[Michael Martin]

The IMDB has Lisa Gerrard, formerly of Dead Can Dance and contributor to numerous soundtracks (Gladiator being the best-known) and Rachel Portman as the creators of the score for Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

A combo like that has great potential to construct a classic score. I'm hoping the music for the latest trailer for the movie is actually from the score - it sure sounds like Lisa Gerrard's voice.

Two links for the trailer:

Yahoo's page

Direct link

Mods - links are included soley for readers to see it and hear the music I reference above. Not trying to make this a thread about the movie itself.

[ThomasC]

Yeah, I think the music featured in the last two trailers were made for the movie. If the rest of the music is like that, I can't wait to hear it.

[Peter Apruzzese]

The score is being done by John Debney. The latest trailer only lists him as being the composer and not Portman & Gerrard.

Excerpts from an article on the Music from the Movies website:

Quote:

Despite what has been reported previously, Mel Gibson's much debated film about Jesus, The Passion Of The Christ, will get an original score composed by John Debney! This sensational news was confirmed to Music from the Movies today by Debney's agent, who just got back from London where he had been attending the recording sessions. A lot of rumours have surrounded the choice of composer for the film, which is set to open in the US on 25th February. At this point, no music by Lisa Gerrard, who was attached to the project earlier, is in the film.

[Michael Martin]

Quote:

The score is being done by John Debney. The latest trailer only lists him as being the composer and not Portman & Gerrard.

That sucks. Debney's done some good trailer music, and his score for Scorpion King was fairly good, but that's an entirely different kind of movie.

Dang. Gerrard and Portman on the film would have been just awesome.

[Michael Martin]

Cinescape's review of the score is up. Here is an excerpt:

Quote:

Debney has crafted a stunning and intricate mosaic which vividly captures the period, the place, and the passion that Gibson’s actively embraces. From the respectful piety of Rozsa, the melancholy of Newman, the jagged motifs of Jarre, the disturbing ambiences of Peter Gabriel, and the rhythmic melodies of Patrick Williams, music for films about Jesus have always seemed to inspire respectful and poignantly dramatic musical compositions. Emphasizing strings and voices and appropriate ethnic instruments of the place and time, Debney joins these ranks and crafts a living musical backdrop for this Tale of Tales. Debney builds a primary theme rich in pathos and integrity, seemingly capturing both the humanity and godliness embodied within the Nazarene carpenter. It’s a very honest score – there are no stereotypical angelic choruses or stock heavenly choirs; rather Debney has unleashed his considerable musical sensitivity to develop a composition that reflects much of the character of Christ himself – the music is reverent yet humble, steadfast yet uneasy, tortured yet resilient, rich with enduring love. The music paints with broad strokes as well as with intricate and detailed stipplings the powerful story of Christ’s last dozen hours, and Debney captures the texture of the wet wood of the cross and the dusty, dirty Jerusalem hillsides in his acoustic orchestrations, enhanced by low choral vocals pounding percussion, and blaring winds in "The Cross is Raised" and "Jesus is Carried Down."

Full review can be found here

[Rich Malloy]

Hearing Gibson's intentions in making this film, I'm surprised he had it scored at all. Introducing an artificial element like a music score can certainly heighten emotional resonance, but can also detract from a film's realism.... and utter realism is what I thought Gibson was after.

In other words, I'm surprised any non-diegetic sounds would be used in this film.

[Michael Martin]

Quote:

...and utter realism is what I thought Gibson was after.

I'm not so sure, since he's been very open about making artistic choices with the story (the personification of Satan, using the visions of Catholic mystics to expand the story). I think he wanted the production details to be realistic - wardrobe, buildings, and, of course, the physical effects of scourging and crucifixion. But even the trailers depict a stylized, artistic interpretation of the event, and having a score would be part of that.

But now, reading your post, I'm worried about the score being TOO intrusive, and find the idea of the movie having no score at all a pretty cool one.