Heidi
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Composer: Lee Holdridge
Lable (Release Year): Composer Promo Availability: *** Rating: **** |
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Lee Holdridge is a lesser known and relatively low key composer in Hollywood. His talent, however, is as good as many other popular composers. I myself am not very familiar with his works. But it seems to me that he works with TV projects more than major motion pictures. His more famous scores include The Beast Master, Beauty and the Beast: Of Love and Hope, and Splash. His love theme to Splash is one of my favorites. His score to Heidi also wins my heart very quickly. Heidi is an absolutely charming and beautiful score. The album starts off with the "Overture" which is essentially the main theme. The elegantly orchestrated theme is very lyrical and attractive. Its melody reminds me a bit of Georges Delerue's music. The theme makes me think of a happy little girl dancing around a beautiful mountain. Just like how Julie Andrews dances around the hill at the beginning scene of the Sound of music. Many parts of the score are developed based on the theme. "Church Steeple" introduces another gorgeous theme. It is a little playful but still very elegant. It can be heard again in "Healthy Mountain". There are also other beautiful motifs but they are not as dominant as the previous two. For example, "Kittens on the Pillow" and "The Arrival of Herr" both have enjoyable motifs that stand on their own. Although the score may sound as charming as I described, there are sadder or slightly dark moments of the score. "John Leaves", "Strange Night", "Grandmother's Farewell", and "Hanging on the Edge" are the examples. Nonetheless, they fit very well with the other tracks as their orchestral colors are not very different. The music is performed with mostly strings, woodwinds, and harp. In fact, the melodic part of the themes are mostly performed by strings. Despite brass instruments are not used very dominantly, I still think the orchestral color is very rich. The strings and woodwinds are enough to bring out the beauty. If you are looking for a charming score that is composed in an old school style, I would highly recommend this one to you. | |
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