CD REVIEW - STIEG LARSSON'S MILLENNIUM TRILOGY


Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy
Music by Jacob Groth
Silva Screen Records SILCD1331
11 Tracks 41:08 mins

Danish composer Jacob Groth has been receiving much positive attention for his score to the acclaimed crime thriller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, one of the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. This release, out tomorrow, largely focuses on the other two films, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, as the score for Dragon Tattoo has already been released on Milan Records.
The Silva Screen album does however contain themes heard in all three films, including the theme used in all three full-length TV versions, which opens this compilation, a flowing, mysterious, beat-driven mix of orchestra and electronics. This same mix of live and electronic elements is continued throughout the album, with most of the tracks that follow being a decent length, allowing one to really absorb what's on offer.
As one might expect from this particular genre, the scores feature much mystery and suspense, but there's often a steady forward motion to the music, and "Running Out of Time" presents some genuinely exciting action material. "Abuse" is probably the darkest, most eerie and threatening track, and the following track, "More secrets - Palmgren" builds to a menacing crescendo, before proceeding poignantly to a big, dramatic ending. There's also a sadness about the penultimate track "The Return of Salander."
The only really light moments are found in "Fire," which has an airy, Barryish feel about it, and the final track, "Another Goodbye," which has an ethereal quality to it, though even this verges on the melancholy.
In addition to the score tracks, "Would Anybody Die For Me?" features a vocal by Misen Larsen, which comes from the second film in the trilogy.
Groth has adapted his music for the concert hall, his "The Millennium Project - A Musical Journey," featuring the Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, debuted in their home city on May 8th, with a further concert planned for Stockholm next month.
Go to www.silvascreenmusic.com for samples and to order your copy of the album on CD or as a digital download.