The latest series of compilation discs coming from Silva continues an impressive string of releases from the label.  Though quite short, even by the label’s standards, this collection of music from various Batman-themed music for TV, film, and animated outings is a tremendous overview of great music.

Some of the music on this release has appeared before and features Nic Raine conducting the City of Prague orchestra through music by Danny Elfman for Batman and Batman Returns.  The music from Batman appears to be a version of an earlier suite on a Silva compilation re-tracked for individual cues.  The possibility of it being a recent recording of the music is slightly likely, but if these are older recordings they appear to include some corrected intonation and rhythmic issues which cropped before. 

James Fitzpatrick appears on to conduct the newer and second portion of the disc in some quite enticing selections.  The “Batterdamerung & Mouth to Mouth Nocturne” make up a brief selection from Batman Forever.  It is quite well-played as is the following “Main Titles & Fanfare” from Batman and Robin (which is music that also appeared in Batman Forever with some alteration).  These two Goldenthal selections make you wish the composer was more active, and even that his music might find its way onto a fuller overview on the present label.

Of additional interest will be the music from Shirley Walker’s wonderful score to Batman—Mask of the Phantasm presented here as a all too brief collection of three cues.  If you have not heard Christopher Drake’s score for the more recent Batman—Gotham Knight you will be in for a treat as the composer’s samples and synths are translated into their full orchestral and choral components proving just what a great score he created for the direct-to-DVD animated film.

Finally, the disc concludes with two tracks devoted to the “original” Adam West TV show whose theme provides a fitting conclusion to the disc, but not before a performance of Nelson Riddle’s “Main Titles” for Batman—The Movie.  These are both performed by the London Music Works which here appears to be a live ensemble under the direction of arranger Evan Jolly.  The performance of the TV theme is a definite improvement over Silva’s previous orchestral release on an old Cult Favorites compilation.

Easily recommended for fans of the Batman films.

The Dark Knight **1/2

HANS ZIMMER / JAMES NEWTON HOWARD...ET AL

Warner Sunset/Warner Bros. 511101-2

14 tracks – 73:37

You would need to be living under a very big rock to miss the conversation about Christopher Nolan’s little sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight.  Once again Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard return to co-composer the score for the film and a host of “additional music by” folks are along for the ride.  Like much film music criticism, we often get the score disc before the film has arrived in theaters.  What that does is give us a chance to hear the score on its own merits apart from the film.  While the Zimmer/Howard Batman theme returns here as a glue to the proceedings, this is one disc that needed perhaps to be pared down a bit the way scores were released several years ago since variety is not necessarily the spice of this score.

Unlike the odd bat titles for the last score release, this one has more narrative title hints.  The music of “Why So Serious?” has a constant rhythmic underpinning with strings (mostly in long pedal points or in crescendo/decrescendo sound arcs) and acid rock guitar riffs that no doubt compete with much of the special effects in the film.  If nothing else the track will give your audio system a real work out as some segments are so low in the bass range that they are felt more than heard.  At some nine minutes, this track more than overstays its welcome.  This bleeds into the second track, “I’m Not a Hero,” which continues the minimalist pulse (which works well in this texture) and the hints of the Batman theme from Batman Begins.  Most of the time the patterns are grouped in sets of four often shifting subtly.  Sound design elements are also present throughout utilized here more like another color of the orchestra, though like much phone-a-friend film music this is not terribly interesting.  Percussionists will no doubt find the incessant drumming throughout the score fascinating as it dominates.  The action sequences have more of a Zimmer-esque quality to them.  When the orchestral colors appear the disc becomes mildly more interesting but much of these large action sequences seem to be composed in sound blocks with little inner instrumental interest.

In “Harvey Two Face” a new thematic idea appears cast with strings and a piano idea that sounds more like something from Howard’s contribution.  This is soon overtaken by the pounding and low bass sound and sampling with acoustic instruments that at one point sounds like a thematic idea that could have come from the pen of Howard Shore.  The Batman theme returns at the end of this track making it the most interesting musically demonstrating that these are both composers that can shape music over extended sequences and create engaging music, at least on CD.  “Aggressive Expansion” follows returning us to the driving rhythms and hints of the Batman theme again.  It is an apt title that could be applied to much of the score in comparison to the previous one.  When the nervous string energy appears underneath thematic fragments, or underlying the appearance of themes, the score is at its strongest and most interesting.  The midpoint of the disc, “Like a Dog Chasing Cars,” allows us finally to hear a fuller version of the Batman theme in all its Zimmer-esque glory.  Within the five-minute playing time, this track manages to show off the newer guitar-influenced dynamic shifts and some of the drumming ideas allowing an aural overview of the other scores’s focus with the newer orchestral ideas added here.  The final title track is a 16-minute overview of the score providing occasional tender approaches to the Batman theme which then grow into more heroically scored segments.  It makes for an apt conclusion to a somewhat overlong disc.

Overall, The Dark Knight is either an exhausting or exhilarating piece of movie scoring depending on your personal taste.  Some tracks are self-contained, but as has been the case with several of Zimmer’s scores, many segue immediately into the next track.  It does play well as an extension/continuation of the previous film’s score which is perhaps a better way to experience the music more fully as knowledge of the first score will improve one’s enjoyment of The Dark Knight.

As we saw earlier in the year with Ironman, it is becoming increasingly difficult for composers to provide scores that can do much other than ratchet up the volume and bleed our ears dry in the theater.  Sequenced samples, drum loops and occasional small motivic ideas are the rule.  In The Dark Knight even two of Hollywood’s A-list composers have little chance to develop real themes for characters.  The difference is that when they do we get some strong thematic content that lifts the score above the generic if only for a moment.  The label has a website for the score as well:  www.TheDarkKnightScore.com.