Search - Philip Sheppard :: In the Shadow of the Moon

Don't be surprised if Philip Sheppard's score for this doc about the Apollo missions of the late 1960s and early 1970s starts popping up at planetariums around the world: It's perfect music for zoning out in front of massive space footage. Because the doc focuses on the moon expeditions and man walking on our satellite, the overall mood is one of awed, respectful grandeur. Some tracks ("Mare Nectaris," "Epiphany") use only very few instruments, like piano or cello, to suggest the silence of deep space and the glacial vistas of the moon. Others deploy a fuller sound but they never feel bombastic. "Staging," for instance, brings out a choir, some Philip Glass-like arpeggios (which also introduce "X15 Jet") and a swelling orchestra, while "Crawler" actually is rather spooky and would fit well in an elegant horror movie. Sheppard, a cellist by training, makes particularly good use of this somber instrument throughout. --Elisabeth Vincentelli