Band of Brothers could loosely be described as the mini series spin off to Saving Private Ryan, right down to being produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The slightly documentary style and the gritty, realistic battle sequences certainly recalls Spielberg's film. Reaction to the series has been mixed, some hailing a television masterpiece, others less inspired. I do rather wander if it's the kind of thing that simply needs to be watch in one long sitting rather than in episodic format; when the DVD comes out, I'll try and find out. To match the high quality production (easily as good as Saving Private Ryan itself), Michael Kamen was brought in to pen the score - which must have been quite a tough workload given the number of episodes and sheer amount of music.

The Main Theme is done in a Hymn to the Fallen style choral memorium which is just stunning set against the montage opening titles sequence and is quite beautiful in its own terms. Not perhaps as moving as Hymn to the Fallen, but none the less a worthy successor. I'm not entirely sure how the sequencing of the album was considered, but the next two tracks are simply suites one and two, seemingly a collection of all the more rousing material from the score. Not quite action music, a lot of it is rousing, brassy and militaristic, but in a fairly non patriotic way. Still, stirring stuff and one of the few parts of the score that contains Kamen's more distinctive harmonies and progressions.

Having appeared to have set a scene for a rousing score, the album becomes very much more subdued. The brass goes on holiday and somber strings combined with woodwind become the order of the day. It is perhaps a fraction hard to take given the sudden shift in tone to something somewhat more understated and serious - the two suites are not exactly subtle at times - but Kamen's dramatic sense is superb and the writing is still superb unto itself. Things do inevitably sag at times, the thematic material isn't always as memorable, although the occasional appearance of the main theme always help. The short Beethoven string quartet fits right into the fabric of the score, you almost need to concentrate specifically to notice it, so similar is it in tone, if not compositional style.

Things pick up somewhat towards the end and culminate in the Band of Brothers Requiem, a kind of alternate version to the Main Theme with the addition of soaring vocals by Maire Brennan and Kamen's daughter Zoe. While starting in instantly memorable style, the bulk of the score requires more careful attention to appreciate, although even the most attentive might find it dragging slightly in places. Having said that, it's still a very noble effort and another great addition to Kamen's catalogue.

Rating ~

  1. Main Theme (2:24)
  2. Band of Brothers Suite One (6:31)
  3. Band of Brothers Suite Two (9:03)
  4. The Mission Begins (5:49)
  5. Swamp (2:08)
  6. Spiers' Speech (0:59)
  7. Fire on Lake (2:15)
  8. Parapluie (2:16)
  9. Boy Eats Chocolate (1:16)
  10. Bull's Theme (3:18)
  11. Winters on Subway (1:54)
  12. Headscarf (4:10)
  13. Buck in Hospital (1:59)
  14. Plaisir D'amour (1:54)
  15. Preparing for Patrol (2:28)
  16. String Quartet in C-Sharp Minor (2:10)
    Ludwig van Beethoven
  17. Discovery of the Camp (10:57)
  18. Nixon's Walk (2:14)
  19. Austria (1:58)
  20. Band of Brothers Requiem (3:14)
    Vocals by Maire Brennan & Zoe Kamen

Total Time ~ 65:59