Renovatio Records invites you to pair up our previous release of The Hunger Games with the score for the second installment in the film series: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Released in 2013 and directed by Francis Lawnrece, the sequel stars the original cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland, with the welcomed additions of Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film’s plot follows the troublesome lives of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in District 12 after their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games. Though they enjoy material comfort, they struggle with emotional unease. Furthermore, President Snow sees the victors as a threat since their actions have triggered rebellion in Panem. Thus, he plots to eliminate them by announcing a Quarter Quell, in which previous victors are selected as tributes to participate in the 75th Hunger Games, throwing them into the deadly arena once more.
The film not only performed excellently at the box office, but also received positive reviews from critics, who praised Lawrence's performance, as well as its action sequences, screenplay, visual effects, and emotional depth. Many went on to consider it the best film in the series. More importantly, the film manages to explore thought-provoking themes by making social commentary of people’s everyday concerns and obsessions such as political frustrations, fascination with celebrities, addiction to reality shows, violence in TV, classism, inequity, and wealth disparity.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire also saw the return of composer James Newton Howard, whose musical score was also warmly received. Howard continues with the general demeanor of its predecessor, reprising much of the instrumentation and styles while improving his collection of ideas.
For the music in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire , Howard reprises much of the instrumentation and style of the original. The bluegrass element returns for Katniss, representing her rural upbringing, while the classical style continues for the capital city of Panem, namely the “Horn of Plenty” fanfare by the group Arcade Fire. String and piano solos also come back for the film’s concept of resistance, backing up its emotional core. However, what truly stands out in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire are huge orchestral outbursts for scenes of awe and action. Cues like “The Games Begin”, “The Fog”, and “Monkey Mutts Attack” showcase the sort of stunning and relentless action music that only Howard can produce. What's more, these last two tracks transition into glorious and emotional fantasy music that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
Howard also makes heavy use of most of the themes he conjured for the first film, while also developing new motifs. The tragedy theme subtly introduced in the first score makes bigger appearances here, now associated with the stirred uprising, with stronger performances in “A Quarter Quell” and “Mockingjay”. The loss theme of the first score's “Rue’s Farewell” also comes back here in “The Tour”, an impressive track that evolves into a new Victors motif, an emotion-charged theme that recycles the Games rising four-note theme introduced in the first score. This powerful theme suggests the physical, psychological and political scars that the games have left on the victors. For Katniss, who is forced to have two faces in the sequel, Howard fittingly develops two new motifs, both presented in the opening track “Katniss”. The first theme is a whistle-like motif, resembling the mockingjay chant of the first film and associated with her alter-ego. And the second more personal theme is namely a longing female solo by Sunna Wehrmeijer, which is excellently combined with the rural roots of the character. This theme has a sense of melancholy that goes hand in hand with Katniss’s recognition of the injustices in her society. The theme eventually culminates in the victorious “Good Morning Sweetheart”, with a major ensemble performance that is truly sublime. And last but not least, Howard inserts a much needed new love theme to accompany the closeness between Katniss and Peeta; a lovely acoustic guitar performance of this theme can be heard in “I Need You”.
The score for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was released in 2013 by Lionsgate/Republic Records in the form of a lengthy album that reached 75 minutes of music. Much of the lesser material of the complete score is added to this album, making it an arduous listening experience. Renovatio Records has condensed the score into a 60-minute album that covers all of Howard’s highlights, while maintaining fluency and keeping the listener engaged. Enjoy!
Track List:
2. The Tour (5:58)
3. A Quarter Quell (2:14)
4. Peacekeepers (5:31)
5. Chariot Ceremony (Horn of Plenty) (2:08)
6. Bow and Arrow (2:34)
7. Beetee (2:23)
8. We're A Team (1:59)
9. Let's Start (1:59)
10. The Games Begin (4:15)
11. The Fog (4:58)
12. Monkey Mutts Attack (4:09)
13. I Need You (3:59)
14. The Wire (4:06)
15. Good Morning Sweetheart (4:57)
16. Mockingjay (1:24)
Total Running Time: 57:23
