Our first release of 2024 is the score for the 2009 action thriller Angels & Demons, by composer Hans Zimmer. The film is directed by Ron Howard and is based on the novel of the same name by best-selling author Dan Brown. A sequel to the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code, Angel & Demons has Tom Hanks reprising his role as Professor Robert Langdon, as he joins Dr. Vittoria Vetra, a CERN scientist played by Ayelet Zurer, in the search to recover a missing vial of antimatter, which has been planted somewhere in the heart of the Vatican City by a mysterious Illuminati terrorist, in the midst of a new Pope election. Supported by an impressive cast that includes, among others, the talents of Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård and Armin Mueller-Stahl, the film was an instant hit, quickly becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2009. Critics regarded it as an improvement over its predecessor, thanks to its action-oriented pace, in spite of its silly plot and a number of implausibilities and bad character choices. At the end of the day, it cannot be denied that if you manage to shut down your brain and ignore much of its Catholic church propaganda, the film entertains seamlessly from beginning to end.
As expected, the music for Angels & Demons recycles much of the formula that Zimmer used in The Da Vinci Code, a Grammy and Golden Globe nominated score. The German composer puts much emphasis on string writing and choral opulence, though this time he reduced the size of the orchestra to chamber levels, with a heavier use of synthesizer performances. The score also counts with several solos by virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, whose performances on most of the cues are superb, to say the least. Zimmer resorts to the famous “Chevaliers de Sangreal” main theme from The Da Vinci Code, turning it into the main theme of the Robert Langdon saga. This theme opens the Angels & Demons score ("Opening Title"), and makes several appearances throughout, sometimes played by Bell’s violin, while others featuring as a piano-led version (finale of “Air”), before rounding everything up in the final “Angels and Demons” cue. Many of the motifs from The Da Vinci Code also return, but perhaps the most significant of these is a cyclical five-note progression for the antagonists, this time being the Illuminati. This motif is quite omnipresent, making standout appearances backed by a powerful chorus in the cues “Opening Titles”, “Air”, and “Castel Sant’Angelo”. Additionally, Zimmer provides a new motif for the enigmatic Camerlengo (McGregor). This new theme is mostly played by Bell, making its appearance during “The Pope’s Tomb”, before being further explored in the impressive “Ascension” cue, arguably the highlight of the entire score. The action music conjured up by Zimmer is also one of the main attractions of the score, with cues such as “Earth”, “Air”, “Fire”, “Water”, and “Castel Sant’Angelo” offering propulsive rhythms and heart-pounding passages of an effective blend of orchestra, chorus and synthesized industrial music.
Zimmer’s score for Angels & Demons was released by Sony Classical in 2009 in the form of a rather short album that omitted several highlights of the score, while featuring some weird cue combinations, making the musical story structure difficult to grasp. Renovatio Records’ new album of the score addresses these issues, while incorporating almost 15 minutes of unreleased music and retaining as much of the chronological order as possible.
Track List:
2. God Particle (5:37)
3. Do You Believe in God? (2:29)
4. Follow the Path of the Illuminati (2:46)
5. Earth (6:37)
6. Air (7:44)
7. The Pope's Tomb (4:58)
8. Fire (4:07)
9. Water (5:45)
10. Castel Sant'Angelo (7:18)
11. Ascension (8:47)
12. Immolation (3:38)
13. Lux Aeterna (3:00)
14. Angels and Demons (2:18)
Cover Artwork:
Credits:
Cue Assembly:
|
Track
Title |
Slate Number & Cue Title |
|
1. Opening Title |
1m0 Logos 1m1 Smashing the Ring |
|
2. God Particle |
1m3-4 CERN (Edited) |
|
3. Do You Believe in God? |
1m7 Sistine Chapel 2m11 Access Granted
(Edited) |
|
4. Follow the Path of the
Illuminati |
2m12 Follow the Path |
|
5. Earth |
3m15 No Time (Edited) 3m16 Cock Block 3m16B Pantheon (Edited) 3m17B Earth (Edited) |
|
6. Air |
3m19 Air (Edited) |
|
7. The Pope’s Tomb |
Camerlengo Suite (Edited) 4m25A Black Tongue A
(Edited) |
|
8. Fire |
5m28A Strauss Eligible
(Edited) 2m13 Seal the Doors
(Edited) 5m27 Fire (Edited) |
|
9. Water |
5m29 Cross Rome 6m30 Water (Edited) |
|
10. Castel Sant’Angelo |
3m18 Black Smoke A 5m31B Castle SantAngelo
(Edited) 6m33 Save Camerlengo
(Edited) |
|
11. Ascension |
6m38 God Save Us |
|
12. Immolation |
7m43 Immolation |
|
13. Lux Aeterna |
7m44 Science and Religion 7m45 Lux Aeterna |
|
14. Angels and Demons |
7m46 Main Title |
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