Tracksounds Rating = 7/10

Composed , Produced and Conducted by Lee Holdridge
Orchestrated by Ira Hearshen and Lee Holdridge
Promotional Release December 1999

If sweetness had a sound, Lee Holdridge’s score for the most recent incarnation of the Heidi story, could certainly be it.  Nearly every track exudes this candy-like music, which represents the little miss.  The majority of this disc just oozes with "everything nice," but has its moments touching other emotions as well.  This promotional released CD is of  satisfactory sound quality, organization and one  that will appease the harshest musical-sweet tooth.

The Overture, track 1, establishes the main theme of the score, which appears and reappears throughout the 21 tracks of this promotional release.  Believe it or not an even more pure, more sweet, more innocent version of this theme is heard in track 13, Opening- Part 2.  Of course, it too, suits this story perfectly.  The most interesting use of the main theme comes at the conclusion of the climactic track, Hanging on the Edge, and in the finale, where Holdridge lets his orchestra cut as loose as they can on it.   It is certainly a credit to Holdridge to establish and maintain such a high level of  sugary-music.  My tooth begins to ache severely by the end of the CD!

There are a number tracks that capture alternative atmospheres.  Moments of suspense that help bring some balance to the overall score can be heard in track 3, John Leaves, track 8, Peter Running to Heidi, track 9, Running to the Church.  The climax of the film and the most suspenseful pieces of music takes place in track 20, Hanging on the Edge.

Grandmother’s Farewell, track 17, is as one would expect, very sad.  Holdridge does an excellent job of seizing this emotion and translating it to the listener through the ebbs and flows of the strings.  Church Steeple, track 10, is an upbeat piece, that isn’t too far off from Mark McKenzie’s work in Durango, but it doesn’t quite match that sort of depth. 

A track of particular note is track 14, Christmas Montage.  Lee Holdridge weaves one of the holiday season’s most beloved tunes into his musical tapestry.  The piece begins simply, without any recognizable tune, but shortly moves into and concludes with O Tannenbaum, played ever so tenderly on the strings.  This track is perfect for playing  as one stairs at the Christmas tree, with all the lights off after the kid-links have been put to bed for the night.

Heidi represents the sixth volume from the series, The Film Music of Lee Holdridge.  The music here is perfect for the story and Holdridge certainly demonstrates a good dose of his skills.  It is sugar, spice and everything nice; however, the score isn’t one that will knock you over.. It certainly has some nice moments, but none that you will necessarily whistle throughout the day.  If one is reading, writing, doing ‘rithmethic, or just plain ol’ relaxing, this CD might be a good candidate for your player.  It will not distract you much and will likely set you at ease.

Category

Score

Music Selection

Themes/ Composition

CD Length

Track Order

Performance

Final Score

Jason Blalock - Scoreland

Composer
Lee Holdridge

Purchase this CD at

www.supercollector.com or www.screenarchives.com