Search - Jerry Goldsmith, National Philharmonic Orchestra :: The Final Conflict: Original Motion Picture Score (Deluxe Edition)

Tremendous sonic improvement..and 12 minutes more!!

Joe Shafer | Lincoln, Nebraska | 10/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow! That's more like it! I cannot tell you what and improvement this deluxe edition is over the previous Varese release. The sound is about 50% better than before (and 12 minutes more..now 61 minutes!) In particular, the strings no longer have that "fuzzy" sound. Everything is greatly improved. There is a considerable difference in the quieter passages..the beginning of the Ambassador, the Trial Run, and the Hunt, etc. The louder passages are never abrasive or shrill...they were very good before..now, they are just right. The superb National Philharmonic Orchestra musicians(with outstanding performances excellently conducted by Lionel Newman) sound just like they do in the third "Omen" film. That amazing choir (the magnificent Amabrosian singers of about 40, I believe) sound much fuller and more present. Even the timpani solo in the first 10 seconds of the Main Title has more of a dynamic presence on this recording!
The score to this film is just o u t s t a n d i n g. Its contribution to this film is invaluable. Although I felt The Final Conflict was the weakest of the first 3 films (it does have its moments though), the true star of this movie was its score by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith. It is every bit as good as the Oscar winning The Omen (and Damien: Omen 2). There should have been an Academy Award nomination for this score, as well.
The highlights are abundant. Some of my top tracks (believe me, it's hard to pick 'em) are...Main Title, The Ambassador, Trial Run, A T.V. First, The Second Coming, The Hunt (thrilling is an understatement on this cue), The Blooding, The Iron, and the greatly expanded finale (8:32 vs. some 4:00 minutes on the first Varese edition!!)
If I had to pick a top 10 list of Goldsmith scores, this would definitely be on that list.
There should be top kudos for producer Robert Townson on the packaging and art work of the booklet. There are even some additional and welcome stills from the film that are included in the booklet. Liner notes by Robert Townson on this score are just commendable. Thanks Mr. Townson!
I just have one frustration..wish there had been an inclusion of about 3 more excellent cues (about 3 1/2 minutes)! These all involved the choir, too. Perhaps these would have put the budget over on this (surely) very expensive project."

Goldsmith's defining score

J. Bielawa | Monroe, CT United States | 11/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Goldsmith, one of the truely great musical geniuses of the 20th Century, gets one of his grandest and epic scores remastered into crystal clear CD quality.The Final Conflict is a grandiose body of music that is both terrifying and gorgeous, but always spiritual. The whole of it is weaved with the "Main Title" which starts with a resiliant brass fanfare that dips into a dark, gothic chanting pulse. This is reiterated as the Damien character's motif. Not only is it chilling to hear, it also sounds like a musical advancement for Goldsmith. The original Omen film had a simplicity to it, the second was slightly more complex and then this is even deeper still.The musical speak peaks several times in this score, a rarity in any type of body of music on a single CD. The first peak, aside from the Main Theme, is "The Second Coming" which introduces a gorgeous religioso/pastoral choir build that seems to be a beam of light on this CD. Imagine the brightest light possible, bursting through a hurricane's midnight dark sky, and you have the power of that track."The Hunt" is one of the composer's greatest chase themes. While not being either scary or uplifting, it is meerly epic. It has a repetive use of Damien's motif but also has it's own feeling. The repetative use of the theme does not grow old; instead it simply GROWS.The final track, aptly named after the film, is downright genius. The original cut did not have the opening chanting and such, instead cutting to the pastoral theme's opening timpani roll. This cut includes some rather evil and atmospheric music that slowly builds to a musical epiphany, truely the music suitable for the arrival of "The King of Kings". A sweeping, soulful and dramatic choir roll that spills into a reprise of the Main Title.Overall, the music is almost exhausting in it's beauty and scale.Also of note is an odd addition to the end of the CD. Following the End Title music on the last track, there is a bit of silence, followed by bizzare, frightening chanting. It sounds like one particuar voice is saying the "Ave Satani" chant from the original film, but it is too hard to make out under all those voices.All in all, this score demands to be in the shelves of every movie go-er EVER! Encore, Goldsmith, encore!"

Just Short Of Perfection

J. Bielawa | 11/04/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This has to be one of Jerry Goldsmith's best scores ever and in it's remastered form the majestic brilliance of this score is in its full glory. Unfortunately, Varese Sarabande decided not to include all the cues used in the movie, which are (times listed are from the movie):



1. When Damien tells Harvey Dean that the beast won't be destroyed at the second coming (00:07:51).



2. Damien and Kate are walking in the park and one of the priests is ranting about the celestial alignment foreshadowing the second coming (00:26:40).



3. Kate is arriving home and is surprised by Father De Carlo (1:09:58).



4. Peter follows Father De Carlo to Harvey Dean's house (01:18:44).



If Varese was going to go through the work of releasing a new version of this score, they should have made it truly complete as they did for Total Recall, hence my rating of 4 stars instead of 5. Other than that, this release is an absolute pleasure to own and listen to."