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“Whether it is Easter, Christmas, or the other 363
days out of the year, JESUS: THE EPIC MINI SERIES by
Patrick Williams is
certain to “bless” the
film music fan. ”
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Williams' Messiah
Review by Christopher
Coleman
Beginning in the
silent era, one of the
most oft repeated
stories in film has
been that of the life
of Christ. It has been
told from almost every
angle possible; some
attempts striving to
depict orthodox views
of Christ's life,
while others have put
to film other views
that would hardly be
considered
"mainstream." In any
event, the life of Christ
eventually became the story
of greatest impact
upon Western
civilization and so
its prominence up to
the 21th
century is not a
surprise.
In the Spring of 2000,
CBS aired its
mini-series, JESUS:
THE EPIC MINI SERIES,
directed by Roger E.
Young, who has helmed
many other biblical
mini-series such as:
MOSES, JOSEPH, and
SOLOMON. Some 21
million viewers
watched this original
broadcast and was one
of the highest-rated
series of the
2000-2001 season. In
2004, in effort to
capitalize on the
success of Mel
Gibson's THE PASSION
OF THE CHRIST, the
two-hour, second-half
was re-aired, but to
much less audience
interest. The original
series, as it aired in
2000, was already
trimmed down by 40
minutes compared to
the European release.
This rendition of the
life of Christ covers
all of the main beats
of the story but ads
in a number of
contemporary
twists...some of which
certainly tread the
line of orthodoxy and
reveal thought-lines
that are explored much
more fully in films
such as THE LAST
TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
or THE DA VINCI CODE.
To translate the story
of the Messiah into
music, the producers
wisely selected three-time Emmy Award
winning composer
PATRICK WILLIAMS. His
name may not be the
most recognizable but
many of his works
certainly are.
Ranging from
television shows such
as THE STREETS OF SAN
FRANCISCO and LOU
GRANT to his Pulitzer
Prize nominated
composition AN
AMERICAN CONCERTO, to
his work as a jazz composer,
arranger, and
bandleader, Patrick
Williams’ vast talent
is employed his latest
composition for JESUS:
THE EPIC MINI SERIES.
Following the
well-known beats of
the life of Christ, the music
rises, falls, and
rises again.
Williams is able to
accomplish a very
difficult task in
capturing the myriad
of emotions that the
life of Christ has
brought to
civilization since his
birth. One of the
producers goals was to
communicate that this
historical story is
still relevant to our
modern society.
Visually this is done
as we see Jesus being
tempted by Satan in a
suit or being brought
to Kosovo to witness
the devastation...or
when Jesus, himself,
appears in a
modern-day suit at the
conclusion of the
series. Williams'
score follows that
line by delivering a
score that marked by a
strong,
western-contemporary
personality.
The series' central
theme is, of course,
focused on Jesus.
Here Patrick Williams
writes a simple,
eight-note, melody
that ranges from solo
trumpet to powerful,
full orchestral
performances as heard
in "Main Titles" (1).
The heroic or
triumphant element of
the life of Christ is
carried by the brass,
particularly the
trumpet.
Ironically, the overwhelming
loneliness of
leadership,
misunderstanding,
betrayal and sacrifice
are carried by this
very same instrument.
The power and majesty
demonstrated
throughout the life of
Christ is depicted
with equally dramatic
music. Tracks such as
"Walking on Water" and
"Raising Lazarus" leave
little to be desired
as far as the amount
of dramatic impact one
might desire. While determined and
hopeful, it somehow
maintains elements of
sadness and
profundity. In all;
however, this theme is
sharp and memorable.
Perhaps the best
representation of the
this
historic/contemporary
mix is found in track
11, simply titled
"Satan." Beginning
with a short
introduction by
strings and then solo
trumpet, the piece
soon dives into
foreboding moans and
synthetic groans of
darkness. The track
the oscillates between
darkness and light as
the heroic trumpet and
strings battle with the
darkling-synths and
sound design and
makes for a truly
engaging piece to
experience. Concluding
with a restatement of
the title theme, the
track is the longest
single piece contained
on this release at
5:18.
The life of Christ has
given writers,
directors, producers
and composers more
ideas, relationships,
settings, twist and
turns that they might
dream of in one story.
It is no wonder this
story has been told
and retold so many
times and will go on
being retold. From the
mysterious birth, to
humiliating death, to
the final triumphant
that gives hope to
millions, and the
countless tales
in-between,
there is a harvest of
material from which to
draw. Composer
Patrick Williams does
his part with class and
intelligence and has
produced a score that
should have garnered,
at the least, an Emmy
nomination.
Whether it is Easter,
Christmas, or the
other 363 days out of
the year, JESUS: THE
EPIC MINI SERIES by
Patrick Williams is
certain to “bless” the
film music fan.
Rating:
8/10
|
Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Main Title |
2:54 |
**** |
|
2 |
Joseph Dies |
2:35 |
*** |
|
3 |
Searching
for
Jesus |
2:36 |
**** |
|
4 |
Temple,
The
Early
Years |
2:38 |
**** |
|
5 |
Healing
the
Sick |
3:09 |
**** |
| 6 |
Zealots |
1:51 |
*** |
| 7 |
Walking on Water |
2:50 |
***** |
| 8 |
Raising Lazarus |
2:59 |
**** |
| 9 |
Jesus Arrives |
1:27 |
***** |
| 10 |
The Last Supper |
3:53 |
**** |
| 11 |
Satan |
5:18 |
**** |
| 12 |
Gethsemane |
1:25 |
**** |
| 13 |
Taken to Pilate |
1:57 |
*** |
| 14 |
Pie Jesu (performed by Sarah Brightman) |
3:53 |
**** |
| 15 |
The Passion |
1:53 |
*** |
| 16 |
The Crucixion |
4:17 |
**** |
| 17 |
Jesus Has Risen |
2:26 |
*** |
| 18 |
I Am With You |
1:58 |
**** |
| |
Total Running Time (approx) |
50 minutes |
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