October 22, 2013

  • CD Release of music from "Da Vinci's Demons"

    Earlier this year, Bear McCreary released a collection of music from Da Vinci’s Demons.  The music from this TV series about the great Florentine Renaissance inventor/artist is a sort of fictional fantasy-adventure now entering its second season.  The download presentation was a bit of a preview featuring 26 tracks.  Portions of that original review have been included for this overview of the physical CD release.  There are 12 additional tracks added to this Sparks and Shadows release.

    The present release is spread out over two discs with music organized across 8 episodes more clearly.  The main titles are fairly standard fare with an interesting sense of forward motion.  Episode 1, “The Hanged Man”, includes 10 selections from the episode and is the most substantial set of pieces collected from a single program next to those from Episode 7, “The Hierophant.”   The music blends both ancient and modern sounds quit intriguingly throughout the tracks presented here.   Disc one includes most of the music not available on the download edition.

    “Assassination in Milan” features Gregorian Chant with a growing percussive sound.  The chant-material (appearing elsewhere in “Prayer to Saint Michael,” “Misereis Omnium”, and “Easter Mass”), helps provide the appropriate backdrop to the religious scenarios and sequences.  McCreary’s engaging primary thematic idea provides a good glue that helps hold the various underscoring moments together.  There is a rather beautiful flowing moment in “Starlings” that stands out amidst often melodramatic musical sequences.  “Flight of the Columbina” is an example of the way McCreary blends orchestral writing, period rhythms and instrumental sounds, with a more contemporary electronic drum idea.  It is what manages to provide the contemporary connection to the fantasy unfolding on screen and it is all quite well done.  “Lucrezia Donati” provides lyrical cello writing with strings that then shifts into a beautifully written presentation of this more love theme material for flute with harp.  “Secret Archives” lends some of the more mysterious moments to the score with electronic effects entering the texture briefly.  The electronics tend to be rather restrained in this otherwise orchestral score and when they appear they tend to float in and out of the material rather naturally.  McCreary, creates equally creepy music for “Vlad the Third” through some rather unique orchestral combinations.  These moments are also balanced with Renaissance-styles and instruments often in period dance forms (“Ben Venga Maggio,” “Cheval Toutes”).  Interesting blends of orchestral dramatic underscoring are also coupled with choral writing (though not necessarily chant) with some period instrumentation in a rather fascinating track, “Treasures of the Vatican” (and later in “Visions and Demons” and “The Astrolabe” with telling effect), that ends with a bit of Irish folk rock interspersed with dissonant string glides.

    Da Vinci’s Demons is a chance for McCreary’s fans to hear his work in historical fantasy with flashes of period styles.  His fine thematic writing is on display throughout the ample amount of music included in the selections on this release.  For those who have the download, the CD set does allow for some additional musical material that will be welcome for the composer’s completists.  It is a well-produced collection of tracks all the same.