StreamingSoundtracks.com - Bram Stoker's Dracula

#	Track Listing	Length	Played
01	Dracula, The Beginning Wojciech Kilar	6:41	284
02	Vampire Hunters Wojciech Kilar	3:06	141
03	Mina's Photo Wojciech Kilar	1:24	46
04	Lucy's Party Wojciech Kilar	2:57	46
05	The Brides Wojciech Kilar	4:56	166
06	The Storm Wojciech Kilar	5:05	103
07	Love Remembered Wojciech Kilar	4:11	248
08	The Hunt Builds Wojciech Kilar	3:26	50
09	The Hunter's Prelude Wojciech Kilar	1:29	33
10	The Green Mist Wojciech Kilar	0:54	32
11	Mina & Dracula Wojciech Kilar	4:47	126
12	The Ring Of Fire Wojciech Kilar	1:51	36
13	Love Eternal Wojciech Kilar	2:23	79
14	Ascension Wojciech Kilar	0:50	31
15	End Credits Wojciech Kilar	6:42	246
16	Love Song For A Vampire (Annie Lennox) Wojciech Kilar	4:21	228

Hint: Hover over buttons and album/artist name next to the cover for more info.

Reviewers Rating

1 review done for this album.

Mastery from the brooding maestro…

By:	Luther_III
Date:	31 Aug 2006
Rating:

Wojciech Kilar’s score to Bram Stoker’s Dracula should go on record as one of the horror genre’s finest. Francis Ford Coppola’s vision of the familiar Dracula story was anything but typical, and thus a typical score simply would not have sufficed. Kilar had been quite a prolific composer from the 1950s through the 1970s and 80s, composing concert music as well as scores for TV and films produced mostly in Poland. Few in the Western Hemisphere were probably familiar with his work, and his avant-garde approach would seem unlikely to attract the attention of many Hollywood producers or directors. Nevertheless, Coppola made a bold (and, it turned out, brilliant) decision to avoid theme-and-fanfare Hollywood staples in favor of Kilar.

From the first few bars of the title track, the listener can be sure this is not your typical film score. “Dracula - The Beginning” sets the scene as low, brooding strings lay an ominous foundation. After the brass-heavy, but unconventional depiction of battle, we are treated to familiar musical elements utilized in horror films: chanting, solo female voice, and frightening choral lines. While the particular elements are familiar, the execution remains haunting and fresh. As with the rest of the album, many of Kilar’s orchestrations and chord structures are atypical, at least compared to most American film music, and the result is a score with a very distinct feel.

The album is not without worthy mentions: “Vampire Hunters” is a fitting march carried by the low strings that is thematic enough to have been used for a number of movie trailers. “Lucy’s Pary” is a fascinating track reminiscent of a music box, though with foreboding undercurrents. Kilar's Polish heritage seems to bubble to the surface in "The Brides" - an odd but listenable cue full or rich strings and Eastern European harmonies. The love theme featured in “Love Remembered” and “Mina/Dracula” is quite beautiful as it sings above dissonant 7th chords, and it manages to be both romantic and sad, even heart-wrenching, while never being cliché. These two tracks are perhaps the most conventional on the album. “The Storm” qualifies as perhaps the most frightening cue in horror movie music ever recorded. The shouting choir in this track is the stuff of nightmares, as is the male chorus chanting, “Sangris vita est” – “The blood is the life” – chilling! “The Hunt Builds” is to me the most interesting track musically. It features Dracula’s theme, repeated ostinato in the strings, stacked upon itself over and over again in parallel fifths until the love theme takes over, building to an intense climax.

Not every track is a highlight, however. The inclusion of “The Ring of Fire” is puzzling as it contains no real music; only scary sound effects. Another low point of the album is the inclusion of the song by Annie Lennox. While I generally enjoy her music, this song did not fit well with the tone of the film, and it is not particularly likable on its own.

This score is clearly not for everyone, with its unconventional chord structures, ostinatos, and overlaid lines. But no score could have better matched Coppola’s stunning and vibrant visuals. Instead of familiar sweeping melodies that poke out of the music whenever a certain character appears, Kilar goes for a more subtle approach. Do not be mistaken: the leitmotifs are there: Dracula, Mina, Lucy, the Vampire Hunters—but the themes tend to nestle in among rich, complex, intertwining orchestrations rather than sailing conspicuously above underlying harmonies. The result is unsettling, whether heard alone or in the context of the film. As an album, the track selections do not disappoint, and plenty of music is included. Some of the tracks may grate on the ears a bit, but when heard in context, the music is the perfect counterpoint to the pictures on the film. Wojciech Kilar’s Dracula stands out as a superb achievement not only in its unique contribution to a unique film, but also for bringing a fresh, distinctly Old-World sound to a wide, Hollywood-reared audience.

Track-by-track rating:

Track: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Stars: 5* 4* 2* 3* 3* 5* 3* 4* 3* 2* 4* 1* 3* 3* 3* 2*

16 of 16 found this review helpful

Please log in to vote on this review

Please log in to write reviews and submit corrections.