The Twilight Saga: New Moon - The Score

I must say first that I am stunned by the negative reviews for this score and the calls to bring Carter Burwell back (and to the reviewer hawking her own music while negatively reviewing this one...is this to give you more cred or what? It made me dismiss your review out-of-hand). Burwell did a nice score for Twilight and it was fine for that movie (although rather repetitive and insubstantial), but Alexandre Desplat brings the score for New Moon to a whole new level. This is a gorgeous score that gripped me from the opening title of the movie to the very end. I agree with those who state it is haunting - it is. It beautifully accents the sadness of love lost in this movie. When I first listened to the soundtrack and heard Desplat's "The Meadow (New Moon)" I was thrilled he was scoring this movie. BTW, in keeping with the soundtrack's goal to have all the songs unique to that album, "The Meadow" is not repeated on this one but the beautiful theme certainly is.

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The New Moon score is much more complex, more traditionally classical than Twilight's score. Alexandre Desplat really tells the story of New Moon and brings the emotions of Bella, Edward, and Jacob to life through his music. "Volturi Waltz" is disturbing, as it should be. "Bella Dreams" and "Victoria" are particularly moving. "Full Moon" in particular really brings the anticipation, anguish, hope, and love of the story together. The other reviews were correct to call this score haunting.

I don't know what to say... But I'll try anyways. Every so often, a piece of music comes along that's so special... so beautiful and so provocative that it falls into the uppermost echelon of music I call "classic" or even "timeless." A few (of the many) examples are "The Time Machine" by Klaus Badelt "The Empire Strikes Back" by John Williams "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman and "Braveheart" by James Horner. Well, it's time to add another one to the list... Twilight: New Moon.

Although this score is VERY unlike the superb original by Carter Burwell, it more than manages to hold it's own. Drawing from a rich and passionate well of romantic orchestra, Desplat makes good on creating a gothic soundscape not unlike the life-force of the "Twilight" series itself. The themes presented here of meaty, full of emotion and orchestrated in perfect balance. I'm a film composer and an orchestrator, and nothing in 2009 has inspired me to pay more...Read more