Search - Various Artists :: Before Sunset and Before Sunrise

Finally, Before Sunrise soundtrack

James Luckard | Los Angeles, CA | 07/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been waiting years for a Before Sunrise soundtrack album, so this is a very welcome release, but you should note that the labelling, with photos from the sequel Before Sunset is misleading. Of 11 tracks here, 8 are actually from Before Sunrise. Before Sunset just doesn't have that much music. Sadly, the album producers don't seem to have been able to get the rights to the versions of the Purcell piece played at the opening of Before Sunrise or the Bach piece at the film's end. The versions on this album are alternates. I can't find the film version of the Purcell anywhere, but you can get the film version of the Bach piece on the Yo-Yo Ma album "Bach: Sonata for Viola da Gamba & Harpsichord." It's available here at amazon and is vastly superior to the version on the soundtrack album. Also, it seems they couldn't afford the Nina Simone song, "Just In Time" which closes Before Sunset. It's a major omission, since we're left with just the three Julie Delpy songs from the film, which are already available on her self-titled album. They're sweet and enjoyable, but the Nina Simone song is a must-have. The version in the film is off Simone's album "Tomato Collection," which you actually see Ethan Hawke open in the film, as he removes the disc. It's available here at amazon.Other than that, all of the best songs from Before Sunrise are here, if in a totally random order. For those, like me, who have to listen to their soundtracks in film order, here it is:Before Sunrise:
5, 10, 7, 9, 11, 8, 4 - replace this with the Yo-Yo Ma version if you can, 2Before Sunset:
6, 3, Nina Simone "Just In Time," 1"

If you want some of the tracks it's okay, but not great

Majnun | Ypsilanti, MI | 07/30/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album actually is music from both "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," both of which are incredible movies. Much of the music is very enjoyable, however the album really doesn't flow well with the baroque pieces from the first movie interspersed with the other songs. Apparently these aren't even the same versions of the baroque pieces. I enjoyed Julie Delpy's songs because of their relationship to the movie (though I liked the acoustic "A Waltz for a Night" version from the movie better than this studio version). The last two grunge angst songs I don't recognize at all from either movie, why are they here? And unfortunately the Nina Simone song, "Just In Time," that ended "Before Sunset" isn't on here. If you really want it, it can be found on her album "At the Village Gate" or "Tomato Collection."

So, taken as individual tracks there are good songs on this soundtrack, but the album as a whole isn't spectacular."

Not as good as the Movies

L. Carol | 01/06/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you loved the the concoction of music that made their indelible marks in "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset", the soundtrack will come as a major let-down to you. While selective tracks were memorable and brought back fond memories of the movies' moving montages, the soundtrack which lasted a mere 34 minutes and 36 seconds was way too brief to afford the listener a chance to fully appreciate and relish the music that made these superbly-directed movies truly unforgettable.



The best tracks - "Purcell's Dido & Aeneas Overture*" (Track 5), "Bach's Andante from Sonata for Viola da Gamba in G Major" (Track 4) and "Bach's Goldberg Variations in G Major*" (Track 8) - played during the beginning and finishing sequences of "Before Sunrise" simply wasn't aired long enough, leaving one insatiated and yearning for more. The next best tracks are the ones featuring silky-voiced Julie Delpy as the solo songstress - "Je t'aime tant" (Track 1); "An Ocean Apart" (Track 6) and "A Waltz For a Night" (Track 3) - while not perfectly sung, these numbers were performed with great urgency and relevance, but sadly too few and far between.



All said, these six tracks are the sole redeeming grace of the soundtrack as it showcased Linklater's and his editors' ingenious edge in handpicking magical pieces not only in their own right (especially those chosen for "Before Sunrise") but music that worked cohesively in transcending the two movies from extraordinary to sublime. But the fact of the matter is: one inevitably feels the pinch of being ripped of and remorseful that the producers had to spoil what could have been a most tantalizing experience in owning the perfect soundtrack to the much loved movies. If only they had extended the repertoire by including Nina Simone's closing number; songs from Delpy's album (2003) or her unreleased works (either those accompanied by her guitar-playing or au naturel a cappellas would be fine); not least extended versions of the classical recordings to fill this skimpily tossed up soundtrack hastily rendered to milk the success of the movies. This would have made the soundtrack truly 5-star worthy.



*If you've enjoyed Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, one of the best renditions of the opera was performed by Christopher Hogwood's Chorus and Orchestra of The Academy of Ancient Music (Decca, 1994). For Bach's Goldberg Variations, check out Pierre Hantai's spectacular performance on the Harpsichord (Mirare, 2003)."