The Belly of an Architect [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (2000)

The soundtrack for the film of the same name by Peter Greenaway is largely the work of Dutch composer Wim Mertens, though the most interesting music is that of Glenn Branca, here in a supporting role. With the film's references to Baroque England, it's not surprising that Mertens' score makes many references to same, including the use of harpsichords and brass groupings, but the forced marriage between this style and the composer's tendency towards Philip Glass-type minimalism is uncomfortable. His melodies have a cloying ... Read More

The soundtrack for the film of the same name by Peter Greenaway is largely the work of Dutch composer Wim Mertens, though the most interesting music is that of Glenn Branca, here in a supporting role. With the film's references to Baroque England, it's not surprising that Mertens' score makes many references to same, including the use of harpsichords and brass groupings, but the forced marriage between this style and the composer's tendency towards Philip Glass-type minimalism is uncomfortable. His melodies have a cloying sweetness that the introduction of faux-Elizabethan flourishes does nothing to suppress. On the other hand, American maverick composer Glenn Branca's pieces for string orchestra (quite different from his guitar symphonies) is striking, original, and refreshingly brutal. The disc, oddly, opens and closes with the exact same short piece, "Augustus," a deliciously brooding and romantic composition. This and the penultimate track, a longer string exposition of enticing roughness and mystery, almost make up for excess of cotton candy they sandwich. Branca fans will want to hear this work; they may simply have to judiciously employ the track selection device on their CD player. ~ Brian Olewnick, Rovi Read Less

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2014, UPC: 5051442334722 CD See All	2014, UPC: 8718469534425 LP See All
2010, UPC: 8012957002725 CD See All from $25.27	2000, UPC: 5413303208137 CD See All
UPC: 5425034350467 See All	UPC: 5425034350054 CD See All