The Shipping News review

The Shipping News (2001)

Composer: Christopher Young

Number of tracks: 16

Total time: 46:10

Overview:

Christopher Young typically isn't the first name to pop into someone's head when you mention Celtic flavored scores for dramas. Best known for his amazing work in the Horror film genre, Young surprised most mainstream listeners in 2001 with his score to Lasse Halstrom's adaptation of The Shipping News. The story revolves around a newspaper reporter named Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) who returns to his ancestral home in Newfoundland and begins a new life in the small town of Killick-Claw.

The film gave Young the perfect opportunity to delve into Celtic flavored dramatic scoring, which was all the rage after a small film in 1997 about a sinking ship made this style popular. Needless to say, Young delivers a knockout score with much more authentic feeling Celtic overtones than his contemporaries' efforts.

Review of the music:

Young centers the score of The Shipping News around two primary themes: an overall Main theme and a touching piece for the romance that enters the story later on. The Main theme is introduced immediately in "The Shipping News" with Uillean pipes, fiddle and Penny whistle performing with the main assemble over a bed of lite percussion. This theme is heard several times throughout the album, though its performances typically stick with the ensemble and is rarely heard on solo instruments.

The secondary theme, or Romance theme, is introduced in "Weather Rhymes" on cello and acoustic guitar. A lovely Penny whistle version of the theme is heard in the second part of "Killick-Claw Harbor" before it gets a more sorrowful rendition in "One Kite Better" and "Alwyn Spires." The Romance theme finally acts as a prologue to the Main theme in the closing "Sail On" cue.

Along with the two principle themes, there are several cue highlights as well. A sprightly jig offers a fun surprise in "Dutsi Jig" while Young's more suspense-esque sensibilities come to play in the darker tracks "Seal Flipper Pie", "Mooncussers", "Asleep with the Angel" and "Dog on Fire". The sole action cue on the album, "Death Storm", is yet another easy highlight with its driving percussion and full fledged rendition of the Main theme. A more upbeat tune is introduced in "The Gammy Bird" and reappears a few times later on the album.

Closing thoughts:

This is another work by Young that is very enjoyable and easy to get lost in. While he is most known for his horror scores, Mr. Young has shown time and time again that he is proficient in most genres of film. The Shipping News only helps to prove that point.

While the use of authentic pipes and woodwinds throughout the score may be a detriment to some listeners, this is definitely a score worth checking out. It might not be Young's greatest score, but it certainly ranks among his top efforts. Highly recommended.

Score:

4 1/2 out of 5