CD REVIEW - SEA DOGS


Sea Dogs
Music by Yury Poteyenko
KeepMoving Records KMRCD 001 (Russia)
11 Tracks 31:24 mins

Another score from Yury Poteyenko, this time for the 2000 Akella game Sea Dogs. The album features the orchestral tracks from the game, performed by the Moscow Symphonic Orchestra and the Chamber Chorus of the Moscow Conservatory. At the time, it was quite rare for such forces to be used in a game and so this is a notable score for that alone.
The album gets underway with the perhaps surprisingly quite noble "Main Theme," where choir soars after first a woodwind intro and then a passage for horn. "Storm" follows, building from a quiet start to a suitably turbulent finish. The pastoral "England Theme" has almost a medieval lilt to it. The big choral/orchestral "Battle Theme" that follows is based around the Dies Irae; with the "France Theme" following lightly after, tripping along in suitably Renaissance style. This gives way to the spirited, tambourine-propelled "Spain Theme;" the buoyant mood coming to end in the choral requiem that is the "Defeat Theme." Swirling woodwinds and harp runs perfectly capture the mysterious "Fog," with the brief "Triumph" perfectly capturing that emotion.
The penultimate track, "Sunrise," builds from a subdued, expectant opening to a shimmering stringed conclusion, leading us to "Menu Theme - The Sea," which closes the album splendidly with a development of the opening theme.
It may be quite brief, at just over half-an-hour, but this is another classy and very entertaining album from KeepMoving Records and composer Poteyenko.
For samples and to order your copy of this limited edition of 1500 units, go to www.keepmovingrecords.com/eng/disc/22/.