Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Customer Review: Dark, Brooding, Operatic, Almost Disturbing Masterpiece
Whereas Leonard Rosenman’s score for Star Trek IV was joyous, and grand, Cliff Eidelman’s score for Star Trek VI is extremely dark and brooding. From the main titles, featuring a relentless cello ostinato and outbursts from the full orchestra as well as a chorus (something heretofore unheard in the Star Trek universe) Eidelman sets the tone of the film as dark, unforgiving, and ultimately one about sacrifice. Much of his score is in a similar dark vein, utilizing choral moans and brass to astounding effect. Eidelman also uses ethnic instruments as evidenced in the opening passage to the cue “Assassination” used to underscore a conversation between Spock and his apprentice Valkris. When on the Penal Colony Rura Penthe, Eidelman creates extremely atonal, harsh, aggresive music, and for the long panoramic views of the harsh winter wasteland, trumpet solos soar above the orchestra. In one of the films first sequences, where the Enterprise Leaves Drydock, Eidelman allows his orchestra to unleash itself with an extremely happy fanfare and an almost naval flair. In one of the final cues, “The Battle for Peace” Eidelman takes his previously established material, and uses it to full effect,creating an eerie blend between Holst’s Mars, and Stravinsky’s Firebird, with his warlike percussion, Heavy use of strings and high woodwinds, and choral outbursts that punctuate the entire score. Eidelman finally allows a certain degree of joy in his final cue “Star Trek VI Suite” which orchestrationally is similar to Rosenman’s Star Trek IV theme, using chimes and brass to full effect, he then switches to the films main theme, and leaves us with a melancholy solo trumpet playing over tremolo strings. Eidelman’s score is perhaps one of the more underrated of the “Star Trek” scores and deserves to be rediscovered for it’s beauty, anger, and value as fine music.
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