Mein Herz in Chile
Marius Felix Lange
" Nice enough effort has one problem, it's way too long "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Mein Herz in Chile (My Heart in Chile) is a German Television movie that centers around the Chilean Military coup in 1973, offering a combination of political history, thrill and romance. For the music German composer Marius Felix Lange wrote a pretty interesting score, which was released by Alhambra Records in 2008. All in all, it's hard to tell you something about the composer or the film, but the music and the various selections speak for themselves, and it's pretty easy to identify which way the music's heading once you start dissecting the track titles (meaning I made it easier for you and had them translated to English (thanks to the wonderful people at Alhambra Records).
For me, the winner is what opens the score. A theme that tells you it's there, a theme that isn't particularly original but one that fulfills its role powerfully enough nonetheless. It's what opens Mein Herz in Chile in style. "Prologue" is to the point, potent and carrying that undeniable ethnic quality that lures us immediately to the South American border, noticeable once the theme undergoes an exotic guitar laden vocal performance in "Lejos de Chile".
The score is packed with dramatic / romantic moments, often enhanced by piano, solo violin or guitar, infusing enough heart and passion to the cues. Like the lovely feeling when "Laura Remembers Chile" or the wonderful epic explosion of the theme in "Chile", one of the album's best moments. And even though those lovely moments do feature too much the one and the same theme, Lange luckily lets them be heard through various instruments. Like the wonderful on edge atmosphere during "Carlos meets Laura" (unleashing for the first time the love theme), the lovely dramatic ethnic material during "Dona Salina's Funeral", or when both themes make one final impact during "Laura and Carlos".
Though everything is melodic enough to listen to, Mein Herz in Chile is also too long for its own good. The occasional action pieces do wonders for the diversity, but lack perhaps the epic feeling that we did receive with the main theme. It's more suspenseful on edge material that effectively tells us who is in what specific danger, but "Isabel's Escape" lacks the epic oomph that I was expecting once I started dreaming away through the epic main theme. And strangely, that epic'ness arrives mere minutes later in "VEN" when choir builds to a potent conclusion. Somehow I wished this would have been triggering the action instead.
In general, Mein Herz in Chile is perfectly suitable, powerful enough when the theme makes an entrance and in a way there's enough instrumental variation to keep you satisfied for 35 to 45 minutes. But that's the limit, because after a while you begin to notice it misses something, like several additional themes, or different musical approaches. Now you're left with a theme that keeps making some kind of impact, but it sadly can't keep filling one cue after another. I like this score, but not in this kind of length. So for people who want to hear more of German composers will find enough melodic craftsmanship to like Mein Herz in Chile, but listening to it again in full might be stretching it.
Track Listing
1. Prologue (1.15)
2. "Lejos de Chile" (1.24)
3. The Letter (1.40)
4. Laura Remembers Chile (1.27)
5. Chile (4.51) Excellent track
6. Memory of Carlos (0.33)
7. Carlos meets Laura (2.10)
8. Ricardo, The Taxi Driver (1.17)
9. Laura's Secret & Isabel' s First Meeting With her Grandma (2.03)
10. Legacy (1.29)
11. Dona Salina is Dead (1.09)
12. Laura's Nightmare (1.18)
13. Dona Salina's Funeral (3.14)
14. "A Donde Vas" (1.54)
15. Isabel's Escape (2.29)
16. "VEN!" (2.09) Excellent track
17. Carlos Sanchez is Isabel's Father (0.48)
18. Laura Goes to Elsa (1.26)
19. Memory (2.58)
20. Isabel Sees her Father Carlos (0.56)
21. Carlos Remembers the Coup (3.00)
22. Isabel Makes Herself Known (4.54)
23. Laura in Danger (3.19)
24. Bus Travels (1.02)
25. Visiting Jorge Huneeus (1.19)
26. Jorge Huneeus Confesses (1.28)
27. Gaspard is Guilty (1.59)
28. Gaspard's Death (4.48)
29. Is Laura Dead? (1.33)
30. Laura and Carlos, Isabel and Ricardo (1.24)
31. Findings (8.59)
32. Laura and Carlos (2.42) Excellent track
Bonus Track
33. Lejos de Chile (2.10)
Total Length: 74.32
For me, the winner is what opens the score. A theme that tells you it's there, a theme that isn't particularly original but one that fulfills its role powerfully enough nonetheless. It's what opens Mein Herz in Chile in style. "Prologue" is to the point, potent and carrying that undeniable ethnic quality that lures us immediately to the South American border, noticeable once the theme undergoes an exotic guitar laden vocal performance in "Lejos de Chile".
The score is packed with dramatic / romantic moments, often enhanced by piano, solo violin or guitar, infusing enough heart and passion to the cues. Like the lovely feeling when "Laura Remembers Chile" or the wonderful epic explosion of the theme in "Chile", one of the album's best moments. And even though those lovely moments do feature too much the one and the same theme, Lange luckily lets them be heard through various instruments. Like the wonderful on edge atmosphere during "Carlos meets Laura" (unleashing for the first time the love theme), the lovely dramatic ethnic material during "Dona Salina's Funeral", or when both themes make one final impact during "Laura and Carlos".
Though everything is melodic enough to listen to, Mein Herz in Chile is also too long for its own good. The occasional action pieces do wonders for the diversity, but lack perhaps the epic feeling that we did receive with the main theme. It's more suspenseful on edge material that effectively tells us who is in what specific danger, but "Isabel's Escape" lacks the epic oomph that I was expecting once I started dreaming away through the epic main theme. And strangely, that epic'ness arrives mere minutes later in "VEN" when choir builds to a potent conclusion. Somehow I wished this would have been triggering the action instead.
In general, Mein Herz in Chile is perfectly suitable, powerful enough when the theme makes an entrance and in a way there's enough instrumental variation to keep you satisfied for 35 to 45 minutes. But that's the limit, because after a while you begin to notice it misses something, like several additional themes, or different musical approaches. Now you're left with a theme that keeps making some kind of impact, but it sadly can't keep filling one cue after another. I like this score, but not in this kind of length. So for people who want to hear more of German composers will find enough melodic craftsmanship to like Mein Herz in Chile, but listening to it again in full might be stretching it.
Track Listing
1. Prologue (1.15)
2. "Lejos de Chile" (1.24)
3. The Letter (1.40)
4. Laura Remembers Chile (1.27)
5. Chile (4.51) Excellent track
6. Memory of Carlos (0.33)
7. Carlos meets Laura (2.10)
8. Ricardo, The Taxi Driver (1.17)
9. Laura's Secret & Isabel' s First Meeting With her Grandma (2.03)
10. Legacy (1.29)
11. Dona Salina is Dead (1.09)
12. Laura's Nightmare (1.18)
13. Dona Salina's Funeral (3.14)
14. "A Donde Vas" (1.54)
15. Isabel's Escape (2.29)
16. "VEN!" (2.09) Excellent track
17. Carlos Sanchez is Isabel's Father (0.48)
18. Laura Goes to Elsa (1.26)
19. Memory (2.58)
20. Isabel Sees her Father Carlos (0.56)
21. Carlos Remembers the Coup (3.00)
22. Isabel Makes Herself Known (4.54)
23. Laura in Danger (3.19)
24. Bus Travels (1.02)
25. Visiting Jorge Huneeus (1.19)
26. Jorge Huneeus Confesses (1.28)
27. Gaspard is Guilty (1.59)
28. Gaspard's Death (4.48)
29. Is Laura Dead? (1.33)
30. Laura and Carlos, Isabel and Ricardo (1.24)
31. Findings (8.59)
32. Laura and Carlos (2.42) Excellent track
Bonus Track
33. Lejos de Chile (2.10)
Total Length: 74.32