I have no idea if the format of this album is a first for Morricone. Two
generously lengthy suites seems more up Hans Zimmer’s strasse. The film
all but tossed out the score, as reflected on a rap CD that you could easily
purchase in error. I’m sure that contributed in some way to editing
the material together like this. The effect is astonishing.
"Suite One: BULWORTH Part 1" is a bittersweet adagio for the most part of
its near 18 minutes. Four times in its duration, the voices of Amii Stewart
and Edda Dell’Orso melt in with solo performances almost leaning toward
gospel in their variation on the long-line melody. Towards the end, tremolo
strings announce the lead-in towards the protracted climax. It culminates
in the only vocal on disc - "Where is he?" - which is almost unintelligibly
drawn out. A better title could probably have explained that all this angst
describes Senator Bullworth’s suicidal tendencies.
"Suite Two: BULWORTH Part 2" isn’t a much better title either ! In diametric
opposition, this lengthier cue (24:41, and not 23:41 as credited) is an amalgam
of the heated chase once Bullworth’s mistakes begin to follow him and
the dangerous possibilities that threaten. Here the Morricone of the Spaghetti
genre is perceivable, blended with a sound reminiscent of his The
Untouchables march. About a third of the suite is made up by a charging
repeating and accumulative phrase for piano, horn, guitar, and strings playing
in an infectious staccato fashion.
The remaining material might be a little harder on the ear. Several dirge-like
interludes quite spoil the momentum of the ‘chase’ material. Also
some heavily atonal passages. The grand finish is again a protracted piece
on high-end strings, low-end piano, and skittering bass guitar. In fact,
it’s a rather scary effect !
Neither suite references the other. Presumably that is intentional, considering
the smaller tracks could have been edited together in all manner of different
ways. So in all, it’s quite an aural test in many ways. I hope I can
say I ‘passed’ by saying I enjoyed it immensely.
Reviewer
Paul Tonks
OST
