This
release, a symphonic suite version of several themes
from the 1997 movie played by the Czech Philharmonic
Orchestra, make a great companion to the movie's normal
soundtrack (TKCA-71168).
At first, there might be some initial doubt since
the first track, " Chapter I: The Tale of Ashitaka",
is very faithful to the original source. This might
sound good, but the disc has to diverge from the material
otherwise why not just listen to the actual soundtrack?
Thankfully, such doubt is quickly dispelled by the
rest of the CD. A number of these tracks are simply
incredible, especially the very rousing "Chapter
VII: Underworld ~ The Adagio of Life and Death",
which turns the original more melodramatic theme into
an almost march-like tune to great effect. Many of
the other tracks don't differ as dramatically as the
"Underworld" one, but some of these deviations
are nice and memorable, such as the triumphant and
boisterous swelling of the musical theme toward the
end of "Chapter IV: Princess Mononoke".
Overall, this won't, and shouldn't, replace the original
soundtrack. It's neither superior or inferior to the
original, and instead meets its desired objective:
it's different. Different enough to make fans of the
movie sated, yet similar enough to give the listener
a sense of familiarity as they listen to the CD. In
the end, fans of Joe
Hisaishi's phenomenal work on the film would be
will advised to check this release out.
As a side note, the initial printing of this CD came
with an alternate cover featuring the fog draped mountains
seen at the start of the movie.
This disc was re-released in the United States by
Milan Records in 2001.
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