Search - Mychael Danna :: Ararat

One of the best film scores to come out in a long time.

Moses Alexander | Alabama, USA | 09/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The score for "Ararat" is one of the better film scores to come out in several years. While some of it definately "sounds like movie music," a lot of it is original sounding and could easily make the leap to the concert platform with a few tweaks (or if you got some Armenian folk musicians to sit in!)



Composer Mychael Danna incorporated Armenian folk & sacred music into the more traditional score for western orchestra. The results are absolutely spellbinding. The duduk (somewhat similar to an oboe, but that's just to give an idea) and the kanune combine well with orchestra, and at times take on a "concerto-like" relationship to the orchestra.



Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian's voice is spellbinding (her solo CDs are also amazing and worth picking up.) At times, her voice, combined with Danna's music make it hard to choke back the tears. The music is just that powerful in places.



Most of the music is somber, yet hopeful...but one would expect somber music from a movie dealing with such a tough subject."

A comment to the composer

Hakob Gevorgyan | CA USA | 12/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd like to say that the movie is very contemporary movie and so is the soundtrack. I rate this movie as the best movie for me!
Unfortunately I saw a mistake made by Amazon.com which has shown the composer of Groonk as Mychael Danna. I'd like to announce that the composer of Groonk or Krounk which in armenian means a Bird is composed by Komitas, Danna has just impovized the music, which is also very great work. Groonk, originaly writen by Komitas, is about an armenian immigrant who asks the Groonk, the bird, about his mother land, his country, which he has not seen for a while and where he can't be anymore.
Anyway, I'd recommend you to listen this works, they speak of a nation that has lost its mother land."

Music bursting with emotions, Reminisence of The Gladiator

Sevan Tutunciyan | Alameda, CA USA | 05/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Spectacular ! There are two reasons why I will recommend this CD. First, as it is related to my heritage, Armenian, this soundtrack does a wonderful job of representing Ararat, a movie about how Armenian Genocide performed by Turks affected an Armenian family whose members are trying to come to terms with their painful past in their own ways. The music is so emotional and passionate that it almost tells a story by itself, it's hard not be captured by it.Those of you who are fond of the legendary movie The Gladiator and its music will appreciate this CD as it has the same instrument (it's called duduk) that makes the wind voice and shares certain characteristics. Also, there are other instruments that orchestral and convential of Armenian heritage, all of which are quite soothing.
If you loved the Gladiator music, you'll love this too !"