very couple of years, Silva Screen Records releases a new volume in their
Space and Beyond science fiction film music collection. The latest
installment in the ongoing series is titled Space 3: Beyond the Final
Frontier. This excellent two-CD set is filled with re-recorded orchestral
themes from 20 films, two TV shows and the Star Fleet Academy video
game.
The first disc is divided into four categories. "Alien Invaders" features
cues from Aliens, Ghostbusters, It Came From Outer Space
and Strange Invaders, while "Superheroes" includes arrangements from
Judge Dredd and Robocop. "Time Travel" showcases motifs from
The Time Machine and Back to the Future, and "To Boldly Go ..."
focuses on Star Trek, with a lengthy suite devoted to the original
series' reworked pilot ("The Menagerie") plus themes from Star Trek:
Insurrection and Star Fleet Academy. The CD also offers a
succinct, stand-alone selection from the short-lived television program
The Cape.
The second disc has two significant subsections. "Journeys into Space"
contains compositions from The Last Starfighter, Silent
Running, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun and the Lost in
Space motion picture, while "Destruction From the Sky" spotlights the
music of Meteor, Deep Impact and Armageddon. The platter
also features a suite from Galaxy Quest along with various cues from
Things to Come, The Matrix and Star Wars: Episode 1--The
Phantom Menace.
All 27 works are performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra,
conducted by Paul Bateman and Nic Raine. The liner notes--written by album
producer James Fitzpatrick--provide brief synopses of the various dramas plus
a few informative sentences about each tune. Like the two earlier volumes,
Space 3: Beyond the Final Frontier is packaged in a cardboard
slipcase.
Skillful and satisfying SF music
From the classic 1936 movie Things to Come to such recent fare as
Galaxy Quest, Space 3: Beyond the Final Frontier presents an
impressive musical survey of over six decades of science fiction filmmaking.
What's particularly pleasing about the effort is that, because earlier
entries in the series dispensed with the standard SF repertoire (Star
Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc.), the for-the-most-part truly laudable selections heard on this recording are somewhat
out-of-the-ordinary.
Frisky horns on the "Main Theme" from Ghostbusters display composer
Elmer Bernstein's lighthearted approach to the film, just as Alan Silvestri's
brooding, bombastic melodies--punctuated with brass fanfares, militaristic
drums and a chorus--enliven the suite devoted to Judge Dredd. Other
standout performances on the first disc include Silvestri's fun-filled "Main
Theme" for Back to the Future and Ron Jones' "Opening" to Star
Fleet Academy, which builds upon familiar Trek motifs yet
maintains a distinct sound.
The second CD is equally as impressive. Craig Safan's soaring,
trumpet-infused "Main Theme" to The Last Starfighter is uplifting and
inspirational, while Bateman's orchestral interpretation of Peter Schickele's
idiosyncratic "The Space Fleet" cue from Silent Running is fittingly
percussive and pensive. The tracks from Things to Come--"The
Children's Ballet" and "March"--are also noteworthy, as they provide
listeners with a rare opportunity to hear fragments of an important but often
difficult-to-find science fiction score.
In fact, the only significant flaw involves "The Menagerie" suite, which
seems superfluous given the abundance of traditional Star Trek music
available on other albums (including the earlier volumes in this series).
Regardless, Space 3: Beyond the Final Frontier is a fine collection,
offering satisfying and skillfully performed renditions of both contemporary
and classic SF movie melodies.
