Try
& Buy From
Music Conducted By
Jerry Goldsmith
Orchestrations By
Jerry Goldsmith
Recorded By
Federico Savina
Performed By
Unione Musicisti Di
Roma
Album Produced By
Jerry Goldsmith
Label
Prometheus XPCD 165
Previous Release(s)
RCA Italy
OST 102
Citadel LP
RCA LPs
Year Of CD/Film Release
2008/1977
Running Time
106:07
Availability
Normal Release
Cues
&
Timings
Disc 1 Complete Score (Mono)
1. Main Title 3:24
2. Break-In 2:27
3. The Train Station / Dying Man / Mckenzie Arrives
/ Sick Man 1:20
4. Husband & Wife /Little Girl & Sick Man /
Train On The Move 2:36
5. New Bedside Manner 1:41
6. Are You Alright? /
What They Call "The Cassandra Crossing"* 1:06
7. Searching The Train 2:39
8. Helicopter Rescue 3:33
9. Disease Spreads 0:42
10. Bring It In / The Train / Husband & Wife 1:12
11. Safe Living 4:12
12. Here We Go! 0:44
13. The Train Arrives 2:14
14. I Can't Go 4:44
15. The Bridge / God's Will 3:05
16. Rusting Bridge 1:05
17. The Climber 2:40
18. Kaplan's Death 3:33
19. Aftermath* / The Passengers Escape 2:04
20. The Cassandra Crossing - End Titles 1:46
* Not Used In The Film
Bonus Tracks (Alternate Mixes) (Mono)
21. Little Girl / Sick Man 0:45
22. Helicopter Rescue 3:31
23. Safe Living 4:12
24. Here We Go! 0:42
25. The Train Arrives 2:14
26. The Climber 2:40
Disc 2 Original Soundtrack Album (Stereo)
1. Main Title 3:22
2. Break-In 2:22
3. Safe Living 4:10
4. Helicopter Rescue 3:33
5. I Can't Go 4:36
6. The Climber 2:29
7. It's God's Will 3:04
8. Kaplan's Death 3:31
9. End Credits 1:47
10. It's All A Game (Instrumental) 2:59
11. It's All A Game (Instrumental-Alternate Version) 2:30
12. I'm Still On My Way (Vocal) 2:51
Bonus Tracks:
13. I'm Still On My Way (Instrumental) 4:02
14. I'm Still On My Way (Vocal Only) 4:02
Soundtrack
Ratings
Disappointing
Functional
Average
Good
Excellent
Outstanding
|
The Cassandra Crossing
The Cassandra Crossing was the first of two disaster movies
scored by the composer during the late 70's. And much like The
Swarm, combined an overblown character piece with a major
disaster. In this case a viral outbreak along with bridge collapse
and train crash.
Jerry Goldsmith's stylised score is built around a beautiful
love theme for Richard Harris and Sophie Loren's characters (Main
and End Titles). Here Goldsmith utilises harpsichord,
dense string writing, piano and mild 70's pop. In contrast the
ominous Cassandra Crossing itself gets unsettling echoing
metallic sounds for its dilapidated condition. While in later
cues inspired electronic manipulations are created for the deadly
virus itself.
Break In kicks off the score proper and is one of those
moments that defines the Goldsmith style. This is classic action/suspense,
a tension filled 2 plus minutes as the bad guys foolishly break
into a restricted Lab and quickly get themselves infected. Goldsmith's
thrilling cue is propelled by snare drums and piano, as strings,
electronics and crackling brass oozes suspense. In contrast the
remaining action music for the score is quite unusual from what
you would expect from the Goldsmith canon. Both Helicopter
Rescue and The Climber are less fluid, both containing
odd metered action rhythms, ear splitting brass statements and
rallying strings. Helicopter Rescue is a pacey percussion
lead action workout, noteworthy for more eerie electronics, while
the latter cue features some of the most aggressive pre Rambo
writing ever heard from the composer as he precedes to decimate
the brass and percussion sections with this bellowing cue.
Lighter moments of the score focus on the romance between Harris
and Loren's characters, beautifully conveyed in the cue Safe
Living, as Goldsmith's theme turns into a reflective moment
for the two ex-lovers. Here the composer displays more of his
understated European style with piano and woodwinds dominating,
while those electronic manipulations are never too far away for
cut scenes of the infected stowaway. The music becomes more sombre
in the next cue for the Kaplan character (I Can't Go),
the old thief, who survived the Nazi concentration camps. Here
Goldsmith provides Kaplan with his own theme, capturing this
sad and lonely man by way of chimes and delicate woodwind figures.
This is further developed in It's God's Will before Kaplan's
Death signals the finale and an ominous countdown to the
train crash with a descending percussive tempo, reminiscent of
a chanting chorus, and a tragic brass statement for Kaplan's
ultimate sacrifice.
The Cassandra Crossing was originally released on a number of RCA
LPs but finally preserved on CD by the Italian arm in 1995. This
CD includes the pointless song sung by Harris' then partner,
Anne Turkel, as well as an enjoyable pop instrumental of Goldsmith's
theme with friend Hal Shapper.
In 2008 Prometheus released a 2 CD set using the surviving mono mix downs for
the complete score on disc one while the second disc features the original
stereo album. The set includes a plethora of extra music and alternates. It is a
shame the stereo tapes could not be found for the complete score presentation
but it remains a stunning release.
|
|
|