Music Composed by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
Rating: ****

Okay, it’s never too late to praise a good score. Even one that came out in the beginning of November (this being late March). With months and an Academy Award for “Best Original Score” under it’s belt, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s score for Finding Neverland hasn’t tired. Despite a mild wave of backlash after it’s Oscar nomination, the score still manages to impress, particularly in it’s effervescent and gorgeously melodic album presentation.

Finding Neverland may not be for everyone. Some will (and have) scowl at it’s optimistic bright theme for orchestra, piano and boys choir (”Where Is Mr. Barrie?”), but we’re really talking about people who could use some Dr. Phil face-time, not the warm cuddly folks we all like to keep company with. Neverland is an unabashed romantic score that takes the film’s flashes of flight of fancy and makes them touching (”Dancing With The Bear”, “The Pirates”, “This Is Neverland”). Kaczmarek can spin variations seemingly forever, and he seemingly does. This is a tightly knit score thematically, keeping a set of major motifs at hand and cycling through the major ideas (waltz-like “Dancing With The Bear” and “The Spoon On The Nose” for J.M. Barrie’s imagination, and a bright variation on the main theme for the Llewellyn-Davies kids, “Children Arrive”). The result is a memorable and instantly familiar listening experience that is perfect for a number of everyday tasks (if you use film music as your daily background music like I do). Washing the car, going to the mail, stalking that hot chick that lives on the fifth floor… Okay, I kid you. But perhaps you get the point — this is poignant film music that makes good listening, the number one indicator that a score is worth owning on CD.

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

There are highlights to point out, including the charming opening, “Where Is Mr. Barrie?”, with light boys choir, the lovely “Neverland - Piano Variation In Blue”, where piano player Leszek Mozdzer riffs on Kaczmarek’s themes, “Peter”, the rollicking “Impossible Opening” the major reveal cue, “This Is Neverland” and “Why Does She Have To Die?” which score the two most heart-strings-tugging moments of the film.

There are few albums that come to mind that are as good a listen as this one. Each celebrated score of ‘04 had it’s moments on disc, but none plays as effortlessly or as sweetly as Finding Neverland. If you’ve skipped buying it all this time, don’t let it’s Oscar win spoil it for you. This isn’t one of the Academy’s oddball music selects. It’s a worthy winner. A lush, emotional score that’ll bring tears and smiles to your face (tough guys, psychotics excluded). While this review may have taken it’s sweet ass time coming to fruition, hopefully it will make up for those lost frozen months of Winter ‘04/’05. While you chilled in January scraping the ice off your car, you could have warmed your cold heart to Kaczmarek’s score. Unfortunately the score isn’t quite good at warming your feet too. (Originally posted March 22, 2005).

Music Composed and Co-Orchestrated Jan A.P. Kaczmarek; Conducted by Nick Ingman; Co-Orchestrated by Marek Szpakiewicz, Krzysztof Herdzin; Recorded and Mixed by Rafal Paczkowski; Produced by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek; Availability: In print; Label (Catalogue): Decca Records, (B0003429-02); Release Date: November 2, 2004

01. Where Is Mr. Barrie? (3′32)
02. The Park (1′07)
03. Dancing with the Bear (2′03)
04. The Kite (1′37)
05. The Chess (1′07)
06. Neverland (Piano Variation In Blue) (4′29)
07. The Spoon On the Nose (1′28)
08. The Pirates (2′11)
09. The Marriage (2′40)
10. Children Arrive (3′15)
11. Drive to the Cottage (1′04)
12. The Peter Pan Overture (1′17)
13. The Park On Piano (5′23)
14. The Stairs (2′14)
15. Impossible Opening (3′26)
16. The Rehearsal (1′20)
17. Neverland (Minor Piano Variation) (3′39)
18. The Play and the Flight (1′21)
19. This Is Neverland (4′01)
20. Why Does She Have to Die? (2′05)
21. Another Bear (3′11)
22. Forgotten Overture (3′31)