Soundtrack

The latest CD release reviewed

MARCELO ZARVOS & BRUCE FOWLER
The Good Shepherd Varese Sarabande ****

Composers Marcelo Zarvos (Hollywoodland) and Bruce Fowler create a brooding and evocative score for Robert DeNiro's new film about the CIA's turbulent Cold War history. Both newcomers write dense orchestral passages with long melodic lines and solemn timbre (with an emphasis on strings, piano, harp, flute and percussion). Zarvos's spare minimalism and delicate colours merge effortlessly with Fowler's pulsing chromaticism and swing-band pastiche. The dynamic integration of their distinct voices and approaches - as well as the blending of source material from Tchaikovsky, Gilbert & Sullivan, Irving Berlin and Arvo Pärt - make The Good Shepherd both a remarkable score and memorable soundtrack. www.varesesarabande.com