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Davis begins his orchestra with a somewhat dark tinge. His churning strings and moaning French horns make a carefully metered multiple crescendo arrangement in the "Main Title." Davis then manages to create one of the most stirring and heroic moments of the score with "Bootleg Left" which coincides with an on-screen football game. Things really begin to sizzle around track 4. The strings section gets quite a workout here and Davis, quite possibly, does the most impressive job of musically creating the chaos associated with torrential rain storms and racing water. It is at this time when the, as I call it, "Big Trouble Theme" comes to the forefront. Darned if doesn't sound awfully close to the bad guy's motif that Horner used in his THE ROCKETEER, but it sure is effective the few times it arises. The source of this similarity most definitely lies in the fact that Davis was a long-time orchestrater of many of Horner's works. However, that one brief theme is where the two composers' similarity ends.
"The Wonder of Tao" begins the beautifully mystical journey into the essence of this work. Up until this point, the music has primarily centered around Ryan's delicate and lovely them. From here on out, Davis weaves his immense musical creativity into an incredibly thematic, complicated, and transcendent musical masterpiece. Action briefly takes over in track 6 where yet another facet of the score is unearthed. Directly following is the introduction of the bouncing and playful theme for Mudlap. Used mostly for comic relief in film, Davis' Mudlap theme serves an enjoyable lighthearted distraction at various times in the score. "The Lifespring Rhapsody" gives the listener their first glimpse of the Tao theme which is fully presented in "Theme of Tao/The Komodo Dragontrot." Like the other themes, including the other two themes discussed, it is carefully composed and stands apart from them yet still manages to remain similar in texture. Davis' talent for balancing themes is truly a modern marvel.
Having introduced us to the otherworldy and magical side of Tao, a darker side of the score muscles its way to the surface. This more shadowy element just manages to further heighten the lasting impact of the score. The Denver Symphony Orchestra and Chorus exhibits its immense collective talent quite noticeably during the most uplifting and most macabre portions of the score. WARRIORS OF VIRTUE gave Don Davis the opportunity, seeing as how the film has martial arts roots, to muster up some of the most energetic and original action music this listener has heard in a long time. "Tunnel of Blades" is a prime example of this complete with charging brass and a determined spirit. One of the things I like most about this score its ability to exhibit nearly every emotion and not come off feeling contrived or forced. Sadness reigns during "Farewell to Chung" which, if one were in the right frame of mind, could cause eyes to tear up. Lightspeed action is the name of the game during the next two tracks, but Davis never forgets his themes and puts them to astounding use.
As this CD goes on, you never want the music or magic to end, but it had to sometime.
"Ryan's Strengths" is a touching return to Ryan's theme, but, whereas it was forlorn and
hopeless sounding before, it now comes across as noble and sure-footed. This is a
creative and appropriate move by Davis. The score concludes with a wonderful reprise of
the "Tao Theme" which is a brilliant way to bring this score to a close. I must say one
thing pertaining to the enjoyment of this masterwork. Don Davis composed and meshed his themes so
intricately that one can only put them together with multiple listenings. Best estimate, I
have most likely listened to this score over 15 times before this review was written. I
could have composed it earlier, but it has really grown on me. WARRIORS OF VIRTUE
has made its way into my top 5 favorite soundtracks of all time and that is a difficult
position to clench. Being as that may, seek this complete Prometheus score release out (not the
song/score compilation) to hear what I mean. Don Davis, along side David Arnold, is the
most talented young composer to come along in ages. This music is proof of
that.
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