Strong start - but then ...

The decision to entrust the John Milius-friend Basil Poledouris with the composition to a belated "Cold War" movie, can only be described as a logical step, which Milius-Poledouris team but had already in 1984 with "Red Dawn" for global outrage worried. John McTiernan, as action director known since "Die Hard", directed the equally exciting as outmoded myth of a Soviet submarine that for some reason drives the American coast and make the Soviets and Americans alike hunting.

Promising the score with a Russian Choral, "Hymn to Red October" begins titled. The main theme that the majestic beauty of military equipment as well as the heroism of his crew should emphasize adheres to the embossed style of Shostakovich propagandistic choral music: simple in structure, catchy in harmony, thrilling in its simple greatness. The orchestration reveals the influences both Poledouris own "Conan" music as well as some Horner scores (especially "Red Heat"); ever peeps Horner, who was an innovator in the use of Russian chorales in a way, around the corner from "Hunt for Red October". The second piece, "Nuclear Scam" is also the longest as prime Cue the 30-minute work quite scarce. In about seven minutes Poledouris sparked a firework of orchestral crescendos, in which he imaginatively the most of its modest possibilities brings out: full orchestra, choir and electronic percussions whip forward the submarine, there's nothing subtle, power and volume are one. Poledouris resources are indeed limited unmistakable, but who wants to blame him if their result is such impressive pieces.

For the remaining seventeen minutes, the motto is: from now on it's downhill. "Putin's Demise" and "Course!" Two equally short as poor suspense pieces that could have been spared us better. The same goes for "Ancestral Aid" that flattens rapidly in thin strings shimmer for a quick-tempered start. Pathetic is it in "Two Wives", but right here is obviously where Poledouris talent has its limits: reveling melodramas collages are not his thing. The remaining pieces "chopper", "Red Route I + II" and "Plane Crash" are evidence of the carelessness with which the composer is going on. Instead of continuing the powerful dynamics of the two input pieces, here only noise to the noise will be announced. A particularly glaring example here is "Kaboom!", Whose title already must arouse suspicion: synth junk pure worst fears still surpassing - though played by Michael Boddicker - this cue was probably taken only on the CD to the necessary limit half of a hour to achieve. Ever: The Reportoirewert this CD is negligible. Poledouris it can simply not to compose a consistently careful music - and mediocre film music we already are well enough in the cupboard ...