Extraordinary music for an extraordinary film. The Truman Show certainly
deserves its popularity a thought provoking and biting satire on the insidious
effect that television has on our lives. A round the clock soap; the ultimate
in voyeurism.
This new CD sets the scene, in cue 1, with the narration that is included
after Dallwitz's portentous cavernously-deep fanfare, "1.7 billion were there
for his birth; 220 countries tuned in for his first step, the world stood
still for that stolen first kiss... and as he grew so did the technology
...an entire human life recorded on an intricate network of hidden cameras
and broadcast live and unedited 24 hours a day, seven days a week to an audience
around the globe...from Seahaven Island, in the largest studio ever constructed
- and, along with the Great Wall of China, only one of two man made structures
visible from space. Now in its 30th great year - It's the Truman Show!"
It seems extraordinary that Philip Glass's music was not used entirely for
this film. But it has to be said that the music of Burkhard Dallwitz fits
in seamlessly with Glass's material. Dallwitz was born near Frankfurt Germany
in 1959. He travelled to Australia when he was twenty and studied at Melbourne's
Latrobe University studying advanced composition. He then went on to score
for Australian films and television. His contribution to The Truman Show
is music of striking originality and potency quite unlike most film scores.
He catches the awe of the world-wide interest in The Truman Show but
he also suggests the monotony in its round the clock absorbtion in music
that is almost primitive for in more than one track there is an emphasis
on African or aboriginal drums and rhythmic hand clapping. But the listener
is constantly captivated by Dallwitz's colourful, kaleidoscopic sonorities
Philip Glass's contribution is a mix of a two or three cues of original music
and material which he had previously composed such as "Living Waters" and
"The Beginning" from Anima Mundi and Anthem - Part 2 from
Powaqqatsi. Of his original music, "Truman Sleeps" is a soothing lyrical
piece for solo piano, "Raising the Sail" is a rather sad yet haunting (that
is, when the piano enters) Glass inspiration for keyboards and electronically
muffled strings; and "Dreaming of Fiji" is very much in the same mode but
with a rather catchy, slightly Celtic-sounding melody.
The CD also includes the second movement from Chopin's Piano Concerto No.
1 played by Artur Rubinstein.
Reviewer
Ian Lace
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