Race - Rachel Portman |
3/4/16 |
No pressure.
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What You Will Hear: A little bit of blues guitar and light relaxed piano quickly give way to a thoughtful but proud orchestra. Not your standard Portman sound.
Standout Tracks: Race Opening Titles, Three World Records, U.S. Olympic Vote, Training, Avery Visits Berlin, The 200m Final, Arrival At The Games, The Final Event, Please Take Your Last Jump, You Made History Will You Be Humming Along? There is a rising three note figure that will easily become familiar. 
Three note cell used in a variety of styles and moods.
The album this makes me want to dust off: The Greatest Game Ever Played – Brian Tyler
Will I come back to it? “Wait, this is Rachel Portman?” – Me after the first 20 seconds of listening. I was so surprised by the opening track, and loved the blues inspired sound that Portman opens with. I wish this style had been a centerpiece of the experience, but the rest of Race is more orchestral. That one complaint out of the way, there is a lot to like here. As the story’s turmoil develops, the piano and dark strings (+ occasional brass and guitar) keep the mood tense. Tracks like “Avery Visits Berlin” and “The Olympic Stadium” are simple but perfectly imperious when considering the subject matter. The reality of the events being depicted have created a welcome mix of the lovely Portman scores we already know and a more aggressive soundscape than her fans are accustomed to. There are quite a few uplifting moments, but Race is dominated by a feeling of impending disaster or failure. As the story concludes, the final tracks are appropriately uplifting. In a film about a sports (and cultural) hero, one would expect the big moments to be the most memorable. They’re not. It’s the more foreboding elements of planning to take on Nazi culture that will stick with me. |
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