Danny Elfman’s powerful greatly expanded 1999 horror soundtrack
on 4 CDs! Tim Burton directs, Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane, homicide
detective from Washington Irving’s legendary short story. Supporting players
include Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien,
Jeffrey Jones, plus Christopher Walken as the brutal Hessian headless horseman.
Kevin Yagher creates graphic prosthetics, intense film’s art direction wins an
Academy Award. Ichabod Crane, working outside New York City in 1799, brings new
forensic technology to solve mystery of numerous beheadings. Dark secrets,
conspiracies, complicated family history juxtaposes with frightening Tree of
Death and the headless mercenary roaming atop his black steed. It’s strong,
scary, violent stuff! Danny Elfman fashions arguably his biggest, most vividly
terrifying score, written for massive orchestra, chorus plus boys choir and
soloists, with pipe organ in tow. Elfman melds haunting lyricism with dynamic
power and dense intensity. Results are now gentle, now thundering. Epic indeed!
Adding further weight to score, Elfman creates several lengthy sequences: The
Tree Of Death, The Church Battle, The Windmill, The Chase and Final
Confrontation, plus others. Some 95 minutes of music appears in the finished
film. All of it appears on this 4-CD release. But there is much much more! Over
an hour of additional alternates and rescored sequences also appear. Some of
these offer considerably different takes on the same cue, others have rewritten
bars that offer subtler alterations. Rounding out lavish set is Elfman’s
original Hollywood label release with 68-minutes of score as presented by the
composer in 1999. Entire 4-disc set mastered from digital elements recorded by
Shawn Murphy & Jonathan Allen in London and mixed by Robert Fernandez in
New York. Sizeable orchestration duties handled by Conrad Pope, David Slonaker,
Albert Olson, Steve Bartek, Mark McKenzie, Marc Mann. Allan Wilson conducts,
choral work performed by Metro Voices and The London Oratory School SCHOLA.
Intrada presentation made possible through Hollywood Records and Paramount
Pictures. Dramatic package design by Kay Marshall, literate booklet notes by
Tim Greiving. Intrada 4-CD set available while quantities and interest remain!