PM deploys effective themes for characters, settings and general ideals, rather like the
Star Wars series. There is even a subdued but slightly silly theme for the Ewok analogs, the bobble-headed Kodoma. In a movie with lepers as secondary characters, even a little comic relief can go a long way.
The theme for the princess herself is initially played on solo wind instruments and strings. Later it is reprised by a wistful soprano vocalist. It's a simple theme, but by the third or fourth time you hear it, it has become surprisingly effective. The vocal version presented here (Cue 31, in English) is abbreviated to only a minute and a half; the original Japanese version is substantially longer, and one has to wonder why it wasn't included.
Music for an animated worldAfter an initial statement of the main theme, the first third or so of the CD is comprised largely of brooding underscore cues. As in many film scores, these establish mood more than they provide melody. This is not to say that they're bad or boring; far from it. In fact, one of them, "The Battle Drums," Cue 20, is among my favorites here.
There is a great deal of struggle and strife in the film, but there aren't many action cues
per se in the album. Some of the cues, such as the demon theme tracks, are too thick with other moods to be considered simple action music despite their drama and the use of thundering Kodo drums. Chief among these is "The Furies," Cue 13, and "The Battle Drums," mentioned above.
Like something off of Mickey Hart's great album
Planet Drum, this cue is purely percussion, performed mostly on taiko, but it's surprisingly melodic and moving for all that. It's a real gem, and it shows how wide-ranging Hisaishi's ability is. Another highlight is a lovely solo in Cue 30, "Ashitaka and San," another setting for the Ashitaka theme.
There is a second album of
PM music from Milan, containing symphonic suites of Hisashi's music performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. These full-length suites are played out without being cut into cue-length pieces. It's a much more symphonic presentation than what is presented here and is certainly interesting on its own.
Not much in the way of extras come with this CD ... the fold-out booklet contains just a poem about the princess, a few small shots from the film and a bare-bones listing of credits. So you'll have to get your jollies pretty much from the music. Fortunately, this isn't all that hard to do. —Al
