CD REVIEW - THE IRONY OF FATE 2


The Irony of Fate 2
Music by Yuri Poteyenko
KeepMoving Records KMRCD 016 (Russia)
21 Tracks 44:58 mins

The latest release from KeepMoving Records is the score from 2007's The Irony of Fate 2 which, from the synopsis I managed to find, appears to be a romantic comedy, and a sequel to a much-loved classic.
Composer is KeepMoving regular Yuri Poteyenko, whose music I was completely unaware of before the label kindly allowed me access to their catalogue. Now, I, and shortly, you too will become well acquainted with a number of his works. But here, whilst Poteyenko is credited as the film's composer, the main theme was actually written by the late Michael Tariverdiev, for the first Irony of Fate production some 30 years before, and further themes by this composer were also used in the score. Tariverdiev, in his time, composed the music for more than 130 films.
The main theme, a grand, but slightly off-kilter, waltz, gets the disc underway, and is followed by the eager "Troika." The waltz returns for "The Same Old Story," and features again, in variations, some more light and subtle than others, in a number of the tracks that follow. At times, the score is light and seasonal, at others more dramatic, but romance and pathos is never far away, and highlights, for me, include the appropriately romantic "Story of Love," an easy guitar and strings theme, which builds to an ecstatic choral moment, before continuing gently on its way; the choir-driven "Midnight Rush;" the charming guitar-lead "New Year's Eve;" the brief, almost rhapsodic piano and strings of "Returning of Love;" the bittersweet "Snegurochka;" the piano-voiced sadness of "Rabbit and the Princess;" and "Happiness" which, on the contrary, sounds anything but, but still manages to be quite lovely, with nice guitar and piano work.
"Final" ends the score on a warm, happy note, with yet more fine solo guitar work, before full orchestra takes us to a satisfying close.
Having incorporated snatches of "Jingle Bells" in "Sleepless Night" and "One Wish," the album concludes with a straight version of James Lord Pierpont's timeless Christmas classic.
Order this quite lovely and, at times, magical little score from www.keepmovingrecords.com, where you can first listen to some samples.