HOWARD SHORE | Eastern Promises

Rarely, when going through the process of listening to an original score for the first time, there comes a single moment that the sounds filling the room actually force me turning to the direction of their source: the speakers. Halfway down Howard Shore’s latest dramatic effort, Eastern Promises, and while I was already deeply charmed by what had preceded, I became instantly taken by an indescribably ethereal and breathtakingly beautiful Russian hymn sung by male choir and accompanied smoothly, almost silently, by ethnic plucked and strummed instruments.

That was it; through “Slavery And Suffering “ - that musical piece of singular, sacred quality - I instantly knew that a new born musical marvel was graciously waiting to be explored, making me deeply aware of, but simultaneously grateful for, this rare opportunity.

Howard Shore is a composer who needs no introduction; his infrequent compositional abilities and impressive musicianship have crafted some of film music’s most notable works, crowned by the case of the Academy Award winning Lord of the Rings scores which were to further establish his name in the area and also draw vast attention to the rest of his works’ body.

A frequent collaborator of one of our times’ most gifted director, David Cronenberg, Shore had been also assigned to provide the music for the former’s latest crime drama. Admittedly his most approachable – but still of great quality – film to date, Eastern Promises stars Vincent Cassel, Naomi Watts and yet another frequent Cronenberg teammate, Viggo Mortensen and tells the story of the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is tied to one of London's most notorious organized crime families who must put into motion a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution in order to save the family.

Described by many as a modern take on the Godfather with exceptional acting, Eastern Promises evidently provided a great opportunity for Howard Shore to stun us once again. Passing through the first couple of pieces on the album, one finds the strongest elements of the score all concentrated and brought forth through this set of astonishing opening tracks; firstly we meet the main theme, essentially a moderate melody in 3/4 performed by the gaspingly beautiful violin of Nicola Benedetti, a Scottish violinist and John Tavener collaborator, accompanied by waltz string pizzicati and clarinet embellishments. Strings that work beautifully connecting the melodic lines through refined and elegant bridges and chords can be found below, whilst around the middle, the tone shifts into darker and intense. Carried on repeated string arpeggios and discreet contrapuntal elements through the different voices, Shore displays his advanced compositional writing and specifically the gift for complex but meaningful contrapuntal manipulation of the melodic line. It's been done densely in the past, throughout his entire filmography, but especially in his work for The Aviator. This time, although significantly in lighter doses than the later, Eastern Promises stands particularly enriched by Shore’s adherence on the said technique.

Proceeding further and after the impressive beginning, comes the score’s brightest highlight: the piece entitled “Tatiana”. A dramatically intense and emotionally charged violin performance over steadily rhythmic and underlying string chords leads, up until a masterfully technical violin solo without accompaniment stands out in the middle of the piece. In a collection of breathtaking moments, the violinist - resembling various violin concerti cadenzas from the classical era repertoire – carries the whole essence of this very score through his purely elegant and emotionally charged playing. Soon enough, the piece turns into a vividly rhythmic and colorful Russian orchestral dance, crowned yet again by a concluding performance of the main theme.

The rest mostly flows along in the same vein through various pieces that resemble and re-render the already given thematic material, passing it through several instrumental teams and soli, with the exception of “Anna Khitrova”, a 3-part metred dance (8/8 with an integral division of 3+3+2) and of a distinct Russian color, led by the violin and engulfed in ethnic instruments with a Ravel-like essence of pure, raw beauty. Also added in the list of non-standard pieces for this score is the one and only darker orchestral piece with elements of thriller, which Shore however avoids fusing standard compositional devices for the genre with and also enriches its darkness with the intriguing presence of the violin.

In an era of “fast-food” entertainment and socialization techniques and a time of quickly consumed, shallow arts, Shore's latest discriminates itself as a singularly inspired orchestral work of beauty; a rare antidote against the coarse and cheap noise of our times.

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