Piercing The Celluloid Veil - REVIEW from SoundtrackStation.com (7/17/00):
"All film score lovers really need
to tune into this one. From Mark Wolfram comes 'Piercing
the Celluloid Veil', an orchestral journey that stands toe
to toe amongst several of the major soundtrack releases this
year. While this is not music from any one particular movie,
it certainly carries the power of a quality film score.
The great aspect of this disc is that each track has its own
theme, and this provides a great bit of diversity with the music.
That said, Mr. Wolfram also keeps his musical identity consistent
throughout, so while the tracks differ, the consistency remains
solid."
To read more reviews of Piercing The
Celluloid Veil CLICK HERE for Mark Wolfram's Amazon.com page.
Piercing The Celluloid Veil - LINER NOTES
(by Daily Variety Film Music Correspondent
JON BURLINGAME)
It's one thing to be a classically schooled composer
- to understand harmony and counterpoint, know the classics,
and be able to write music for an eighty-piece orchestra. It's
quite another to commit one's emotions to paper in the form of
musical notes and then to translate those notes into a powerful
emotional experience.
Mark Wolfram knows how to do both.
Mark is a big, warm, teddy-bear kind of
guy. The youngest of five, he grew up in the cold climes of Minnesota.
His mother, a talented pianist, once saw Rachmaninoff perform.
By the time he was eight, Mark knew that he was going to be a
musician; by the age of 16, he knew that his life's work would
be composing. Upon graduating from Northwestern, he went to work
writing music for Broadway, Madison Avenue and television in
New York and Chicago.
Today, he lives in Los Angeles. That's
where his very specialized talents are in demand, creating music
for films and television. "Piercing the Celluloid Veil"
offers a sampling of his music, much of it performed by the superb
Sinfonia of London.
"Piercing the Celluloid Veil"
is about reaching beyond the traditional - adding multiple musical
layers of interest to afford the listener a cinematic experience
without going to the movies. This is a soundtrack without a film,
using the mind's eye as a projector.
It's also a kaleidoscope of musical concepts and
styles, from the expansive Americana of "Big Sky" to
the mystery and urgency of "Ethical Dilemma"; from
the shifting currents of "Serpentine" to the tempered
sorrow of "Wistful Disappointment"; from the ominous
waltz of "Innocent Facade" to the propulsive energy
of "Dogged Pursuit." There's a brass trio and even
a complex serial composition entitled "Corridors,"
each a solid classical work....the dramatic "Credo."
And there's a great contemporary track called "The Test
of Time."
Mark's own "orchestral odyssey"
led to the creation of this album. Having spent a number of years
realizing the musical ideas of other composers, he says, "part
of this project was to fine-tune and hone my own voice."
About his hopes for this music, he adds, simply: "I want
people to listen and to honestly be moved."
A word of advice: Put this disc on when
you can devote your full attention to the music. Dim the lights.
Turn up the volume. Close your eyes. Let the music carry you
away; you may be surprised where you end up. - Jon Burlingame
