Solar Crisis (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Premiere release of dynamic, intense Maurice Jarre soundtrack for epic sci-fi tale of sun flare-up threatening all life on Earth, efforts to detonate an anti-matter bomb on sun's surface in response. Charlton Heston leads, with support from Tim Matheson, Peter Boyle, Jack Palance. Produced by Richard Edlund, financed by Japan publishing house Gakken alongside NHK Enterprises, less than successful project finds Richard A. Sarafian withdrawing credit as director after post-production tampering, assigning credit to familiar Director's Guild pseudonym "Alan Smithee". Score by Jarre also gets considerable tampering with during post-production, dropping cues, repeating others, moving them about, severely trunctating Jarre's strong musical architecture. (Some sequences were even re-scored by Michael Boddicker.) Intrada CD presents all of Jarre's cues intact. Many of them were composed with key structure, motivic material designed to flow from one sequence to the next, allowing for lengthy sequences with strong musical continuity. Orchestration is unique: Brass, percussion plus electronics get spotlight, with electronic valve instrument (EVI) creating very striking solo color. Hot, blazing, exciting! Highlights are many but somber, elegiac "Meek's Demise" stands out with solo cello over orchestra adding intense level of emotion. Capturing the biggest applause is magnificent finale to the action ("Alex Sees The Light") with pulse-quickening Orff-like chorus added to massive orchestra. Stirring "End Credits" brings everything to powerhouse finish! Intrada CD presents score from original digital two-track stereo session mixes. Jim Lochner offers insights to production, music, Joe Sikoryak wraps everything in handsome packaging. Maurice Jarre conducts.