The Time Traveler's Wife Soundtrack Review
Understated, Soothing Romance Score by Mychael Danna
Sep 30, 2009
Mychael Danna, known as a gifted film composer with many impressive scores to his credit, is nonetheless not known for straightforward works of orchestral romance. Perhaps the closest to this style in his career is Being Julia, a lovely period work, but largely his scores are of a specialty nature, from the ethnically authentic Ararat and historically thorough The Nativity Story to the curiously fluid Surf’s Up, among many others.
Thus, to hear him score a fantasy-romance film, for which little special innovation or ethnic flavor is required, is a surprise and a novelty, and while one might expect his penchant for memorable, flowing themes to serve him well in The Time Traveler’s Wife, he instead opts for a more subtle, understated approach, with glistening electronics giving his beautiful orchestral ensemble an uneasy edge.
Soft, Contemplative Orchestral Tones in Danna's Score
Danna’s score is soundly based around a traditional orchestral ensemble, but there are few moments during its running time when the volume of the score reaches any significant level. Instead the score largely maintains a soft, contemplative tone, with even the darkest, most horrific passages of the music remaining broodingly soft (as in the latter portion of “I Never Had a Choice”).
For the most part, the music is pleasantly harmonic and gracefully fluid in its somber meanderings. Thematic references are few and slight, although several different instrumental accents act as motifs, occurring regularly: one such motif is a rippling synthetic effect, playing along with Gamelan bowls, which represents the ominous, ever-present possibility of accidental time travel in the story. Heard often in the majority of cues, this motif has a definite quality of causing a sense of unease, and even suspense.
Themes, Motifs and Styles in The Time Traveler's Wife
While themes and motifs are present, it would be a mistake to expect them to show up with any regularity or even much clarity, which is a shame given the score’s inherent (if lonesome and tragic) beauty: this is definitely a score which would have been well served by a few enchanting, full-ensemble performances of a well-developed romantic theme.
As it is, tender, high-range piano solos offer cascades of occasional warmth (“It’s a Girl”), while sonorous cello and woodwind performances are impressive and extremely soothing in their quiet sincerity (“Meadow”). Perhaps the most winning representation of all these elements can be heard in the seventh cue on the album, “I Don’t Feel Alone Anymore,” a highlight of the score.
Outside References & Similarities
The high-range piano, slightly odd percussive and synthetic effects, and overall long-lined emotional tone of the album will perhaps remind many film score collectors in an oblique way of Thomas Newman’s music, though it lacks the melodic resonance heard in most of Newman’s scores.
The traditional German Christmas carol, “Es Ist Ein Ros” (heard briefly at the very beginning of the album) is reprised to extremely lovely effect in the montage cue “Five Years,” and it makes one wonder how much more delightful this score could have been with a consistent melodic center.
Summary
As it is, the score is a fluid and generally very pretty work, and a solid acquisition for any fan of Mychael Danna. Thematic consistency and clarity issues notwithstanding, it is a lovely if somewhat depressing and downbeat score with flashes of twinkling optimism: its strengths are barely more than its weaknesses, and while some may find it uninteresting and underdeveloped, others may discover an intelligent orchestral gem of shimmering beauty and rare character.
Reservedly recommended.
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