Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2023 November 13 • Monday

One of the first soundtrack recordings I ever bought—on cassette!—was Vladimir Cosma's music for Diva. I should get it again as I don't have it anymore. But Mr. Cosma is the composer of the 804th Soundtrack of the Week, the score for a movie called Alexander.

The main title is a song called "Where Is the Summertime?", a leisurely and lyrical waltz with strings handling the melody.

Then a bouncy and sunny-sounding track with wooden flute lightly romps in for "The Dog".

The second of several versions of "Where Is the Summertime" is up next, this one in French as "La Terre, Le Ciel et L'eau". This one has female vocals sung in French and a very different feel from the opening track, more in the Françoise Hardy zone.

"The French Fair" is one of those stereotypically "French" oompah tunes with accordion swinging all over the place.

After that we get the love theme, "Agathe and Alexander", but it's actually a different arrangement of the main title, with harp and what sounds like glockenspiel or chimes or something like that.

And then yet another arrangement of the main title, this time calling itself "Bird Watchers" and with breezy, swirling accompaniment from flutes, before a segue into a reprise of "The Dog".

If you think you're going to hear the main title again right away, you're right! Next up is the bossa nova version! This take on it has a much higher energy level and the melody is delivered in an almost aggressively bright staccato syncopated style by an electric keyboard with a very sharp tone.

The very short "Bicycle Ride" is a lovely, soaring tune that, once again, reprises the main title melody. It's a good thing it's a nice melody!

Finally electric guitar and "shake" organ combo show up for "Rhythm in the Afternoon", which is a cool number that makes a nice contrast to the main title while not straying too far away from it. Cool guitar sound, as is to be expected.

"Lazy Alexander" is the main title again, on acoustic guitar, followed by a string section version of the main title for "Flirtation in the Grass", which itself is followed by kind of a blaring marching band version called "Romance in the Afternoon" that ends as a cool lounge version.

Speaking of lounge, "Piano Sweet Piano" is a subdued and swaying loungey tune featuring vibes as well as, naturally, piano. The melody is very similar to "What Kind of Fool Am I?".

There's only one cue left and, believe it or not, it's the main title again, except this time it's the end title and runs through several of the variations already heardf.