
Liner Note Author: Doug Adams .
Recording information: Awesome Power Worldwide, Hollywood, CA; Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Forum Music Vollage Studios, Rome, Italy; Legacy Studios, New York, NY; Sony Pictures Studios.
Mychael Danna's score for the 2006 film THE NATIVITY STORY, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, establishes a moving musical backdrop for the Biblical tale. Despite the story's setting in the ancient Middle East, Danna (renowned for his mood-driven work with Canadian director Atom Egoyan) largely uses instruments from Europe's Renaissance period, and incorporates Gregorian chants, resulting in evocative (if historically inaccurate) pieces, as best exemplified by "The Annunciation."
When veteran film composer Mychael Danna entered 2006, he probably thought his tradition-drenched, Renaissance-inspired score to this film about the opening chapter of "the greatest story ever told" would be heard by more people than the quirkier one he wrote for Little Miss Sunshine. But Sunshine was a Best Picture Oscar nominee and this one proved to be just a reasonably popular Jesus story. Recorded in Los Angeles, The Nativity Story score artfully blends native Middle Eastern instruments like Persian and Turkish ney flutes with more traditional pre-Baroque European ones like the viola de gamba, vielle, harp, and recorders. Danna's dual intent seemed to be to ground the story in its geographical roots while also underscoring the power the story had over the Western world in subsequent centuries. In this cross-cultural world, Gregorian chants and gorgeous, celebratory yet solemn carols like "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" were perfectly at home with the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale re-creating a Second Temple-era chanting in Hebrew of the prophecy of Isaiah and the powerful, portentous Roman horns and drums. The second half of the score features recurring melodic themes whose haunting beauty underscores Mary's isolation and her controversial relationship with Joseph. ~ Jonathan Widran