| The Mask of Zorro: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | July 7, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–1998 | |||
| Studio | Associated Independent Recording,London, England | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack,Film score | |||
| Length | 74:47 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical Records Epic Soundtrax | |||
| Producer | Jim Steinman Simon Rhodes Tony Hinnigan James Horner | |||
| James Horner soundtracks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Mask of Zorro: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Empire | |
| Filmtracks | |
| SoundtrackNet |  |
The Mask of Zorro: Music from the Motion Picture is thesoundtrack album toMartin Campbell's 1998 filmThe Mask of Zorro. The soundtrack was composed byJames Horner, where he was hired to compose thefilm score in September 1997. The soundtrack was released bySony Classical Records andEpic Soundtrax.[1] The orchestral score was heavily influenced by themusic of the Iberian peninsula and features severalthemes, which are written in theharmonic minor scale.[2][3]
The soundtrack was commercially successful and propelled by the rising profile ofMarc Anthony and Australian singerTina Arena. Their duet, "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You", plays in theclosing credits of the film and was released as a single in Europe.[4] The song went #3 on theFrench singles and #4 on theDutch singles charts,[5][6] and it won Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film at the 1999ALMA Awards.[7] An expanded limited edition of the soundtrack was released in 2023.[8]
The soundtrack features fourmain themes, and it makes use of theflamenco guitar,Spanish guitar,Spanish rhythms,Mexican motifs and swashbucklingbrass withmariachi elements.[2][9] There is also the use ofcastanets,maracas,tambourines,clarinets,alto flutes,quena and thezampona aspercussion accents.[10] The combination of the flamenco guitars and brass were compared to the works ofErich Wolfgang Korngold,Max Steiner, andMiklós Rózsa.[2]
The first, and the primary theme of the film, is the main adventuremotif forZorro, which is heard through the track "Zorro's Theme" and "Main Titles". It begins with a minute-long foot-tapping music at a quickeningtempo with the intermittent Spanish guitar, that builds momentum to a falsecrescendo. Thetwelve note theme is accompanied by flamencofoot taps andhandclapping (the ascending and descending rhythmic structure is influenced fromLatin folk music). The main theme also has a soft, romantic form, though it is mostly played in a fast-paced adventurous tone in the score withbrass, Spanish guitar andshakuhachi.[10] The reprisal of the main theme plays frequently until the softprelude to the Love Theme finishes it off.[11]
The second theme is the Love Theme, which is heard in gentle and romantic form, and is found twenty seconds into "Zorro's Theme" and throughout "Elena and Esperanza" onstrings, forming the melodic center for the end credits song,I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You. The 'Love Theme' generally echoes the relationship between Elena and her father. There is the 'Family Theme' which debuts two minutes into "Elena and Esperanza" and Elena's theme, and is used sparingly in the tracks "Elena And Esperanza" and "The Confession".[11] There is also the danger motif that is heard repeatedly, and a short tense motif for the antagonist Don Rafael Montero in "The Mine", which features Horner's signature thumpingclangs.[10]
In a positive review,Zanobard Reviews stated that James Horner's score to the film is "the late great composer at the top of his game, with his masterful use of orchestra and some truly gorgeous themes altogether crafting a soundtrack that’s partswashbucklingly heroic, part breathtakingly romantic and all just impeccably entertaining."[11]Omnipublishing reviewed that "the themes, orchestration, and rhythmic intensity all create a score full of elegant style and intelligence".[2]Empire wrote that the score is Horner's "another fine slice of work" and concludes that "the foreboding rumble of 'Elena's Truth' and thepan-piped unease of 'Leave No Witnesses' add the real depth".[12]
Filmtracks gave the score 5/5 stars, stating that "Both works [The Mask of Zorro andThe Legend of Zorro] mark unique high points in Horner's career, and both represent the most memorably accomplished score released during their respective years", before expressing that Horner's score is "extremely memorable and distinctive in a career that was otherwise criticized forself-referencing", although the review stated the sequel had superior music when it came to technicality. It also opined that the score was "a Latin variation on the composer's popularWillow, taking the best thematic and instrumental tendencies from the 1988 score and performing a cultural rearrangement for the setting ofearly California and the flair ofZorro's personality".[10]
Allmusic described the score as "sweeping and melodramatic", and being "more richer and varied" than theTitanic (1997) score.[13] In a negative review,Soundtrack.Net stated that Horner stole music fromSamuel Barber and from his own work as well, such asAliens (1986). The review also stated that Horner created "a lot of unnecessary bombastic material, much the same fateWillow suffered, but at least here he's allowed to use a solotrumpet to play differentscale progressions", before adding that Horner at least tried "to tackle anethnic music genre that wasn't based, born, or bred on theEnglish isles".[3]
All music is composed byJames Horner.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Plaza Of Execution" | 8:28 |
| 2. | "Elena And Esperanza" | 8:20 |
| 3. | "The Ride" | 3:25 |
| 4. | "Elena's Truth" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "The Fencing Lesson" | 5:29 |
| 6. | "Tornado In The Barracks" | 5:12 |
| 7. | "The Confession" | 3:43 |
| 8. | "Zorro's Theme" | 3:01 |
| 9. | "The Mine (Montero's Vision)" | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Stealing The Map" | 6:30 |
| 11. | ""Leave No Witnesses…"" | 13:21 |
| 12. | "Diego's Goodbye" | 5:31 |
| 13. | "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" | 4:41 |
| Total length: | 74:47 | |
The score was edited atAbbey Road Studios in London.Thomas Pasatieri served as an additionalorchestrator.I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You was arranged byJeff Bova andJim Steinman.[14]
| The Mask of Zorro - Expanded | |
|---|---|
The original 1997 cover is used for the expanded album | |
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | November 24, 2023 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 138:08 |
| Label | La-La Land RecordsLLLCD 1631 |
| Producer | Neil S. Bulk and Mike Matessino |
La-La Land Records released a 2-disc set, expanded limited edition album on November 24, 2023, which includes the original 1997 release (track 10 onwards on disc 2). The album also features the Spanish-Language version of "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" ('Quiero Vivir La Vida Amandote') performed byJon Secada andAna Gabriel as abonus track. The album features art design byJim Titus and has a runtime of 2 hours and 18 minutes.[8]